NLIHC President and CEO Renee M. Willis Statement on White House Announcement to Raid Homeless Encampments in Washington, D.C.
Aug 11, 2025
Washington, D.C. – The National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) strongly condemns President Donald Trump’s announcement today to remove people experiencing homelessness from Washington, D.C. These actions are not effective in addressing homelessness in the District – they are cruel. Instead, this is a continuation of the administration’s attacks and efforts to dehumanize the unhoused community.
As part of the plan to forcibly remove unhoused people from D.C., encampments will be raided, putting many people at risk of dangerous and dire situations. These raids come at a time when affordable housing is out of reach for millions of people, and no state has enough affordable rental housing available for individuals with the lowest incomes.
NLIHC opposed President Trump’s July 24th executive order that aimed to make it easier for states and localities to criminalize individuals experiencing homelessness and force them into involuntary hospitalization – while withdrawing federal support for needed homelessness solutions.
With millions at risk of losing their healthcare and food assistance, and 59,000 households who have previously experienced housing insecurity or homelessness at risk of losing their rental assistance, our country cannot afford to divert crucial resources from effective, humane approaches. Proven solutions like Housing First is an effective model for ending homelessness and promoting housing stability for individuals transitioning out of homelessness.
Instead of criminalizing and attacking the unhoused community, the administration and Congress must ensure rental assistance is universally available to all eligible households, expand the supply of affordable and available housing for people with the lowest incomes, and ensure critical services are available and accessible.
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