Statement from NLIHC President and CEO Renee Willis on the Executive Order to Forcibly Hospitalize Unhoused Individuals
Jul 24, 2025
Washington, D.C. - "Today, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order (EO) titled 'Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets.' This order aims to make it easier for states and localities to criminalize individuals experiencing homelessness and to force them into involuntary treatment.
The EO reallocates federal grants to cities and states that implement harmful, ineffective, and costly policies, such as bans on encampments and the forced institutionalization of people experiencing homelessness. Additionally, it instructs the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to withdraw support for Housing First policies. It also requires HUD to mandate that recipients of homelessness assistance participate in mental health or substance abuse treatment as a condition for receiving aid.
Research shows that Housing First is the most effective approach to ending homelessness and promoting housing stability for individuals transitioning out of homelessness. Moreover, involuntary treatment can be traumatic and may damage the already fragile relationships that people experiencing homelessness have. Coercive approaches do not address individuals’ basic needs and can instead perpetuate cycles of hospitalization, biased police interactions, and increased encounters with the justice system.
As affordable housing remains out of reach for millions, and no state has an adequate supply of affordable rental housing for full-time low-wage workers, our country cannot afford to divert crucial federal funds to localities that harm and mistreat unhoused individuals. Instead of cutting funding for proven solutions like Housing First and encouraging harmful methods to tackle homelessness, we must urge policymakers to increase funding for effective federal housing subsidies that are vital for addressing the deep, systemic shortage of affordable housing nationwide.
Criminalizing someone based on their mental status is a backward step in reducing homelessness in America. This EO diverts attention from the real, proven solutions necessary to achieve long-term housing stability. Offering safe, stable, and affordable permanent housing, along with voluntary supportive services, has been demonstrated to help individuals stabilize and avoid hospitalization and incarceration. We must not allow disinformation to distract us from the evidence and programs that work."
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