Policing the Homeless and Drug Addicted: Cruel or Kind?

‘Housing first’ and ‘harm reduction’ models are more harmful than humane, say advocates for drug addiction treatment and recovery.

A drug user sits in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco on May 16, 2024. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

SAN FRANCISCO—Tom Wolf, a recovering heroin and fentanyl addict, spent six months homeless on the streets of San Francisco’s notorious Tenderloin district in 2018.

He was arrested several times for drug possession and other offenses and eventually went to jail for three months before going to a six-month inpatient treatment program.