By Jayden Park
After he was elected on November 5, 2024, President Donald Trump claimed that he would “use every tool, lever and authority to get the homeless off our streets.” Most recently, in August, he said that the federal government will be “removing homeless encampments from all over our parks” to rescue the U.S. “from crime, bloodshed, bedlam and squalor and worse.” Clearly, he views homeless individuals as those who perpetuate crime and injustice. Regardless of his intentions, this is not necessarily an accurate account of the realities of homelessness. But does the President’s actions align with his words? Mostly.
Homeless encampment removals are not new. Nationwide, there have been over 1,200 removals since 2020. However, President Trump’s rhetoric of intensifying crackdowns marked a sharp turn in the criminalization of homelessness. Since his presidency, analysts project that over 4 million people could lose or be ineligible for federal housing aid under planned HUD rule changes. In addition, funding cuts to CoCs (Continuums of Care) may put an additional 170,000 at risk. It is important to recognize that the statistics provided may underestimate numbers because annual PIT (Point in Time) counts cannot track all homeless individuals, especially those who are transient or hidden.
Perhaps the most impactful of President Trump’s legislation with regards to homelessness is his July 2025 executive order, “Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets,” which ‘instructs federal agencies such as HUD and HHS to prioritize states that criminalize homelessness and expand involuntary psychiatric commitments’. It also defunds programs providing free housing if they don’t require additional preconditions like sobriety.
President Donald Trump’s approach to the housing crisis can be summarized in one word: punitive. Rather than addressing the structural causes of homelessness, it appears that the president’s approach has been focusing on punishment and removal. While these actions may temporarily work, they do little to actually reduce homelessness, and can arguably exacerbate the very conditions that cause people to lose housing in the first place.
References:
Bierman, N. (2024, November 20). Trump takes a hard line on homelessness. Why L.A. Mayor Karen Bass hopes to find common ground. Yahoo News. https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-takes-hard-line-homelessness-110022779.html
Deliso, M. (2025, August 12). Trump’s remarks on homelessness in DC spark concerns among homeless advocates. ABC News. https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trumps-remarks-homelessness-dc-spark-concerns-homeless-advocates/story?id=124560423
The White House. (2025, July 24). Ending crime and disorder on America’s streets. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/07/ending-crime-and-disorder-on-americas-streets/
Torres, F. (2025, August 18). President Trump’s executive order on homelessness: A shift in federal policy. Bipartisan Policy Center. https://bipartisanpolicy.org/article/president-trumps-executive-order-on-homelessness-a-shift-in-federal-policy/