President Donald Trump has signed an executive order aimed at facilitating the removal of homeless individuals from public areas, redirecting federal resources to relocate them to rehabilitation and substance misuse facilities.
President Donald Trump took a significant step in addressing homelessness by signing an executive order that empowers local authorities to more easily remove homeless individuals from public spaces. The order, signed on Thursday, directs Attorney General Pam Bondi to overturn legal precedents and nullify consent decrees that restrict local governments’ ability to relocate homeless persons.
The executive order also mandates the redirection of federal resources to transport affected individuals to rehabilitation and substance misuse facilities. Additionally, it instructs Bondi to collaborate with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner, and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. The aim is to expedite federal funding to states and municipalities that actively tackle “open illicit drug use, urban camping and loitering, and urban squatting,” while also monitoring sex offenders’ locations.
On Friday, President Trump described the order as a reasonable solution to the country’s homelessness crisis. “Right outside, there were some tents, and they’re getting rid of them right now,” Trump said to a reporter on the White House South Lawn. “We can’t have it—when leaders come to see me to make a trade deal for billions and billions and even trillions of dollars, and they come in and there’s tents outside of the White House. It doesn’t sound nice.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that the executive order was a demonstration of Trump’s commitment to “end homelessness across America.” She added that by removing “vagrant criminals” from the streets and reallocating resources towards substance abuse programs, the Trump Administration aims to foster safer communities and assist individuals struggling with addiction or mental health issues.
However, the order has faced significant criticism from advocates for the homeless community. Donald Whitehead, executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless, argued that the order will worsen homelessness. “These executive orders ignore decades of evidence-based housing and support services in practice,” said Whitehead in a press release. “They represent a punitive approach that has consistently failed to resolve homelessness and instead exacerbates the challenges faced by vulnerable individuals.”
The National Homelessness Law Center also condemned the order, stating that it “deprives people of their basic rights and makes it harder to solve homelessness.” According to the center, the directive will increase police presence and institutionalization in response to homelessness, further expanding the number of people living in tents, cars, and on the streets.
The executive order follows a Supreme Court decision last month in favor of an Oregon city, allowing it to ticket homeless individuals for sleeping outside. The ruling dismissed arguments that such “anti-camping” ordinances violate the Constitution’s ban on “cruel and unusual” punishment. The case had been closely monitored by city and state officials grappling with a surge in homelessness and the emergence of encampments under bridges and in urban parks nationwide.
Homelessness in the United States reached record levels last year, largely due to insufficient affordable housing, an influx of migrants seeking refuge, and natural disasters that displaced many people from their homes, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development. In 2024, over 770,000 people experienced homelessness, marking an 18% increase from 2023. This was the largest annual rise since HUD began gathering data in 2007, excluding the change from 2021 to 2022, when a full count was not conducted due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
During his campaign for president, Trump frequently highlighted the homelessness crisis, describing it as a destructive force on American cities. In a September campaign rally in North Carolina, he vowed that “the homeless encampments will be gone” and emphasized the need to address the issue.
Source: Original article