by the El Reportero staff
President Donald Trump is pushing a shift in homelessness policy, replacing the “Housing First” model with a treatment-first approach that emphasizes mandated addiction and mental health services before offering housing. His plan includes relocating homeless people to large encampments or mental institutions, requiring treatment, or facing arrest.
The Housing First policy, implemented nationally in 2004 under President George W. Bush, prioritizes permanent housing as the initial step to stabilize people experiencing chronic homelessness. It expanded under Presidents Obama and Biden. Housing First offers housing without requiring sobriety, treatment participation, or employment, and connects individuals to services after housing is secured.
“When you’re on the streets, all you’re doing every day is figuring out how to survive,” said Ann Oliva, CEO of the National Alliance to End Homelessness. “Housing is the most important intervention that brings a sense of safety and stability.”
Evidence shows Housing First can be highly effective. A systematic review of 26 studies found that, compared with treatment-first strategies, Housing First programs reduced homelessness by 88 percent. It also led to improvements in health and decreased costly hospital visits.
Despite this, Trump’s administration is moving to dismantle Housing First. HUD has proposed major staffing and funding cuts that affect homelessness programs. The administration has also discouraged local governments from adhering to Housing First models and is shrinking the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness.
Critics warn this shift will worsen the crisis. “Throwing everybody into treatment programs just isn’t an effective strategy,” said Donald Whitehead Jr. of the National Coalition for the Homeless. “The real problem is we just don’t have enough affordable housing.”
Former Trump homelessness adviser Robert Marbut argues the opposite, saying that sobriety and treatment should be prerequisites to housing. He believes Housing First enables people to remain homeless and addicted. Trump’s policy advisors, through the Project 2025 blueprint, are calling for a formal end to Housing First.
Even some Democratic leaders are distancing themselves from the model. In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom and mayors of major cities are pushing mandatory treatment programs and increased encampment sweeps. However, experts say these crackdowns disrupt service connections and slow housing placements.
Jeff Olivet, President Biden’s homelessness adviser, argues the model works when funded and implemented correctly. “Housing First is not just about sticking somebody in an apartment and hoping for the best,” he said. “It’s about providing stable housing and access to treatment, but not forcing it.”
With reports by Angela Hart for KFF Health News.
