Sage Lewis's approach to homelessness and addiction markedly differs from traditional methods employed by government agencies and other organizations in several key ways:

1. Emphasis on Holistic and Individualized Treatment:
   • Sage Lewis treats homelessness and addiction as interrelated issues requiring holistic treatment. He believes that simply providing housing without addressing the underlying issues of homelessness and addiction is ineffective. According to Lewis, homelessness should be treated as a condition similar to addiction, requiring comprehensive support including creating a community and meaningful work to restore dignity.
2. Community-Centric Approach:
   • Traditional methods often focus on temporary shelters and transitional housing with strict barriers to entry, such as sobriety requirements. In contrast, Lewis emphasizes creating supportive communities where homeless individuals can rebuild their lives with fewer initial barriers. His approach includes allowing individuals to live in tents and tiny houses as a first step towards stability and eventual transition to permanent housing.
3. Support Networks and Consistency:
   • Lewis advocates for strong, consistent, and personal support networks for homeless individuals. He argues that it takes a committed group of people focusing on one homeless person at a time to effectively make a difference, much like the sponsor system in Alcoholics Anonymous. This approach contrasts with the more bureaucratic and often impersonal methods of government agencies that treat homeless individuals as a collective group rather than as individuals with unique needs.
4. Addressing the Root Causes:
   • Sage Lewis identifies the loss of family and support systems as the primary cause of homelessness, rather than just financial hardship or addiction. He asserts that homelessness is often the result of catastrophic loss of family or community, and thus, rebuilding a sense of family and community is crucial for recovery. Traditional methods may not fully address these underlying causes and often impose rules that can alienate homeless individuals further.
5. Flexibility and Direct Action:
   • Lewis's approach includes immediate and direct action, like providing emergency shelter in tents on his property despite legal risks. This is a form of civil protest against what he perceives as inhumane treatment and lack of adequate solutions from the government. Traditional methods typically operate within bureaucratic frameworks, which can delay immediate assistance and limit the flexibility needed to address urgent needs.
6. Low Barrier to Entry:
   • He proposes low-barrier shelter solutions, such as tent villages, which allow people to stay together with their partners, belongings, and pets. This approach is more inclusive compared to many traditional shelters that have strict entry criteria, such as sobriety or participation in specific programs.

In summary, Sage Lewis advocates for a more personalized, community-based, and immediate approach to homelessness and addiction, challenging the systemic and often rigid frameworks of traditional methods used by government agencies and other organizations.