Episode #4 - High Truths on Drugs and Addiction Secretary Dr. Ben Carson. The Trifecta of Addiction, Mental Health, and Homelessness.

Secretary Ben Carson

17^th Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

On March 2nd, 2017, Dr. Benjamin S. Carson, Sr., M.D., was sworn in as the 17th Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

For nearly 30 years, Secretary Carson served as Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, a position he assumed when he was just 33 years old, becoming the youngest major division director in the hospital’s history.   In 1987, he successfully performed the first separation of craniopagus twins conjoined at the back of the head.  He also performed the first fully successful separation of type-2 vertical craniopagus twins in 1997 in South Africa.

Dr. Carson received dozens of honors and awards in recognition of his achievements including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. He is also a recipient of the Spingarn Medal, the highest honor bestowed by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

Dr. Carson authored nine books, four of which he co-wrote with his wife Candy.  The U.S. News Media Group and Harvard’s Center for Public Leadership named him among “America’s Best Leaders” in 2008.  

Dr. Carson and his wife co-founded the Carson Scholars Fund, which recognizes young people of all backgrounds for exceptional academic and humanitarian accomplishments.  The Fund is currently operating in 50 states and the District of Columbia, and has recognized more than 7,300 scholars, awarded more than $7.3 million in scholarships, and installed more than 150 Ben Carson Reading Rooms around the country. 

Born in Detroit to a single mother with a 3rd grade education who worked multiple jobs to support their family, Secretary Carson was raised to love reading and education.  He graduated from Yale University and earned his M.D. from the University of Michigan Medical School.  He and his wife are the proud parents of three adult sons and three grandchildren.

Top Messages from Secretary Carson

• In many high-cost areas of our country, especially along the West Coast, the severe shortage of affordable housing is manifesting itself on our streets. 

• It is impossible to serve those needs at all, if we do not put Housing First. A man will not beat addiction from a gutter, he will not get psychiatric help underneath a bridge, and he will not find a steady job without a steady address.  

• But, it’s not simply Housing First—it’s Housing First, Second, and Third.
  • First, we make sure a person gets permanent place to stay.
  • Second, we must diagnose what left this unfortunate individual without a home.
  • Third, once we figure out what went wrong, we start putting things right. For each diagnosis, there will be a different prescription.
• You can read all we’ve been able to accomplish at HUD by going to HUD.gov and clicking on the “Accomplishments” page, including:
  • Establishing EnVision Centers Across the Country
  • Focusing on Foster Youth
  • Creating Healthy Homes
  • Enhancing Financial Integrity
  • Bringing revitalization to ‘forgotten communities’
  • Reducing Regulatory Barriers