For years, federal homelessness policy has been stuck in failure. The so-called “Housing First” strategy — mandating government-funded housing with no requirements for sobriety, work, or accountability — was supposed to end homelessness by now. Instead, it’s fueled a 34% increase nationwide.
Here in North County, we’ve seen the impact. More tents. More despair. More families slipping through the cracks while billions are spent on systems that manage homelessness — but don’t solve it.
At Solutions for Change, we took a different road. In 2016, we made the hard choice to walk away from government funding when it became clear that staying would require us to abandon the very principles that make real change possible.
We chose to stay true to our model: drug-free housing, parenting classes, workforce training and a full transformation pathway that leads to lasting independence.
Now, President Trump’s executive order on homelessness marks a long-overdue turning point. For the first time in years, local nonprofits like ours may finally be free to serve families without being forced into a one-size-fits-all system that puts ideology above outcomes.
This isn’t about politics. It’s about people — right here in our community — who deserve better than a warehouse-style approach to poverty. It’s about the formerly homeless parents and kids we call Overcomers — families who have emerged from addiction, trauma and crisis to become business owners, community leaders and contributors.
We don’t hand out keys and walk away. We walk with people — through recovery, growth, and purpose.
The truth is simple: Housing is part of the solution, but it’s not the whole answer. Real healing happens when we invest in people, not just units.
This new executive order gives us a renewed opportunity to lead with accountability, compassion and common sense. Let’s take it.
Let’s stop enabling dependency and start unleashing potential.
Let’s stop settling for less — and start expecting more.
Here in North County, we know what works. Now it’s time to scale it.
Chris Megison is founder and CEO of Solutions for Change
