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WASHINGTON D.C. – Citing a national crisis of “endemic vagrancy, disorderly behaviour, sudden confrontations, and violent attacks,” President Donald J. Trump today issued a wide-ranging executive order aimed at restoring public order in American cities and overhauling the nation’s approach to homelessness. The order, which the President stated is intended to protect both the homeless and other citizens, marks a significant shift towards prioritising public safety and addressing the “root causes” of homelessness, particularly drug addiction and mental health conditions, through expanded civil commitment and stricter enforcement of urban ordinances.
The executive order comes as the White House highlights that the number of individuals living on the streets reached a record high of 274,224 during the last year of the previous administration. The President emphasised that the “overwhelming majority” of these individuals struggle with addiction, mental health issues, or both, with nearly two-thirds reporting regular use of hard drugs and an equally large share suffering from mental health conditions.
“The Federal Government and the States have spent tens of billions of dollars on failed programs that address homelessness but not its root causes, leaving other citizens vulnerable to public safety threats,” the President stated in the order. “Surrendering our cities and citizens to disorder and fear is neither compassionate to the homeless nor other citizens. My Administration will take a new approach focused on protecting public safety.”
Key Directives of the Executive Order:
Restoring Civil Commitment: The order directs the Attorney General, in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, to actively seek the reversal of federal or state judicial precedents and the termination of consent decrees that are perceived to hinder the civil commitment of individuals with mental illness who pose a risk to themselves or the public, or who are living on the streets and cannot care for themselves. The order also emphasises moving individuals who are a danger to themselves or others, or who cannot care for themselves, into treatment centers through civil commitment or other available means.
Redirecting Federal Resources: The order calls for a reevaluation of federal funding for homelessness programs. The Secretaries of Health and Human Services and Housing and Urban Development are directed to increase accountability, including ending support for “housing first” policies that “deprioritise accountability and fail to promote treatment, recovery, and self-sufficiency.” The order aims to increase competition among grantees and hold them to higher standards.
Crucially, the order states that the Attorney General will review whether recipients of federal housing and homelessness assistance who operate drug injection sites or distribute drug paraphernalia are in violation of federal law and will bring actions as appropriate.
Additionally, the order seeks to allow federally funded programs to exclusively house women and children and prevent registered sex offenders receiving homelessness assistance from being housed with unrelated children.
The executive order highlights the administration’s commitment to a more forceful and interventionist approach to addressing homelessness and public order concerns across the nation.