Sen. Bonham: Focus on treatment instead of failing homeless projects

By State Senator Daniel Bonham
Newsletter Excerpt,

The last federal administration spent years throwing billions at the housing-first, ignore human suffering approach to solve homelessness, and Oregon has been one of the biggest proponents of these failed policies. Now, the Trump administration is calling out this failure and shifting the national conversation toward prioritizing treatment over simply handing out housing.

For years, Oregon’s leadership has ignored the obvious: addiction and mental health issues are the root causes of chronic homelessness. Instead of confronting this reality, the state has burned through taxpayer dollars with little to show for it. Portland alone has spent millions on temporary shelters, “safe rest villages” and controversial tent cities—only to see the problem get worse. We are not showing “compassion” as a society while turning a blind eye to human suffering.

This approach is long overdue. The reality is that simply providing housing to individuals with severe addiction or mental health issues without ensuring they receive treatment does not solve the problem—it enables it. Many of Oregon’s encampments prove this point, as housed individuals continue to struggle with untreated substance abuse and mental health crises, often cycling back into homelessness. Without structured support, these individuals are left in the same downward spiral, just with a roof over their heads. Oregon must recognize that treating the root causes of homelessness—addiction, mental illness and lack of accountability—will be far more effective than continuing to throw billions into housing programs that don’t work and just continue the cycle of suffering.

Trump’s proposal focuses on mandatory treatment and tackling the real issues that keep people on the streets. Oregon has the opportunity to learn from its own mistakes and shift toward real solutions—ones that get people the help they actually need instead of just subsidizing the crisis.