Trump executive order to reduce street crime targets unhoused individuals afflicted with mental illness or SUD

On July 24, President Trump issued an executive order addressing homelessness, particularly for such individuals afflicted with mental health complications or substance use disorders (SUD), by shifting federal policy toward involuntary civil commitment, public safety, and treatment-based interventions, and away from a top priority of trying to get people living on the streets into appropriate housing. The order also directs several federal departments, including the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), to evaluate federal grant programs and prioritize funding for states and municipalities that actively crack down on unlawful drug use, urban camping and loitering, and urban squatting “to the maximum extent permitted by law.”