HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is spending more than $700 million on programs aimed at reducing drug addiction, homelessness, and mental illness.
Kennedy shared that $96 million will be made available through the Safety Through Recovery, Engagement, and Evidence-based Treatment and Support (STREETS) program, while $612 million will be made available for additional behavioral health programs. The STREETS program will award eight communities up to $3 million a year for four years.
“Through more than $700 million in new investments, we are advancing President Trump’s Great American Recovery Initiative and addressing the addiction and serious mental illness that fuel homelessness across America,” Kennedy said in a statement. “These investments will help move people from the streets into treatment and recovery, strengthen families, save lives, and make communities safer.”
“Every community deserves access to effective behavioral health services that help people prevent addiction, achieve recovery, address mental health challenges, and respond to crises,” said Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Christopher D. Carroll. “Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics are a cornerstone of this effort, providing comprehensive, community-based care that helps people sustain recovery and rebuild their lives. Alongside initiatives like STREETS, they advance the goals of the Great American Recovery Initiative by connecting people to treatment, housing, and ongoing support that strengthen communities and save lives.”
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is also taking efforts to address homelessness. HUD (HUD) shared a $4.04 billion Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) through the Continuum of Care (CoC) homelessness assistance program, which will allow HUD to “support organizations that facilitate treatment and recovery and prohibit funding the widespread use of illicit drugs and distribution of paraphernalia,” the agency said.
Last year, President Trump signed an executive order aiming to end “crime and disorder” on the nation’s streets. “Shifting homeless individuals into long-term institutional settings for humane treatment through the appropriate use of civil commitment will restore public order. Surrendering our cities and citizens to disorder and fear is neither compassionate to the homeless nor other citizens,” the order declared. “My Administration will take a new approach focused on protecting public safety.”
