Copyright The New York Times
The Trump administration has developed plans for a wholesale shift in homelessness policy that would slash support for long-term housing programs, according to a confidential grant-making plan, and critics say it could quickly place as many as 170,000 formerly homeless people at risk of returning to the streets. Pivoting from housing aid, the administration’s approach would shift billions to short-term programs that impose work rules, help the police dismantle encampments, and require the homeless to accept treatment for mental health or addiction. The expected shift, which would be the most consequential in a generation, is detailed in a 100-page notice from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, slated for release in coming days, that would govern more than $3.5 billion in Continuum of Care funds, the main source of federal money for homelessness. While President Trump has long pledged to pursue tougher homelessness policies, such as camping bans and treatment mandates, the long-anticipated document, reviewed by The New York Times, outlines changes that would go much deeper and faster than expected. By cutting aid for permanent housing by two-thirds next year, the plan risks a sudden end of support for most of the people the Continuum places in such housing nationwide, beginning as soon as January. All are disabled — a condition of the aid — and many are 50 or older. The document does not explain how they would find housing.
