‘Very alarming:’ Ohio housing advocates decry Trump’s executive order on homelessness
Ohio housing advocates spoke out against President Donald Trump’s recent executive order that would force those experiencing homelessness off the streets by committing them to mental health institutions or drug treatment centers without their consent.
Trump issued an executive order last month titled “Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets.”
“Shifting homeless individuals into long-term institutional settings for humane treatment through the appropriate use of civil commitment will restore public order,” according to Trump’s Executive Order.
But this could lead to more people experiencing homelessness, housing advocates said.
“There currently are no facilities to do this type of treatment within the state of Ohio or that could help people in the way that it’s requesting so it would only leave people on the streets longer as they wait for services that don’t exist,” said Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio Executive Director Amy Riegel.
The executive order goes against Housing First, a homeless assistance approach that was first adopted federally during the George W. Bush Administration, which prioritizes housing without any prerequisites, such as sobriety or participation in treatment.
“The executive order was very alarming because it does upend decades of progress that had been made to address homelessness, and it reverses evidence-based practices and programs in a way that would take us back to ideas and principles that have long been demonstrated to not be effective at ending homelessness,” Riegel said.
Director of the Cleveland Department of Public Health Dr. David Margolius questioned whether the Trump administration has thought through the logistics of the order.
“If someone is unable to find a shelter bed, or is living in an overflowing shelter, or living outside in the woods, how could they possibly be able to get into a stable environment with treatment, making appointments and taking medications every day?” he asked.
Several studies show Housing First offers “greater long-term housing stability, especially among people experiencing chronic homelessness” compared to the treatment-first model, according to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development.
“When we give people Housing First, they’re able to go to doctors’ appointments, they’re able to access care, they’re able to seek out treatment because they’re no longer just simply in survival mode,” said Christopher Knestrick, executive director of Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless.
Riegel emphasized that it’s Housing First, not housing only.
“With Housing First, it really is that you have the housing unit, and once your life is stabilized and you have that basic need in place, it is easier to address higher level needs within your life that may be creating challenges for you,” she said.
Homelessness in the U.S. increased 18% last year with 771,480 people experiencing homelessness, according to HUD. There were 11,759 people experiencing homelessness in Ohio last year— about a 3% increase, according to the HUD. Nearly 80% of those experiencing homelessness in Ohio were sheltered while the rest were unsheltered.
More than 170 unsheltered people in Cleveland have been provided stable housing through the city’s A Home for Every Neighbor initiative that launched a year ago, Margolius said.
There were 2,556 people experiencing homelessness in Franklin County during January’s Point-in-Time Count — a 7.4% increase from last year, according to the Community Shelter Board.
Ohioans need to be making at least $22.51 an hour working a full-time job to be able to afford a “modest” two-bedroom apartment, according to COHHIO and the National Low Income Housing Coalition’s 2025 Out of Reach report.
“I think if we understand anything about homelessness, homelessness is really a problem around affordable housing and the ability to access housing in people’s lives,” Knestrick said. “If we want to end homelessness, what we need to do is invest in affordable housing.”
Trump’s order directs the secretaries of Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, and Health and Human Services to assess federal grant programs and prioritize funding to cities that curb open drug use and homeless encampments.
“At a time when unaddressed housing costs are driving record numbers of people into homelessness, this order demonstrates a lack of focus and understanding on what our communities — both red and blue — need to address this crisis,” National Alliance to End Homelessness CEO Ann Oliva said in a statement. “Instead, it largely focuses on punishing people for being homeless and denying desperately needed funds to overwhelmed and under-resourced frontline workers.”
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