What are Trump's plans to tackle rising homelessness?

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump has yet to announce a homelessness policy, but comments he made during the election about forcibly removing the homeless and relocating them to "tent cities" have advocates worried, especially amid reports of key funding cuts.

Trump's new administration takes over following a landmark Supreme Court ruling in June that made it easier for local officials to crack down on homelessness, even while dozens of cities have since moved in the opposite direction and sought to create new protections for the homeless.

All of this has raised concerns that U.S. federal homelessness policy is quickly moving towards a model that prioritizes criminalization over assistance.

Here is what you need to know:

What's the scale of the U.S. homelessness problem?

A record number of people experienced homelessness in 2024, according to a report by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

More than 771,000 people experienced homelessness on a single night in 2024, an all-time high and up 18% from a year ago, the report said.

The rise was driven by the country's "worsening national affordable housing crisis, rising inflation, stagnating wages" and "the end to homelessness prevention programs put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic" among several other factors, according to the report.

Meanwhile, 2024 research from Harvard University showed half of Americans struggle to pay rent.

What has Trump said so far about homelessness?

Trump's recent comments on his Truth Social platform suggest he is sticking to promises to "ban urban camping" made during the election.

"We have notified the Mayor of Washington, D.C., that she must clean up all of the unsightly homeless encampments in the City, specifically including the ones outside of the State Department, and near the White House. If she is not capable of doing so, we will be forced to do it for her!," Trump wrote on the social media platform on March 5.

The comments echoed pledges made during the election when he said he would "use every tool, lever, and authority to get the homeless off our streets" across the country and build "tent cities" where the homeless can be relocated.

Trump said in a campaign video that violators of the urban camping ban "will be arrested" but will be given the option to "accept treatment and services".

"We will ... open up large parcels of inexpensive land, bring in doctors, psychiatrists, social workers, and drug rehab specialists, and create tent cities where the homeless can be relocated and their problems identified," Trump said.

What has Trump done so far in office?

The president has signed executive orders aiming to halt funding for diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility initiatives, to weaken LGBT protections and boost immigration enforcement. All of these are roiling long-standing programmes addressing homelessness among trans, immigrant and other minority groups.

Local media has also reported that Trump is eyeing slashing jobs at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development as part of broader "efficiency" drive, including a more than 80% cut to the staff of the Office of Community Planning and Development which is in charge of homelessness services.

Against this backdrop, more than $3.5 billion in federal funding for homeless shelters across the country has been held up, sparking concern over missed rental assistance, closures and more, Bloomberg reported.

When contacted by Context, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development said the agency is "following direction from the administration while also ensuring the department continues to deliver on its critical functions, mission to serve rural, tribal and urban communities and statutory responsibilities."

The White House did not respond to a request for comment.        

How far can Trump enforce his 'tent cities' policy?

While homelessness advocates are concerned about Trump's plans for "tent cities", they say he has limited authority on this issue outside of Washington.

As a district, Washington functions with limited autonomy under the oversight of the U.S. Congress, giving the president far greater potential power in influencing policy in the capital city.

Indeed, Trump has been considering an executive order to force Washington to clear encampments, the Washington Post has reported, even threatening to "take over" the city.

Outside of Washington, Trump can mandate what happens only on federal properties, meaning he would need to resort to other measures to force local officials to enact specific actions with regards to the homeless.

For instance, he could threaten to withhold federal funds or to take legal action against local officials, said Jesse Rabinowitz, with the National Homelessness Law Center, similar to Trump's approach towards "sanctuary cities" which have refused to cooperate with federal officials on immigration enforcement.

"We think that they could make funding contingent on forcing people into detention centres or requiring sobriety," he said.

Joseph Cammarata, a partner with the Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel law firm in Washington, also said the district was especially vulnerable to Trump's efforts given its unique governance status meant it was essentially at the whim of the Congress.

Much would depend on how the policy is implemented, he said.

"If they en masse rounded up people in and around the streets without any reasonable suspicion or probable cause at the time, that would raise concerns of (legal) liability for the city," Cammarata said.

(Reporting by Carey L. Biron; Editing by Anastasia Moloney and Ana Nicolaci da Costa.)