Editor’s Note: This article was initially published by Invisible People
As Trump’s Project 2025 Targets Housing First Policies, Advocates Nationwide Prepare to Push Back Against Punitive Approaches
A second Donald Trump presidency poses a significant challenge to vulnerable populations and housing advocates seeking to end homelessness in America. Even so, these groups say they are ready to resist any cruel policies the president-elect may enact during his next term.
Project 2025 Targets Housing First Policies
Trump ran a campaign based on fear and retribution, and his Project 2025 transition plan takes direct aim at many of the federal housing policies from the Biden-Harris administration. For instance, the plan calls for ending Housing First policies and investing in work-based or counseling-based approaches to ending homelessness. The plan also calls for the Department of Housing and Urban Development to sell existing public housing units to private developers.
These plans could be set in motion at a time when homelessness is increasing across America, especially in urban centers. The latest federal data shows seniors and households with children are two of the fastest-growing subpopulations of people experiencing homelessness. That fact illustrates the devastating impacts that America’s runaway home prices and rents have had on low-income earning households.
“As we did during his last administration, the National Low Income Housing Coalition will mobilize our members and partners across the nation and work closely with our congressional champions to oppose any cruel or harmful measure offered by President-elect Trump and his administration that would undermine housing justice, exacerbate racial and social inequities, and worsen America’s housing and homelessness crisis,” National Low Income Housing Coalition President and CEO Diane Yentel said.
Homelessness and affordable housing were two of the top issues for voters in the 2024 election. A poll conducted by the National Alliance to End Homelessness in September found that 67% of voters considered a candidate’s stance on homelessness a deciding factor in how they voted. Another 70% said they would vote for a candidate who prioritized evidence-based solutions over criminalization.
“People are frustrated, and that without visible progress on homelessness, many will support punitive tactics if they believe there is no other alternative,” National Alliance to End Homelessness CEO Ann Oliva said.
Past Policies Offer Clues on Trump’s Future Approach
If Trump’s last term in office was any sign, his administration will continue to pursue policies that slash the federal government’s investments in solutions to homelessness. Each of his annual budgets included significant reductions in affordable housing investments and included policies to raise rents for tenants living in federally subsidized housing units.
Decreasing federal investments could have a disastrous impact on urban areas like San Francisco, which rely on those funds to provide homeless services and support. This could force cities to increase measures to criminalize homelessness since politicians see these laws as efficient and effective. However, mountains of evidence suggest that criminalization is costly and does not make communities safer.
“If Donald Trump truly cared about the needs of homeless people, he would focus on the proven solutions to homelessness: housing and services,” Jesse Rabinowitz, spokesperson for the National Homelessness Law Center, told Invisible People. “Unsurprisingly, he is more interested in locking up homeless people – who are predominantly Black and brown -than ensuring everyone’s basic needs are met.”
San Francisco’s New Mayor Signals Shift on Homelessness
Trump’s election has already had a ripple effect on other parts of the country. In San Francisco, mayor London Breed lost her re-election bid to Daniel Lurie, a venture capitalist and heir to the Levi’s fortune. Lurie campaigned on cracking down on homelessness and cleaning up the city’s streets.
Jennifer Friedenbach, executive director of the San Francisco Coalition on Homelessness, told Invisible People that homelessness was exploited as a wedge issue during the 2024 campaign. She called on Lurie to “move beyond the divisive and harmful policies” that have resulted in human rights violations against San Francisco’s homeless population.
“San Francisco needs real solutions to homelessness, not more displacement and harm,” Friedenbach said in an email. “We urge the incoming administration to treat unhoused people with dignity and to prioritize housing, not punitive measures.”
Moving Beyond Handcuffs to Real Solutions
As we face the potential challenges of a second Trump presidency, housing advocates and allies nationwide are gearing up for a critical fight for compassionate, evidence-based solutions. Handcuffs will never solve homelessness. The evidence is clear: criminalizing poverty only deepens cycles of despair and leaves the root causes unaddressed.
The most effective strategies, like Housing First, demonstrate that stability, support, and dignity are essential to creating real change. Policies rooted in punishment and neglect threaten to undo years of progress and, worse, ignore the voices of people experiencing homelessness who are calling for lasting solutions, not quick fixes that serve political optics.
Tell your representatives you support revamping how your city addresses homelessness. In these uncertain times, it’s up to each of us to advocate for humane policies that genuinely address the needs of our communities. This means pushing back against divisive narratives and supporting housing policies that treat every individual with respect, regardless of their economic status.
Homelessness isn’t inevitable—it’s a choice society makes when it fails to prioritize housing, healthcare, and support for all.
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