Trump Order Threatens Housing First, Expands Forced Treatment of Homeless People
An executive order from the Trump administration threatens to roll back decades of progress in mental healthcare.
For decades, the country has been moving away from long-term residential psychiatric institutions in favor of community-based treatment. That progress is now under threat, following a recent Trump executive order, which aims to “broaden civil commitment laws,” forcing homeless people out of public spaces, according to a look by KFF (formerly the Kaiser Family Foundation) at the intersection of homeless and mental health.
That approach to mental health care tends to backfire and make people more wary of the healthcare system, KFF reports – something we documented in our recent article, co-published with Invisible Institute, on the rise of involuntary commitment in Chicago.
The executive order also rolls back progress on strategies that have demonstrated success, directing the Department of Housing and Urban Development to stop funding Housing First programs, which provide homeless people with housing without demanding sobriety or mandatory mental health treatment. Making housing accessible with no strings or prerequisites is core to successful homelessness strategies in countries like Finland.
The KFF report notes that unsheltered homelessness among adults has increased by 43% since 2018, partly due to the shortage of affordable housing. Its forecast was bleak: “Decreases in federal spending may leave states with even fewer resources to put toward treatment options for those with serious mental illnesses, including those at risk of homelessness.”
Meanwhile, Washington, D.C, offers a potential glimpse into the consequences of Trump’s approach. On his order, 50 homeless encampments were cleared and Axios reports that “the city’s unhoused residents live in a state of fear and confusion, with many unsure of where to go.” If homeless people refuse to leave, a Trump official said they could receive fines or jail time.
The name “MindSite News” is used with the express permission of Mindsight Institute, an educational organization offering online learning and in-person workshops in the field of mental health and wellbeing. MindSite News and Mindsight Institute are separate, unaffiliated entities that are aligned in making science accessible and promoting mental health globally.
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