Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Health Adm. Brian Christine told Newsmax on Thursday that the Trump administration's new initiative to combat addiction, mental illness and homelessness will be "wildly successful" because it combines treatment, recovery, housing and employment support into a single coordinated effort.

Speaking on "American Agenda," Christine praised President Donald Trump's Great American Recovery Initiative and said the administration is pursuing a fundamentally different strategy than many programs implemented by Democrat-led cities.

"This administration is taking an approach that's going to be based on actually solving these problems," he said.

The Department of Health and Human Services recently announced more than $700 million in funding to address addiction, mental health challenges and homelessness nationwide.

The funding includes support for the new Safety Through Recovery, Engagement and Evidence-Based Treatment and Support, or STREETS, program, which aims to connect homeless individuals with treatment, recovery services and other resources.

Christine said the initiative aligns with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s long-standing focus on addiction recovery and reflects the administration's commitment to addressing the root causes of homelessness.

"We are going to integrate treatment, we are going to be looking at sustained treatment recovery, integrating individuals with mental health and addiction challenges and homelessness, integrating across the government to get these individuals the treatment they need, to get them stable jobs, to get them housing, to give them hope," he said.

Christine argued that the administration's focus on long-term recovery and stability distinguishes the effort from previous approaches.

"This is something completely different that's been done before," he said. "I think it's going to be wildly successful."

Asked about the challenge of helping homeless individuals who may be reluctant to accept assistance, Christine said direct engagement and sustained outreach are critical.

"We understand that mental health challenges and addiction challenges can make their road even that much more difficult," he said. "Putting resources into directly engaging with these individuals, getting these individuals into treatment, working towards sustained recovery, integrating them in with their communities — I think this combination is going to be tremendously successful."

Christine said the initiative is designed to move people from crisis to independence through treatment, employment and stable housing.

"We're looking to move them from instability and crisis, move them toward treatment, toward sustained recovery, toward meaningful employment, sustained housing, safe housing and integrate them into the community," he said. "This is an approach that is designed for success."

GET TODAY NEWSMAX+:

NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America with more than 30 million people watching!

Reuters Institute reports NEWSMAX is one of the top news brands in the U.S.

You need to watch NEWSMAX today.

Get it with great shows from Rob Schmitt, Greta Van Susteren, Greg Kelly, Carl Higbie, Rob Finnerty – and many more!

Find the NEWSMAX channel on your cable system – Go Here Now

BEST OFFER:

Sign up for NEWSMAX+ and get NEWSMAX, our streaming channel NEWSMAX2 and our military channel World at War.

Find hundreds of shows, movies and specials.

Even get Jon Voight's special series and President Trump's comedy programs and much more!

Watch NEWSMAX+ on your smartphone or home TV app.

Watch NEWSMAX anytime, anywhere!

Start your FREE trial now: NewsmaxPlus.com