RFK Jr. Announces $100 Million STREETS Initiative

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a $100 million federal initiative on Monday to combat homelessness and substance use disorders by providing integrated treatment, housing, and employment support for affected individuals. The program, known as the Safety Through Recovery, Engagement, and Evidence-based Treatment and Supports Initiative, or STREETS, was unveiled during a government-sponsored event marking Prevention Day in Washington, D.C.

The initiative targets outreach to people experiencing homelessness and addiction, offering psychiatric care, medical stabilization, crisis intervention, and pathways to stable housing with an emphasis on long-term recovery and independence. Officials with the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the program through its Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, described STREETS as a coordinated effort involving law enforcement, first responders, courts, housing providers, and health care systems. The goal is continuous engagement from initial street contact through recovery, employment, and self-sufficiency.

Kennedy, who has spoken publicly about his own recovery from heroin addiction through...