The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), in partnership with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), recently released a toolkit for addressing addiction among people experiencing homelessness. The White House announced that “this first-of-its-kind resource provides communities with practical and proven strategies to help Americans transition from homelessness and addiction to recovery and self-sufficiency.”
The toolkit, Addressing Homelessness and Addiction Through Treatment First, advances an approach known as “treatment first.” As opposed to “housing first” policies, a “treatment first” approach aims to address the underlying circumstances that often cause individuals to become and remain unhoused (e.g., substance use disorder and mental health issues). It attempts to achieve this in part by making federal housing contingent on participation in treatment.
Notably, the federal plan recommends that programs “mandate alcohol- and drug-free living environments.” This position stands in stark contrast to the previous administration’s drug policies that permitted the use of illegal drugs like fentanyl and methamphetamine in government-owned housing units.
More broadly, this plan is illustrative of the administration’s shift away from permissive harm reduction policies. The administration, through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, in April 2026 announced that federal funding could no longer be used to purchase pipes in so-called “safer smoking kits,” syringes, or any other drug paraphernalia.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the secretary of HHS, said that “treatment must come first,” adding that “recovery begins when we connect people with effective care, not leave them trapped in addiction and homelessness.” Scott Turner, the secretary of HUD, noted that “housing is essential, but housing alone is not enough.”