The Federal Government Is Making Homelessness Worse

The federal government stands at a remove from the chaotic street conditions plaguing so many U.S. cities. When confronted with needle-strewn sidewalks and tent encampments, ordinary Americans tend to look first to state and especially local government.

But the federal role in public disorder is not trivial. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) distributes billions annually in homelessness funding. There are two problems with how that’s now done. First, too much of the funding bypasses state governments, which are increasingly the real centers of action on homelessness. Second, HUD is overly prescriptive in demanding conformity with the “Housing First” philosophy of rental assistance with no program requirements and no time limits. Congress could fix both these problems by restructuring federal homeless assistance into a block grant sent to state governments.