President Donald Trump has signed a new executive order on homelessness. It allows cities to more easily remove homeless people from the streets and place them in treatment centers.
White House Defends the Plan
The order, signed Thursday (July 24), directs Attorney General Pam Bondi to push for the end of legal agreements and rulings that limit forced treatment. The goal is to move people with mental illness or addiction into long-term care facilities.
“Restoring public order means treating homeless people in institutions,” the order states. “Letting cities fall into fear and chaos is not compassionate.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the plan aims to “Make America Safe Again.” She added that the order will help both communities and those who need addiction or mental health support.
But the move has sparked strong backlash.
Public Reaction: Fear and Frustration Online
The National Homelessness Law Center (NHLC) called the order “dangerous.” They say it will worsen homelessness by removing people’s rights instead of offering real solutions.
“This won’t lower housing costs or help people pay their bills,” NHLC said in a statement. “The safest places are those with more housing and services—not ones that punish poverty.”
They also warned that forced treatment is “unethical, illegal, and ineffective.”
According to NHLC, the order will waste taxpayer money and make it harder for cities to truly end homelessness.
This comes one month after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that cities can ban people from sleeping in public.
Online, many users expressed fear and anger. On Reddit, one user wrote: “Instead of helping people, they just want to hide them away.”
