Recovery, Mental Health & Homelessness

Treatment With Accountability

I support expanding access to mental health and addiction treatment, but treatment must also include accountability. For repeat offenders whose addiction or mental illness is putting themselves or others at risk, courts should have the ability to mandate treatment and recovery programs. If individuals refuse court-ordered treatment or repeatedly fail to comply, there must be consequences to protect public safety.

When smaller crimes like car theft, property damage, and repeat theft go unchecked the costs do not disappear; they are passed on to hardworking families through higher insurance rates, rising business costs, and less safe communities. That contributes to the affordability crisis many Washington residents are already struggling with. Accountability matters because consequences help set standards, deter repeat offenses, and protect the public from continually paying the price for unchecked crime.

Housing & Recovery Reform

Supportive housing programs should help people move toward stability and recovery, not enable continued addiction and dangerous behavior. I do not believe taxpayers should fund housing programs where drug use continues unchecked and overdoses are happening inside publicly funded facilities. That is not compassion, and it is not helping people recover. Housing assistance should be paired with treatment, recovery expectations, and accountability so individuals have the support they need to rebuild their lives safely and successfully. We need to reform these programs so they truly serve both vulnerable individuals and the broader community.

Fix the Revolving Door System

We need to restore balance to our criminal justice system by strengthening consequences for repeat offenders, improving prosecution of chronic property and drug crimes, and ensuring dangerous individuals are not immediately released back onto the streets without intervention, supervision, or treatment. Compassion without accountability is not compassion if people continue to suffer and communities become less safe.

Address the Root Causes

I believe we can reduce crime by addressing the root drivers behind it: addiction, untreated mental illness, homelessness, broken families, and lack of economic opportunity. We should invest in effective treatment, recovery, job training, and early intervention programs that help people rebuild their lives while keeping our communities safe.

For nearly two decades, I have spent my life serving vulnerable communities, helping families in crisis, developing recovery and outreach programs, and working locally and internationally to break cycles of poverty, addiction, and hopelessness. Through that work, I’ve learned an important truth: real compassion is not measured by how many people stay dependent on government programs, but by how many people we help become stable, healthy, empowered, and able to thrive on their own.

I believe Washington can better serve both taxpayers and our most vulnerable residents by focusing on results, accountability, and long-term success. Our goal should be helping people get back on their feet through treatment, recovery, job training, trades, education, and pathways to meaningful work and independence. Dignity comes from stability, purpose, and opportunity.

For those who truly cannot care for themselves, including many seniors, disabled individuals, and disabled veterans, we must continue providing strong support and protection. But for those struggling with addiction, homelessness, mental illness, or economic hardship, our systems should be designed to help people heal, recover, and move forward — not remain trapped in cycles of dependency and crisis.

We need to get back to measuring success by how many lives are restored, how many people recover, how many families become stable, and how many individuals no longer need government assistance because they have been empowered to succeed. I want to reform our programs and systems to help people out, not keep them stuck in them.