Trump Homelessness Plan to Increase Homelessness
The Trump regime moved to gut proven permanent housing programs in favor of temporary shelters with mandatory conditions experts said most homeless people cannot meet
Courts blocked the effort in 2025, but the administration tried again in spring 2026 with a similar proposal
The National Alliance to End Homelessness projected the changes would increase homelessness nationally by hundreds of thousands
The latest proposals from the Trump administration regarding the national response to homelessness are likely to increase, not decrease, the number of homeless individuals while disconnecting vulnerable groups from access to housing, according to reports.
Following efforts in 2025 to move away from “Housing First” strategies to reduce homelessness, which were blocked in court, the administration attempted to do it again in the spring of 2026, CT Insider reported.
“Housing First” is an approach where an individual experiencing homelessness is provided permanent housing and support services without any requirements prior to moving in, eliminating access barriers, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness. Individuals with mental health or substance use issues may be reluctant to enter treatment; this approach is meant to provide stability, ensuring people have their basic needs met before addressing health or social issues.
“Housing First” studies have shown the policy is effective, as up to 91% of households remain housed one year after entering the program, individuals are more likely to accept treatment and the policy can save more than $20,000 per consumer per year compared to shelter programs, the NAEH said.
The Trump administration is trying to shift to programs where housing would be temporary and would require recipients to accept mandatory treatment for addiction or mental illness. Work requirements would also be imposed upon housing recipients, according to MultiFamilyDive.
According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, these changes would lead to homeless populations increasing nationally by hundreds of thousands.
That’s not the only part of the new proposal drawing public ire. The Trump administration is also seeking to revise the Equal Access Rule, which until now has allowed for transgender individuals experiencing housing insecurity to access shelters aligned with their gender. That would change under a newly proposed update to the Equal Access Rule, which would force organizations to recognize only male and female sexes assigned at birth, The Advocate reported.
That would disenfranchise transgender individuals when they already face higher rates of homelessness compared to the general population, according to the Trevor Project. Nearly 40% of transgender youth experience homelessness.
In addition to forcing transgender people to be turned away from shelters, or forcing them to enter a shelter aligned with their sex assigned at birth, this could also force cisgender women and men to face questioning as well, The Advocate noted.
The changes to the Equal Access Rule are open for public comment through June 29, and comments can be submitted here until then.
By Joe O’Leary