President Donald Trump has signed a new executive order aimed at addressing homelessness in the United States, emphasizing a need to protect public safety.
The order, entitled “Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets,” seeks to overturn judicial precedents and consent decrees, which would facilitate the removal of homeless individuals from public spaces into treatment facilities.
In the executive order, it states, “Shifting homeless individuals into long-term institutional settings for humane treatment through the appropriate use of civil commitment will restore public order. Surrendering our cities and citizens to disorder and fear is neither compassionate to the homeless nor other citizens.”
Federal agencies, including Health and Human Services, HUD, and the Department of Transportation, have been directed to evaluate their grant programs. They are to prioritize funding for states and cities that enforce policies against open drug use, urban camping, loitering, and urban squatting.
This executive order comes on the heels of a Supreme Court ruling in June that allowed the arrest of unhoused individuals for sleeping in public areas, a decision which was later challenged in a lower court for being considered cruel and unusual punishment.
In response to the executive order, officials from the office of California Governor Gavin Newsom voiced their concerns. They stated, “Last year, the Governor issued an executive order addressing encampments that was based on the law and the facts, not harmful stereotypes and ineffective public policy. Like so many of Trump’s executive orders, this order is more focused on creating distracting headlines and settling old scores than producing any positive impact.”
A spokesperson for the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) indicated that they are currently assessing how this new directive may impact their services for the homeless population.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) also condemned the executive order, claiming it unjustly targets people with disabilities and those without homes.
Scout Katovich, a senior staff attorney with the ACLU, stated, “Pushing people into locked institutions and forcing treatment won’t solve homelessness or support people with disabilities. The exact opposite is true – institutions are dangerous and deadly, and forced treatment doesn’t work. We need safe, decent, and affordable housing as well as equal access to medical care and voluntary, community-based mental health and evidence-based substance use treatment from trusted providers.”
Katovich further criticized President Trump for blaming individuals for systemic failures while neglecting to invest in proven solutions that could truly assist the homeless population.
According to the latest findings from the 2025 Homeless Count, homelessness in Los Angeles is experiencing a second consecutive year of decline.
Los Angeles County reported a 4% decrease in the number of unhoused individuals, with the city itself seeing a 3.4% reduction, as per data released by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.
Mayor Karen Bass expressed her apprehensions about the executive order, emphasizing the goals she shares with President Trump regarding street homelessness.
“I’m very concerned about the executive order,” Bass remarked. “He’s calling for an end to street homelessness, which is certainly my goal and something we have already made significant headway on two years in a row. One of the problems I have with the executive order is that it’s calling for an end to street homelessness, calling for pushing people into treatment — where are the dollars? Where are the locations? I believe that people should be offered treatment as well, but right now we don’t have the facility because cuts are being made to the very programs that he wants to push people into.”
image source from：nbclosangeles
