President Trump Issues Executive Order to Address Homelessness through Removal and Civil Commitment

On a Thursday during President Trump's administration, he signed an executive order aimed at overhauling the United States' approach to managing homelessness. The order cited endemic vagrancy, disorderly behavior, sudden confrontations, and violent attacks making cities unsafe. It reported that during the last year of the previous administration, there were 274,224 individuals living on the streets on a single night—the highest number ever recorded. The order stated that the overwhelming majority of these individuals are addicted to drugs, have mental health conditions, or both.

The policy shifts federal funding away from Housing First strategies, which prioritize housing before treatment, towards programs that require sobriety and treatment. It emphasizes long-term institutional treatment through civil commitment for individuals with mental illness who pose risks to themselves or others or who cannot care for themselves on the streets. The Attorney General, in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, is tasked with seeking reversal of judicial precedents and consent decrees that impede civil commitment and providing technical assistance, grants, or other support to states and localities to implement flexible civil commitment, institutional treatment, and stepdown treatment standards.

The executive order directs the Departments of Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, and Transportation to prioritize grant funding to jurisdictions that proactively enforce bans on homeless camping, illicit drug use, loitering, and squatting to the extent permitted by law.

Critics, including Jesse Rabinowitz of the National Homelessness Law Center, warned that the order forces a choice between compassionate, data-driven approaches like housing and criminalizing homelessness or mental illness. Concerns were raised that institutionalizing homeless individuals with mental illness is neither dignified nor evidence-based. The order signifies a shift toward prioritizing public safety and sobriety in homelessness policy, focusing on removing homeless individuals from public spaces through treatment and civil commitment methods.

On a Thursday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at changing the management of homelessness in the United States by making it easier for states and cities to remove homeless individuals from streets and outdoor encampments. The order specifically targets those who pose a risk to themselves or others, calling for the use of involuntary civil commitment for mental health or addiction treatment.

The order cites "endemic vagrancy, disorderly behavior, sudden confrontations, and violent attacks" making cities unsafe and notes that on a single night during the last year of the previous administration, 274,224 individuals were homeless—the highest number ever recorded. It highlights that the majority of these people struggle with drug addiction, mental health conditions, or both, with nearly two-thirds having used hard drugs like methamphetamines, cocaine, or opioids in their lifetimes.

Contrary to prior Federal policies focused on a "Housing First" approach—prioritizing housing before treatment—the new directive seeks to prioritize federal funding for programs that require sobriety and treatment and support cities that enforce bans on homeless camping. It includes instructions for the Attorney General, in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, to seek reversal of any judicial precedents and consent decrees that prevent civil commitment of individuals who are homeless and mentally ill.

The order also directs the Departments of Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, and Transportation to evaluate federal grant programs and prioritize funding to jurisdictions enforcing laws against illicit drug use, urban camping, loitering, and squatting, as much as legally possible.

Critics warn this approach may worsen homelessness and conflict with compassionate, data-driven methods. Jesse Rabinowitz of the National Homelessness Law Center described the order as forcing a choice between humane approaches and criminalizing homelessness and mental illness, while Ann Oliva stated that institutionalizing homeless individuals with mental illness is not dignified or evidence-based.

The executive order represents a shift to a policy aimed at restoring public order and safety by increasing civil commitment and enforcing stricter homeless encampment regulations, reflecting the Trump administration's commitment to addressing the root causes of disorder on America's streets.