LOCALIZE IT: Trump is shifting homelessness policy. How does it affect your community?

EDITORS/NEWS DIRECTORS:

President Donald Trump’s administration is shifting federal policy and dollars away from the “Housing First” approach that’s long been at the heart of federal homelessness policy.

The model is guided by a belief that people need a place to live before addressing other problems. Commonly, this happens through “permanent supportive housing,” which targets chronically homeless people. Today there are roughly 173,000 permanent supportive housing beds for the chronically homeless – which are long-term apartments paired with voluntary services.

But last year, Trump signed an executive order calling for an end to federal support for Housing First policies. And his proposed budget for next year calls for eliminating the federal initiative that goes mostly to Housing First programs. The administration favors Treatment First and “transitional” housing lasting up to two years.

In response, local housing organizations that depend on federal funds are already reluctantly making changes they fear will hurt the people they are trying to serve.

READ AP’S COVERAGE

Trump’s shift from ‘Housing First’ is causing upheaval for homelessness programs and many they serve

Takeaways from the AP’s story about the Trump administration’s effort to end ‘Housing First’

FIND DATA AND RESEARCH ON HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING

— The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development compiles an annual Point in Time count tallying the number of people who are homeless in the U.S., and in states, at a given time. The numbers are imperfect and certainly undercounts. But they are generally comparable over time. They can be found here .

— HUD Exchange has a survey showing the number of units of various categories of housing for people who are homeless, including both transitional and permanent housing. This data – for states and the nation – can be found here .

— A report by the Urban Institute provides state-by-state information on permanent supportive housing and funding.

— There’s been lots of research on this topic. For example, a 2026 review of studies found strong evidence that Housing First approaches improve housing stability but mixed evidence on health outcomes and costs.

CONSIDER THESE REPORTING THREADS

— Look at how the federal policy changes are playing out in your community. What changes are local nonprofits that deal with homelessness making? Are they converting any permanent housing to temporary housing? Are they scrapping planned programs? How do their leaders feel about making such changes?

— Examine whether there are state or local policy changes that exacerbate or counteract the federal changes. How are any such changes affecting local organizations?

— Talk with people affected by these changes, such as those in homeless shelters, on the street, or currently living in permanent supportive housing. What do they think about the new policies? Are they worried about losing a place to live or remaining on the streets longer? What might this mean for them?

— Look at how homelessness affects health in your community. Nationally, research shows roughly half of people experiencing homelessness live with a disability, and rates of disability, heart disease and diabetes are two to three times higher than in the general population. Some studies say up to two-thirds of homeless adults have mental illness and 2 in 5 have substance use disorder. Is this reflected in your community? How do people dealing with illnesses and disabilities, and the medical professionals who care for them, think federal policy changes will affect their health?

READ AP’S PAST COVERAGE

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US homelessness up 18% as affordable housing remains out of reach for many people

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