One of the most durable legacies of “compassionate conservatism” has been a federal commitment to helping the homeless by giving them no-strings-attached housing benefits. George W. Bush’s campaign to end chronic homelessness encouraged localities to embrace the Housing First philosophy, which holds that any problems with mental illness or unemployment should be dealt with only after the homeless person has received housing. President Barack Obama ratcheted up Housing First requirements in federal grant programs; the Trump administration tried, but failed, to weaken them.
This week, President Joe Biden announced an initiative called “House America” that affirms his campaign commitment to Housing First. Thanks to the American Rescue Plan, the government has made “historic resources”—tens of thousands of vouchers, plus $5 billion to build new housing—available to provide housing for the homeless and those at risk of homelessness. Admiringly covered in the press as a “moon shot,” House America is actually most notable for its shrunken ambition. In promising nothing for his plan beyond that it will “bring us closer to ending homelessness,” Biden implies that the federal government expects less from Housing First than it used to.
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