Paul Webster is the Founder and Director of Hope Street Coalition, a grass-roots advocacy effort addressing the intersection of homelessness, mental illness, and addiction. Paul most recently worked as a Senior Policy Advisor in the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, with a specific focus on homelessness assistance programs and the agency’s response to COVID-19 within those programs. Paul has more than twelve years of serving in the United States House of Representatives as a legislative and issues manager for several Members of Congress. He has served in the California State Legislature as the District Director for an Assembly Member and Senator. Paul was the Vice President of Public Policy for the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce representing the business and policy interests of regional business leaders. Prior to joining HUD, Paul served as the Vice President for Solutions for Change, an organization dedicated to permanently solving family homelessness in north San Diego county. Paul received a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication from California State University, Long Beach and a Master’s Degree in Public Policy from the University of Southern California. Paul lives in north San Diego County and is an avid woodworker, cyclist, and outrigger paddler.

Hope Street Coalition works to help people understand the challenges of getting life saving treatment for the untreated and unhoused. We advocate for public policies that will save lives and improve communities. In this video, one mom talks of the challenges to help her son get treatment and the consequences of jail, homelessness, and continued deterioration his mental illness creates.

Understanding how difficult it is to get treatment answers many of the questions about why people are left to deteriorate on the street. In this video, a mom discusses the challenges of getting treatment for her son.