Trump’s RADICAL Shift: FAITH GROUPS Get Federal Boost

The Trump administration has shattered decades of federal bias against faith-based recovery, opening the door for churches and ministries to receive grants for addiction treatment—a historic victory for Americans who believe spiritual healing matters just as much as medical intervention.

Story Highlights

President Trump’s Executive Order 14379 now allows faith-based organizations to access federal addiction treatment grants for the first time, ending secular-only funding restrictions
HHS Secretary RFK Jr. announced $100 million in new STREETS program funding targeting homelessness and addiction in eight major cities, with faith groups eligible
The initiative recognizes addiction as a spiritual disease requiring holistic treatment, rejecting failed Housing First policies that excluded faith providers
148.4 million Americans struggle with substance use disorder, yet previous administrations refused to acknowledge the spiritual dimension of recovery

Trump Administration Breaks Secular Stranglehold on Recovery Funding

President Donald J. Trump signed Executive Order 14379 on January 29, 2026, establishing the Great American Recovery Initiative and fundamentally reshaping federal addiction policy. For decades, faith-based organizations operated sober homes and recovery programs with private donations while watching secular agencies collect government grants. This executive order dismantles that discriminatory system, directing HHS and SAMHSA to include faith providers in federal funding streams if they meet evidence-based standards. Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. formalized this shift at SAMHSA’s Prevention Day on February 2, declaring that addiction is “above all a spiritual disease” requiring faith-based solutions alongside clinical care.

Failed Housing First Model Excluded Spiritual Solutions

Past administrations championed Housing First policies that funneled billions into housing without mandating treatment or addressing addiction’s root causes. These programs systematically excluded faith-based providers who offered holistic recovery emphasizing spiritual transformation alongside housing and medical care. Rev. Andy Bales, former CEO of Union Rescue Mission, called this exclusion “brutal,” noting that faith communities with proven track records were locked out while secular programs recycled addicts through emergency rooms, jails, and shelters. The Trump initiative corrects this by integrating faith organizations into a coordinated federal response spanning law enforcement, housing, healthcare, and spiritual support—ending the fragmented silos that allowed 148.4 million Americans to languish with untreated substance use disorder.

$110 Million Investment Targets Urban Addiction Crisis

The Great American Recovery Initiative allocates $100 million for the STREETS program, deploying outreach teams in eight major cities to connect homeless individuals with treatment, housing, and pathways to employment. An additional $10 million funds Assisted Outpatient Treatment grants enabling court-ordered care for individuals resistant to voluntary treatment. Faith-based organizations meeting clinical standards can now compete for these grants through Simpler.Grants.gov, accessing resources previously reserved for secular nonprofits. The initiative also expands Medicaid and Medicare coverage for addiction medications like buprenorphine, methadone, and naltrexone, using child protection funds to preserve families threatened by parental addiction. Dr. Yngvild Olsen, former SAMHSA official, confirmed this medication expansion “has the potential to save lives.”

RFK Jr.’s Personal Recovery Informs Policy Shift

Secretary Kennedy’s 14-year recovery from heroin addiction through faith-based 12-step programs directly shapes this policy. He argues that government refusal to acknowledge addiction’s spiritual component has perpetuated failure, leaving nearly 300 percent of untreated adults in denial about their need for help. Tom De Vries, president of Citygate Network representing 330 Christian rescue missions, welcomed the administration’s invitation to faith groups but cautioned that federal funding may pressure ministries to compromise religious convictions on hiring or program content. This tension reflects broader concerns among conservatives about government overreach into religious autonomy, though the executive order emphasizes collaboration with philanthropies and local communities to preserve faith sector independence while expanding treatment capacity.

The Federal Government Finally Acknowledges the Role of Faith in Recoveryhttps://t.co/TftQtiYqJN

— PJ Media (@PJMedia_com) February 5, 2026

The initiative marks a cultural shift celebrating recovery over stigma, framing addiction treatment as essential to combating the “national malaise” of despair, loneliness, and mental illness plaguing American communities. By recognizing that physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual healing work together, the Trump administration rejects the secularist ideology that dominated addiction policy for decades. This common-sense approach aligns with conservative principles of limited government empowering civil society—including churches and faith organizations—to address social problems without eroding religious liberty or imposing one-size-fits-all mandates that ignore what millions of recovering addicts already know: faith works.