Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced more than $700 million in federal funding Wednesday aimed at addressing addiction, mental illness, and homelessness, advancing President Donald Trump’s Great American Recovery Initiative.
This investment from the Trump administration draws a sharp contrast from the counter drug addiction initiatives made by former President Joe Biden and some Democrat state administrations, like that of Gov. Gavin Newson, who directed millions in taxpayer dollars in housing for drug addicted homeless, free syringes (needles) and “crack kits” for withdrawing addicts.
The goal of these programs was to provide homeless a place to stay, in order for them to focus on combatting their addiction and prevent deaths from withdrawing. Despite the hopes, drug related deaths still surpassed 100,000 annually under Biden, for the first time ever.
Under Trump’s administration however, those numbers have already fallen to the lowest ever, while the number of recovering drug addicts in America has increased.
“These investments will help move people from the streets into treatment and recovery, strengthen families, save lives, and make communities safer,” Kennedy wrote in a press release.
Kennedy unveiled the funding during a visit to a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic operated by Easterseals MORC. The package includes a $96 million opportunity for a new program called Safety Through Recovery, Engagement, and Evidence-based Treatment and Support, or STREETS, along with $612 million for additional behavioral health initiatives.
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The Great American Recovery Initiative, launched by Trump earlier this year, seeks to coordinate a nationwide response to addiction through prevention, treatment, and long-term recovery efforts across federal agencies and local partners.
The STREETS program, administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, is central to the new funding. STREETS will provide up to $24 million annually over four years, awarding eight communities as much as $3 million each per year to develop coordinated systems of care for homeless individuals battling substance use disorders or serious mental illness.
As stated by the agency, the initiative, fueled by the investment, emphasizes and encourages a street-based outreach and coordination among local governments, health providers, housing services, law enforcement, and courts to move individuals into treatment and recovery.
Of the $700 million in the funding package, $223.1 million will be used to expand and strengthen Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics, which provide comprehensive, community-based mental health and addiction care.
Another $238.6 million of that sum will support the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline to improve state and local response capacity and enhance services for high-risk populations.
The investment also allocates $80 million for substance use prevention, treatment, and recovery programs, including rural emergency medical services training and youth-focused prevention efforts.
The remaining $70+ million will go toward mental health services, including programs addressing childhood trauma, mobile crisis care, and diversion from the criminal justice system into community-based treatment, which has been proven to be effective in overturning addiction.
In the press release, Christopher D. Carroll, principal deputy assistant secretary at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, said community-based clinics are central to the administration’s approach.
“Every community deserves access to effective behavioral health services that help people prevent addiction, achieve recovery, address mental health challenges, and respond to crises,” Carroll said. “Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics are a cornerstone of this effort, providing comprehensive, community-based care that helps people sustain recovery and rebuild their lives.”
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