Trump’s executive order titled “Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets” makes it easier for states and cities to remove people from homeless encampments and put them in mental health or addiction treatment against their will.
April Doshier, the executive director of Norman nonprofit Food and Shelter, said housing-first principles have seen progress over the last decade — and this order creates an obstacle to further progress.
“To not only reverse course on housing first, but institute priorities to institutionalize and criminalize homelessness — it's really just a devastating blow to our work,” she said.
The executive order also seeks to shift federal funding for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD, from being used for housing-first initiatives to being used for programs that require sobriety and treatment.
Doshier said potential cuts to HUD funding for housing programs will need to be made up by either private donations or local government funds to ensure there is no gap in services.
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