By Aidan Cho
The start of this new year coincides with the beginning of the newest presidential term, meaning the state of the country depends on the shoulders of the newly inducted President. However, the homeless population in America is one of the most impacted by the decisions being made in the Oval Office. With the Trump Administration in office, new policies that have previously been introduced are expected to return. For example, the criminalization of sleeping without shelter in public spaces forces the homeless population to figure things out for themselves. The failure of our country’s infrastructure, aligned with our lack of focus on support for the struggling community, indeed shows who is prioritized by the economy in today’s world.
In a recent NPR article, Ayesha Rascoe and Jennifer Ludden hosted a discussion regarding what the election results meant for the homeless population. With many powerful points being brought up during their conversation, the importance of noting the orders that the Supreme Court has begun enforcing is shared with the audience. The empathy that Ludden and others have for the homeless population is what the Presidential Admin seems to lack. Their inability to understand what a large number of our population has to experience just to be able to stay off of the streets is appalling yet unsurprising. There might be room for positive change in the Trump Administration’s policies if they take some advice from Ludden at NPR. Making room for homeless people, treating them with care – not treating them as outliers of society, and prioritizing their reintegration into society would benefit not just the President and his cabinet but all of the United States of America.
Being human and a part of society, the best way to help with homelessness post-election is to be aware and open to helping out in your community. Being homeless does not always have to do with addiction or mental instability. It is, however, mainly driven by the lack of affordability within our country, especially in conversation with housing costs. As we enter the new Presidential term, we must all keep an open mind. We can only do what we can. The only way to make a change is together.
References:
Ludden, J. (2025, January 5). Trump wants to address homelessness by working with states to ban street camping. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2025/01/05/nx-s1-5230211-e1/trump-wants-to-address-homelessness-by-working-with-states-to-ban-street-camping