At The Gathering Place, we believe in solutions rooted in dignity, evidence, and compassion, not punishment. President Trump’s recent Executive Order, “Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets”, criminalizes homelessness and cuts funding for housing and wraparound service programs that have been proven to work. These actions are actively harmful and move us further from real progress.
Making homelessness a crime takes away people’s rights and takes away personal privacy. Especially the confidentiality of health information that would be shared with law enforcement. These policies move critical resources away from programs that are proven to work, such as Housing First and Harm Reduction, and instead push people into the criminal legal system or forced treatment settings, where long-term recovery and stability are far less likely. For decades, research has shown that involuntary treatment often leads to poorer outcomes.
Rather than addressing the root causes of homelessness, these policies increase trauma, break trust, and make recovery more difficult. People will be punished not for crimes, but for experiencing poverty; poverty shaped by and maintained by inequitable policies and systems that have contributed to a long history of injustice in this country.
The current wave of harmful executive orders and actions, combined with deep federal funding cuts, will not save lives they will cost them. Making homelessness a crime increases suffering and loss, and creates even more barriers to housing, employment, healthcare, and safety. When national policies undermine our efforts, disregard the dignity of the people we serve, and threaten the very programs that make progress possible, it takes a toll on staff, members and the broader community we strive to support.
We know what works. When people are provided with recovery supports centered on health, housing, community and purpose and stable housing, they heal. And yet, the U.S. invests $81 billion annually in jails and prisons compared to only $67 billion in housing and homelessness solutions. There is no proof that making homelessness a crime helps reduce it. In fact, many years of data from cities with these laws show that they do not lead to fewer people living on the streets.
At The Gathering Place, we remain committed in our mission to support women, gender-diverse people, and their children in building stable lives through home, health, purpose, and community.
We stand with our community opposing policies that criminalize poverty and homelessness. We will continue to advocate for compassionate solutions that uplift people and address the root causes of homelessness. We call on policymakers, funders, and community leaders to reinvest in what works. Compassion and the data both make it clear: Housing ends homelessness. Criminalizing it only ensures the cycle continues.
Stand with us.
- DONATE NOW to help secure the future of The Gathering Place and other nonprofits providing evidence-based, life-changing services. Your support ensures we’ll continue to be here for our community long after this administration is gone.
- Contribute your time and talents and VOLUNTEER at The Gathering Place. Community care can be more than financial.
- Support advocacy organizations leading the fight against harmful policies and funding cuts.
- Raise your voice. Contact your elected officials, community leaders, and representatives. Let them know that criminalizing homelessness is not a solution, and that compassion, housing, and care must come first.
- Care for one another and actively practice kindness. When our government fails to care for its people, our responsibility becomes greater to show up for each other.
Stand in community with us. While these challenges impact some more than others, they affect us all.
Learn more:
White House Fact Sheet on Executive Order
ACLLU Condemns Trump Executive Order Targeting Disabled and Unhoused People
Harvard Health Blog: Involuntary Treatment and SUD
