WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Trump administration is directing communities toward a treatment-first approach to homelessness and substance use, releasing a federal toolkit that prioritizes addiction and mental-health services alongside housing as agencies seek to reshape local responses to chronic homelessness.
The Best Practices Toolkit: Addressing Homelessness and Addiction Through Treatment First was released jointly by the Department of Health and Human Services, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The guidance promotes coordinated engagement in evidence-based treatment and recovery services, with an emphasis on accountability and longer-term self-sufficiency. It is intended for communities developing programs for people experiencing both homelessness and substance-use disorders.
The policy approach places treatment at the center of federal strategy rather than treating permanent housing by itself as the primary intervention.
“Housing is essential, but housing alone is not enough,” HUD Secretary Scott Turner stated. He described the toolkit as a framework for combining treatment, recovery and housing support.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. similarly said the administration wants communities to connect people experiencing homelessness and addiction with treatment before expecting lasting recovery.
“Recovery begins when we connect people with effective care, not leave them trapped in addiction and homelessness,” Kennedy stated.
The administration said the toolkit was developed with input from experts around the country with direct experience addressing homelessness, addiction and behavioral health.
Federal officials cited data indicating that 75% of homeless Americans are addicted to drugs and 78% experience mental illness. The release did not identify the underlying source, methodology or population used to calculate those figures.
The initiative also ties into the administration’s Great American Recovery Initiative and broader policy goals involving drug treatment, public safety and homelessness.
Office of National Drug Control Policy Director Sara Carter said the framework is intended to provide communities with evidence-based approaches for people struggling with both addiction and homelessness.
The administration unveiled the toolkit at the San Diego Rescue Mission, which has provided meals, shelter, clothing, education and job-training services to homeless individuals and families since 1955.
The full Best Practices Toolkit: Addressing Homelessness and Addiction Through Treatment First is available at https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Best-Practices-Toolkit_FINAL.pdf.
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