President Donald Trump is set to sign an executive order on Thursday aimed at making it easier for cities and states to clear homeless individuals from streets and encampments.
According to a White House summary reviewed by USA Today, the order will direct Attorney General Pam Bondi to “reverse judicial precedents and end consent decrees” that currently restrict state and local governments from relocating homeless individuals into treatment or rehabilitation facilities.
The order will also redirect federal funds to support the transition of affected individuals into treatment centers and other care facilities, though the specific funding amount has not yet been disclosed, USA Today reported.
The order, which the White House has dubbed “Ending Vagrancy and Restoring Order,” further requires Bondi to work with the secretaries of Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development and Transportation to prioritize federal grants to states and cities that “enforce prohibitions on open illicit drug use, urban camping and loitering, and urban squatting, and track the location of sex offenders.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, in a statement to the outlet, said Trump is “delivering on his commitment to Make America Safe Again and end homelessness across America.”
“By removing vagrant criminals from our streets and redirecting resources toward substance abuse programs, the Trump Administration will ensure that Americans feel safe in their own communities and that individuals suffering from addiction or mental health struggles are able to get the help they need,” Leavitt said.
In 2024, more than 771,800 people were experiencing homelessness across the U.S., according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s annual January count. That figure marks the highest ever recorded—an 18.1% increase from 2023, when approximately 650,000 individuals were counted living in shelters, parks, or on the streets, USA Today reported.
