"As he held it in his hands, he read the U.S. Army Special Forces motto on the patch: De Oppresso Liber, in his words, "Hero of the Oppressed." Then, six years ago, he landed a small studio apartment in Fremont that he shares with his cat, Libby. Having a place to live hasn't relieved his pain, physical or emotional, but it's put him in a better place to tend those wounds. "Now I have a place to come home to," he said."
"The debate over Housing First hinges on a clash over both causes and solutions. Is homelessness the result of rampant drug use and untreated mental illness, or of deeper structural forces like sky-high rents, poverty and racism? Should housing be used as a reward for sobriety and treatment, or provided first, as the foundation for recovery? And, perhaps more fundamentally, should housing be a human right?"
William Wade is a formerly homeless veteran housed through the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing program in a small Fremont studio. California's adoption of Housing First principles lost federal support after the president directed agencies to stop funding that approach. The debate pits views that homelessness stems from drug use and untreated mental illness against views that blame structural forces like high rents, poverty and racism. Advocates argue housing should be provided first as a foundation for recovery; critics seek housing tied to sobriety and treatment. The program helped drive a 55% drop in veteran homelessness since 2010 even as overall homelessness rose over 20%.
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