U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said faith-based addiction recovery programs meeting evidence-based standards will now be eligible for federal funding under the Trump administration.
Speaking Monday at Prevention Day, the government-sponsored gathering focused on substance use prevention, Kennedy said the policy shift reflects a renewed effort to fully include faith-based providers in federal recovery initiatives. The event was hosted by Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
“We are bringing faith-based providers fully into this work,” Kennedy said. During his remarks, Kennedy described addiction as a multifaceted condition that extends beyond physical and mental health.
“This is a chronic disease. It's a physical disease. It's a mental disease, it's an emotional disease. But above all, it's a spiritual disease. And we need to recognize that. And faith-based organizations play a critical role ... [in] helping people reestablish their connections to community,” he said.
Kennedy also spoke personally about the toll addiction has taken on his own family, including his recovery from heroin addiction during his teenage years. He noted that the United States spends an estimated $93 billion each year treating substance abuse disorders, while the broader economic and social costs of addiction climb to roughly $920 billion annually.
“I myself, I spent 14 years beginning in my early teens as a heroin addict. I found my way into recovery. My little brother, David, two of my nieces, and many other family members are among the casualties in the National epidemic of addiction and overdose,” Kennedy told attendees. “So, I'm very much aware of the dimensions of the disaster of this national crisis.”
As part of the administration’s strategy, Kennedy announced a new $100 million initiative called STREETS — Safety Through Recovery, Engagement and Evidence-based Treatment and Supports. The program will emphasize targeted outreach, psychiatric care, medical stabilization, and crisis intervention, while connecting individuals experiencing homelessness and addiction to stable housing designed to support long-term recovery and independence.
Kennedy also unveiled a $10 million Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) grant program aimed at helping adults with serious mental illness. The AOT program provides civil court-ordered, community-based outpatient treatment for individuals who cannot engage in traditional outpatient care and are unlikely to live safely in the community without structured intervention.
“At HHS, we are changing the course. We are grounding our new policies on the hard-learned lessons of experience and of gold standard science. We're using evidence and not ideology. And we're treating prevention as our first responsibility because stopping addiction before it starts is the most effective intervention,” he declared.
Recent federal data underscore the scope of the crisis. According to SAMHSA survey findings, the prevalence of substance abuse disorder — defined as impairment resulting from repeated drug or alcohol use — rose from 7.4% in 2019 to 16.8% in 2024 among Americans ages 12 and older. The data also show that nearly eight in 10 people with a substance use disorder in 2024 did not receive treatment.
