Fired Trump Appointee to Speak On Homelessness at Anchorage Community Development Authority
In February, Robert Marbut, a Trump appointee, was removed from his position as executive director of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH).
An email sent late Thursday evening said Marbut was slated to speak about "homelessness" at the Anchorage Community Development Authority on Friday, August 6, 2021, at 10:00 a.m.
According to a statement on the National Low Income Housing Coalition website regarding Marbut's firing:
"Mr. Marbut rejected “Housing First,” a proven strategy that prioritizes finding safe, stable, accessible housing for people experiencing homelessness before addressing other problems, like substance abuse or untreated mental health issues. The efficacy of the Housing First model is supported by two decades of research and has been identified by USICH as a best practice for ending homelessness.
Instead, Mr. Marbut described his approach to combating homelessness as “Housing Fourth,” calling for large-scale shelters with treatment facilities where people experiencing homelessness “earn” their right to beds within the shelters.
In his previous role as a homelessness consultant to cities, he called for cities to stop “enabling” homelessness by providing free meals, which he called “street feeding,” and allowing people to sleep in public spaces. He also endorsed expanding law enforcement’s authority to arrest people experiencing homelessness for violating minor ordinances."
It's not clear why the Anchorage Community Development Authority is hosting an event on homelessness or why such short notice about the event was given.
