Statement on White House Announcement on Crime and Homelessness in the Nation’s Capital

Washington, D.C., August 12, 2025 — The National Alliance to End Homelessness strongly opposes the White House’s recent directive to forcibly remove people experiencing homelessness from Washington, D.C. This policy will not end homelessness in the District. Instead, it is cruel, inhumane, and will only further exacerbate the challenges faced by those without shelter.

The Trump Administration’s intent to use police and military force against the District’s most vulnerable residents will put lives at risk and make it significantly harder for outreach and service workers to provide critical assistance. Moreover, these tactics reveal a troubling lack of focus on the root causes of homelessness—particularly the housing affordability crisis—which was one of President Trump’s key campaign promises.

“Homelessness is not a criminal issue. It is an economic issue. Across the nation, in red and blue states alike, people are unable to afford their housing, medical care, groceries, and other basic living expenses. This announcement does nothing to make housing more affordable for residents of the District of Columbia,” said Alliance CEO Ann Oliva.

The single biggest driver of homelessness is the severe shortage of affordable housing—currently at least 7 million homes short, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition. The Trump Administration’s declaration to assume that increases in homelessness lead to more crime is false, and furthers inaccurate stereotypes. The crime here is that people can’t afford to stay.

Each week in the United States, approximately 19,000 people become homeless for the first time. Solving this crisis requires a two-pronged approach: rehousing people quickly and preventing others from losing their homes. The administration’s directive will accomplish neither.

In the President’s remarks on August 11 at the White House press conference, he alluded to introducing similar strong-armed tactics in other U.S. cities. This approach will strip away local control from communities, who are often best equipped in knowing the needs of their constituents.

The Alliance also condemns the Executive Order signed on July 24. That Executive Order seeks to make it easier for states and localities to criminalize people experiencing homelessness, force them into involuntary hospitalization, and withdraw federal support for proven solutions like the Housing First model.

“If the administration were serious about ending homelessness, it would fully fund the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s homelessness programs. These vital federal programs help people exit homelessness, and support prevention approaches that keep people in their homes,” Oliva said.

The Alliance calls on the public to contact their federal, state, and local lawmakers to demand a humane, effective, and affordable housing–centered approach to ending homelessness—one that addresses the root economic challenges affecting all Americans.

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About the National Alliance to End Homelessness

The National Alliance to End Homelessness is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization committed to preventing and ending homelessness in the United States. As a leading voice on the issue of homelessness, the Alliance analyzes policy and develops pragmatic, cost-effective solutions; works collaboratively with the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to build state and local capacity; and provides data and research to policymakers and elected officials in order to inform policy debates and educate the public and opinion leaders nationwide.