The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, a small agency tasked with coordinating homelessness policy across the federal government, has been effectively shut down, placing all its staff on administrative leave.
“The irony here is that the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness is designed for government efficiency,” remarked Jeff Olivet, the agency’s most recent executive director under President Biden.
Established by Congress in 1987, the agency was created to ensure that the federal response to homelessness is coordinated and efficient, reducing duplication across various federal agencies.
Despite having fewer than 20 employees and a budget of just over $4 million, the council found itself targeted by President Trump, who included it in an executive order aimed at reducing parts of the federal bureaucracy to the “maximum extent” allowed by law.
Legally, the agency’s authorization remains in effect until 2028.
However, on Monday, the cost-cutting team overseen by Elon Musk, known as DOGE, informed its employees that they would be placed on leave the following day, according to an email from an employee shared with NPR.
The agency has played a crucial role in assisting cities that are grappling with record-high homelessness rates.
Olivet explained that under his leadership, the agency focused on the increasing number of individuals living outside, stating, “Even at a time where we saw overall homelessness going up in many places, in those communities like Dallas and Phoenix and Chicago and others, we were able to see significant reductions, or at least not increases in unsheltered homelessness.”
Additionally, the agency coordinated an intensive effort to reduce homelessness among veterans, ensuring they received housing and healthcare.
Over a decade, Olivet noted that veteran homelessness has dropped by more than half.
Ann Oliva, the CEO of the National Alliance to End Homelessness, acknowledged the agency’s vital role, stating, “The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness has been vital in shaping effective policy to end homelessness.”
However, the Trump administration aims to adopt a significantly different strategy in addressing the issue of homelessness.
By shutting down the agency, Trump may more easily shift homelessness policy away from the longstanding bipartisan approach of providing housing first, followed by mental or addiction treatments.
This approach has faced increasing conservative backlash, particularly as homelessness rates have continued to rise.
During Trump’s first term, his appointee attempted to steer the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness toward a focus on treatment options instead of permanent housing.
Despite his efforts, Olivet, the executive director, was the only political appointee at the small agency, with all other positions filled by career staff.
Devon Kurtz of the Cicero Institute, a conservative think tank, noted, “He was really working against the current. Ultimately, the inertia of it was such that it continued to be sort of a single mouthpiece for housing first.”
Kurtz advocates for a significant departure from the housing first policy, believing that such a shift can be facilitated more readily without the homeless agency.
The prospect of a legal challenge against this move remains uncertain.
Democratic members of Congress have voiced their opposition to Trump’s targeting of the agency, deeming it “nonsensical.”
Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II of Missouri stated, “At a time when housing costs and homelessness are on a historic rise, we need an all-hands-on-deck approach to ensuring every American has a safe and stable place to rest their head at night.
Unfortunately, attacks on the [agency], along with damaging cuts to federal housing programs and staff, and the President’s tumultuous tariffs, will only exacerbate this country’s housing and homelessness crisis.”
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