Chris J. is talkative, funny and a whiz on a skateboard. He also spent a decade living outdoors, most recently in a parking lot on Aurora Avenue in North Seattle, while struggling with addiction.
When Chris was accepted into permanent supportive housing at Plymouth Housing in 2024, everything changed. He now has his own apartment with no expiration date, a primary care provider, routine mental health care and community meals. His case manager ensures he attends substance use treatment five days a week. He has not used drugs for six months, and he is thriving.
Chris is clear about something important: “If you told me I had to be sober to go to a shelter or get into housing, I would’ve turned it down. I would’ve lived in my tent and probably died there.” He knows this from experience: years ago, Chris entered sober housing, relapsed on day one and immediately lost his place.
In an opinion piece in The Seattle Times on Feb. 7, 2026, “Why housing first isn’t the answer to Seattle’s homelessness crisis,” Andrea Suarez rejects the idea that people in encampments “just need housing,” insisting they need to address their underlying issues first. We agree that people need more than a roof to rebuild their lives. But Housing First doesn’t mean housing only — it means providing immediate access to housing without preconditions, plus individualized support to help people thrive.
With 25 years of experience working in community behavioral health in King County, I know that expecting someone to stabilize their health, stop using substances or comply with treatment while living in crisis conditions is a near-impossible demand. As Chris’s story shows, many people struggling with addiction are unlikely to accept housing that requires sobriety — they just aren’t ready or physically able to meet that requirement.
“Sobriety first” or “compliance first” programs succeed for some, and we celebrate those successes. People should have options. But for most people experiencing chronic homelessness — especially those with serious mental illness or co-occurring disorders — those programs lead to high dropout rates and repeated returns to homelessness. When housing is conditional, people disengage. Trust erodes, and care breaks down.
Before coming to Plymouth Housing, many people have already done what recovery-first advocates recommend. They’ve been to detox, more than once. They’ve completed inpatient treatment. Some left feeling hopeful — only to relapse and end up on the streets again because they had no home to return to and no consistent follow-up care.
Housing First is not about lowering expectations. It is about sequencing care in the order that actually works. Housing is not a reward for recovery — it’s where recovery happens.
When someone moves into permanent supportive housing, nothing about them changes overnight. If they struggle with substance use, they don’t stop using immediately. But they have a door that locks. They can start receiving counseling and medical care. For people like Chris, recovery happens slowly — but surely.
Residents in permanent supportive housing sign leases and pay rent (fixed at 30% of their income) and are routinely connected to a range of supportive services to help rebuild their lives. Multiple studies have found that people are more likely to engage in treatment once they are housed. And 95% of Plymouth residents remain stably housed long-term.
Like recovery-first advocates, we see the suffering on Seattle’s streets every day. We, too, wish for better outcomes. But that frustration should lead us to create more safe homes and support for people in our community, not less. Permanent supportive housing works — we simply do not have enough of it to meet the scale of the crisis. If we did, we would see far less visible homelessness and far more people like Chris — housed and healing.
Everyone deserves a home and a new start. After 25 years working with people experiencing chronic homelessness and behavioral health challenges, I know that the safety and stability of a home are not luxuries. They are the clinical prerequisites for recovery itself.
Danie Eagleton is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor who leads the behavioral health programming at Plymouth Housing.
Read more of the March 18-24, 2026 issue.