Paul Webster - Cicero Institute

Does banning street camping "criminalize homelessness"? Opponents of camping bans seem to think law enforcement is always inherently cruel. But data from Kentucky reveals that allegations of widespread arrests and mass incarceration simply aren't based in reality. Jails are not being overrun with homeless people. Instead, Kentucky's camping ban is creating structured intervention points that connect homeless people with treatment and services. Well-designed laws and effective enforcement can lead directly to positive outcomes. Cicero's Paul Webster (@Hopestreetco) and Caleb Jacobs examine the evidence in a new op-ed.👇

Communist regimes killed more people in the 20th century than both World Wars combined. Over 100 million. And yet 34% of young Americans have a favorable view of communism. This is an education problem – and Kansas can now do something about it.

Biden’s HUD defined success by dollars spent or units filled. Under President Trump, HUD will measure success by the number of people on a path to self-sufficiency, not the number of people dependent on the government.

Housing First used to enjoy broad bipartisan support. What happened? Check out my piece on the end of the Housing First era in @thehill: thehill.com/opinion/financ…

@Twolfrecovery @KevinSabet @MCC_Budapest @GoodDrugPolicy @learnaboutsam Got the book! Have a great time and come back and save America! 🇺🇸

Great to hear @KevinSabet speak today about what the core principles of drug policy should be. He also wrote a new book: "One Nation Under The Influence." Another great day in Budapest! @MCC_Budapest @GoodDrugPolicy @learnaboutsam

Utah’s seriously mental ill homeless pop has grown 390% over the last decade, compared to 45% nationally. Psychiatric care MUST be part of Utah’s response to homelessness. @DrMcCance_Katz and I in @Deseret today! deseret.com/opinion/2025/1…

Biden’s HUD only sent 1% of CoC funding to transitional housing programs — instead funding “Housing First” projects which simply warehouse our vulnerable neighbors. We are correcting course and funding programs that put people onto a life of self-sufficiency.

Check out @Hopestreetco dispelling misinformation about the latest HUD policy changes! timesfreepress.com/news/2025/nov/…

If you’re reading screeds from national homelessness orgs that HUD is evicting 170,000 disabled people, DON’T BELIEVE THEM. The new HUD NOFO does nothing to cut funding for these programs— it requires them to adopt new standards. 🧵

🚨ALERT: President Trump Drops a Bombshell by Announcing Reopening of Mental Institutions, Labeling Their Closure a "Catastrophic Mistake". Trump vowed to "bring back the asylums" to address untreated mental illness plaguing American cities.

Trump’s Executive Order on Homelessness Is an Opportunity to fix a long broken problem. city-journal.org/article/trump-…

The President just posted an interview I did about LA’s homelessness crisis and lack of accountability. @realDonaldTrump/115119263613714098" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTru…

Here is my latest on HUD’s homelessness program. After years of writing about their addiction to failure, things are turning around. ciceroinstitute.org/blog/hud-chart…

From my colleague, Devon Kurtz in the WSJ. wsj.com/opinion/trump-…

Audits and assessments are painting a troubling picture for homelessness programs. See @InstituteCicero report on common deficiencies of five jurisdictions. ciceroinstitute.org/research/commo…

For homelessness policy to shift nationwide, HUD must go beyond reprioritizing certain types of programs. HUD must overhaul the entire structure of its hallmark homelessness funding mechanism: the Continuum of Care (CoC) program. ciceroinstitute.org/research/conso…