President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order directing U.S. cities and states to dismantle homeless encampments and transfer unhoused people to mental‑health or substance‑abuse treatment facilities, a move advocates say will deepen the nation’s homelessness crisis.
Key provisions
- Attorney General authority: The order instructs Attorney General Pam Bondi to seek reversal of federal and state consent decrees and court rulings that limit local governments’ ability to remove street camps. The mechanism for overturning those legal precedents remains unclear.
- Encampment bans: It encourages municipalities to adopt ordinances prohibiting sidewalk camping, echoing a 2024 U.S. Supreme Court decision allowing such bans.
- Treatment over housing: While calling for compulsory placement in treatment centers, the order does not allocate funds to expand those facilities or add long‑term housing.
Criticism from advocates
The National Coalition for the Homeless and the National Homelessness Law Center condemned the directive, saying it undermines civil rights, ignores due‑process protections and risks “criminalizing poverty without addressing root causes.” They warned it could divert resources from affordable housing and voluntary services.
Federal data show U.S. homelessness rose 18 percent in 2024 to about 771,480 people, with 36 percent living unsheltered in streets, cars or tents. Experts link the surge to shortages of affordable housing, cuts to mental‑health services and the expiration of pandemic aid.
Implementation details will depend on how aggressively the Justice Department challenges existing legal protections and whether cities adopt stricter anti‑camping ordinances. Housing‑rights groups say they are preparing court challenges if forced removals begin.
