White House Summit Establishes National Treatment Model for Homeless Addiction
Office of National Drug Control Policy
On April 14, 2026, the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) convened a summit to develop a standardized toolkit for treating addiction within the homeless population.
The executive action operates under the Great American Recovery Initiative to establish a coordinated federal response to addiction.
The interagency working group is tasked with creating a comprehensive national treatment model.
This framework requires agencies to define ideal program characteristics, establish tangible outcome measures, and restructure addiction financing.
The initiative formally integrates faith-based interventions with medical treatments and establishes specific protocols for drug-endangered children.
Systemically, the policy prioritizes integrated, community-based treatment models over fragmented care systems to promote recovery and self-sufficiency.
Operationally, the summit signals a definitive shift in federal housing strategy, with HUD announcing an abandonment of prior "Housing First" policies.
Federal resources will now be directed toward models that explicitly link housing assistance with mandatory addiction treatment and mental health recovery expectations.
This requires new operational coordination directly connecting federal administrators with local healthcare providers, private sector entities, and faith communities to deliver treatment directly to individuals experiencing homelessness.
The jurisdictional scope of this initiative spans multiple cabinet-level departments and federal agencies, explicitly encompassing HUD, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), ONDCP, and SAMHSA.
The policy targets homeless individuals nationwide who are impacted by drug addiction and untreated mental illness.
The operational directives apply to federal grant-making and coordination with external healthcare sectors and community organizations, with no specific geographical exemptions or phased implementation dates outlined in the immediate directive.
