Economics

Center on Wealth & Poverty

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Image at Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gavin_Newsom_speaks_to_press_at_Proposition_3_press_conference_in_2024.jpg

Newsom Tries to Shift Blame on Homelessness to Local Government

Gavin Newsom stood before the cameras in early March and once again blamed local governments for the state’s spiraling homelessness crisis. “No more excuses,” he thundered, threatening to strip funding from counties he claims are underperforming while promising to redirect “every damn penny” to those “getting things done.” Read More ›
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Skid Row’s Cash-for-Ballots Scheme

Discovery Institute has joined up with Frontlines Turning Point USA, O’Keefe Media Group, and other independent journalists in a multi-part investigation into a cash-for-ballots scheme in Los Angeles’ Skid Row. Jonathan Choe and Kevin Dahlgren help expose the exploitation of the homeless, the theft of the identities of innocent Americans, and the violation of state law in some of America’s Read More ›

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Young man sleeping or passed out against a graffiti-covered wall in an urban setting, wearing a hoodie and oversized jacket, suggesting themes of homelessness, poverty, addiction, or street life
Image Credit: Filirovska - Adobe Stock

Addiction Is a Disease — Policy May Finally Catch Up

More than 48 million Americans are battling substance use disorder. Many are deteriorating in plain sight — on sidewalks, in encampments, and in emergency rooms. Others decline behind closed doors. Overdoses are shattering families, especially within the homeless population where the death rate among people living on the streets has surged by 77 percent. Read More ›
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The Tragic Tale of the Las Vegas “Mole People”

Jonathan Choe and Kevin Dahlgren explore the underground tunnels of Las Vegas, where the homeless have set up camp despite the very real danger of flash floods. There, they find despair and peril experienced by the tunnel residents and the hypocrisy of a city that would rather ignore the unseen plight of its underground residents.

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President Donald Trump signs an Executive Order on the Administration’s tariff plans at a “Make America Wealthy Again” event, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in the White House Rose Garden. (Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok)
Public Domain image at Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Trump_showing_a_chart_with_reciprocal_tariffs.jpg

Want to Boost U.S. Affordability? Get Rid of Tariffs

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HB 2266: Call Your Legislator Today

More than 20,000 people are living on the streets in Washington state, most of them suffering from an untreated mental illness and/or drug addiction. HB 2266 is currently moving through the Washington State legislature to make it easier to develop subsidized housing and emergency shelters in the style of the failed Housing First policy. This bill would override local ordinances Read More ›

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Public Domain image at Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:President_Obama_delivers_a_statement_on_the_Paris_Climate_Agreement.jpg

Obama Admits Housing First was a Losing Strategy

Last weekend, former President Barack Obama acknowledged a blunt political reality: "The average person doesn't want to have to navigate around a tent city in the middle of downtown … and we're not going to be able to generate support [for treatment] if we simply say, 'It's not their fault, they should be able to do whatever they want,' because that's a losing political strategy." What makes the remark notable is not merely its candor. It is the history behind it. Read More ›
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A homeless man in winter clothing sits on snowy pavement against a wall, holding a cup, with bags and snow surrounding him
Image Credit: Promptalo - Adobe Stock

More Spending, More Suffering: The Failure of America’s Homelessness Policy

In a recent ruling that defies both logic and compassion, a federal judge has blocked the Trump administration's effort to reform the Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Continuum of Care program — the federal government's primary funding mechanism for homelessness assistance. Read More ›
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Man filling up gas in his car
Image Credit: Rawpixel.com - Adobe Stock

Here Comes $10 Gasoline

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A homeless encampment sits on a street in Downtown Los Angeles, California, USA.
Image Credit: Matt Gush - Adobe Stock

Lawsuits Delay Homeless Reforms and Leave People on the Streets

Even as many volunteers are taking to the cold streets to try to find and quantify the number of homeless Americans living there now, two lawsuits filed late last year in a federal District Court are blocking millions of dollars from reaching the neediest people. The first lawsuit was filed by the National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH), and the second by a coalition led by Washington State’s Attorney General Nick Brown. Read More ›