Conservatives are pushing to increase work and sobriety requirements as part of the federal response to homelessness, The New York Times reported.
According to the publication, conservatives are looking to change the current "Housing First" bipartisan policies the federal government has been using for decades to one that stresses sobriety and employment to deal with the problem's core issues.
The current policies, implemented under the administrations of former presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, provide money to give the homeless permanent housing, but do not require them to participate in programs that deal with issues like drug addiction or mental illness.
The report said President Joe Biden is making the "Housing First" policies a "cornerstone" of his plan to reduce homelessness by 25% by 2025.
His December 2022 initiative, "All In: The Federal Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness," is supposed to serve as a "road map" to deal with the problem.
"My plan offers a road map for not only getting people into housing but also ensuring that they have access to the support, services, and income that allow them to thrive," Biden wrote in the report. "It is a plan that is grounded in the best evidence and aims to improve equity and strengthen collaboration at all levels."
While Biden and the Democrats are pushing the initiative, conservatives would rather see the money go to groups like missions that require sobriety or employment before issuing assistance, the Times report said.
"No more Housing First," the Times reported Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., saying after introducing a bill last month that would offer more money for programs with treatment mandates.
Former President Donald Trump said on social media in May that the government could build a "community of tiny homes" to provide basics to the homeless.
"We can afford to build a community of tiny homes, so these people have a place to live. It will give them the basics to start over as so may need to do just that after Joe Biden is done destroying America," Trump posted to his Truth Social account in May.
"They can work on farms they can do a lot to give back and many are not looking for a handout but a hand up. We can fix this, and everyone should have a roof over their head in the richest country in the world."
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