by Barbara DiPietro, Senior Director of Policy
Last month, the federal government took one of its most aggressive steps in decades to criminalize mental illness, substance use disorder, and homelessness. On July 24, President Donald Trump issued an Executive Order (EO) titled “Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets,” directly calling on states to arrest and institutionalize people experiencing homelessness, among other provisions.
At a high level, the EO asserts the administration’s position in three areas:
- Encourages states to criminalize homelessness, sweep encampments, and prosecute public drug use.
- Seeks to expand institutionalization, forced treatment, and use of civil commitments for those with behavioral health conditions.
- Ends support for harm reduction and housing first approaches to care.
The National Health Care for the Homeless Council responded to the EO with a statement calling the it a “top-down mandate rooted in stigma and fear”:
“Demonizing and terrifying the most vulnerable people in our communities is shockingly wrong and does not solve homelessness,” the Council’s statement reads. “Real solutions will only come from listening to those who understand the realities of life on the street, in shelter, and in underfunded health care system.”
This EO represents a dangerous step backward. Threatening to arrest, hospitalize, and traumatize people who are homeless is extremely worrying. These actions turn us away from evidence-based practices like Housing First and other service approaches, and ignore decades of data and direct, positive personal experiences.
For more on how this EO will affect the HCH work we do check out the Council’s new fact sheet, and read on for perspectives straight from our community.
What this Executive Order Means for Real People
This is not simply a policy debate. This EO threatens real lives and people’s safety, recovery, and progress. Members of the HCH Community are already feeling the trauma, fear, and heartbreak. Here are three responses from community members grappling with the news:
“This Executive Order is life-threatening for those of us with a history of mental/behavioral illness, disability, and homelessness. Criminalizing the side effects of trauma is not only horrifying but only causes more trauma and pain. Not only does this Order threaten the affirming, beautiful life that I have built with the support of Housing First — it jeopardizes my recovery too.”
— Amanda Richer, Seattle
Displacement Consultant, Member of NHCHC Board of Directors
“I became homeless after being committed to a mental institution and I needed help getting my life back afterwards. My greatest fear is thousands of unhoused people with a label of mental health will disappear behind the locked walls of a mental institution. I don’t believe that locking people up against their will and thinking that ‘out of sight, out of mind’ is the solution. Instead, we need affordable housing and wraparound services that support a person to their next step.”
— Diedre Young, Houston
Healthcare for the Homeless-Houston, Chair of NHCHC’s National Consumer Advisory Board
“As a psychiatrist, I fear that a punitive approach will worsen mental health symptoms, disrupt treatment, and push people further into crisis. Serious mental illness, substance use disorders, and homelessness are NOT law enforcement problems — they are public health challenges. Humane and effective policy must treat mental illness and substance use as medical issues and address homelessness with supportive housing, not institutionalization.”
— Meredith Johnston, M.D., Baltimore
Dir. of Psychiatry, Health Care for the Homeless
How Will This Executive Order Have an Impact on You?
Ready for Action? Here Are Three Things to Do
We anticipate legal groups will bring lawsuits to stop enforcement of this Executive Order; however, this Administration has refused to abide by numerous court rules to date and has already caused chaos related to funding homelessness services.
These changes are unprecedented, so a comprehensive national advocacy strategy is still developing. However, three initial actions to reduce the harm and stand up for the rights of those in our communities can include the following:
1. Advocate With State and Local Lawmakers
- Local: Remind local officials that policies related to encampments and arrests are all determined locally—not by the federal government. Encourage them to take more constructive responses to unsheltered homelessness by using the template legislation provided in the side text box as well as the encampment resources included below.
- State: Most state legislative sessions starting in January will be making policy decisions in response to this Executive Order. States determine the legal process for involuntary commitment services and can include protections against abuse. States also determine the budgets for mental health and substance use services—encourage them to invest in community-level supports and services as well as supportive housing. Use the template legislation to advance state-level protections for unhoused people.
- Related resource: The National Homelessness Law Center shares Local and State versions of template legislation aimed at protecting the rights of unsheltered people. Visit Housing Not Handcuffs to learn more.
2. Spread the Word and Prepare Your Community
- Use NHCHC’s fact sheet about this Executive Order to raise awareness of the changes so people can be informed. Elevate personal stories (and any data) to explain why housing is the solution, not arrests and forced hospitalizations.
- Connect with local organizations and mutual aid groups to develop a local action plan so there is a collective response if the Executive Order starts being implemented in your area.
- Talk with social and traditional media outlets to elevate the issue and advance the need for adequate housing options (shelters are not housing!).
3. Join Local Protests
Follow Indivisible (or other justice organizations) to find a local group or event or to get resources on how to organize one yourself.
Resource Roundup
Follow the links below or browse our resource library and webinar archive for more content related to federal policies, encampment sweeps, involuntary commitment, and more.
- Encampment Sweeps
- Involuntary Commitment
- HCH Advocacy
