We Are Not Going Away: Homelessness, Disability, and the Latest Executive Order

On July 23 we marched in Boston with over a 1,000 other disabled advocates and allies celebrating the 35th anniversary of the ADA. The next day another Executive Order (EO) was released. Several clauses in this dangerous EO require our attention and advocacy.

The order is called “Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets,” and it has several sections. The order as a whole shows a lack of understanding of substance use, mental illness, and the factors that lead to homelessness. Rather than creating more affordable housing and support systems for those who need them, this order proposes institutionalizing unhoused people in order to “clean up the streets.” This is a disability rights issue – from “ugly laws,” preventing disabled people from being seen in public, to the ongoing institutionalization of people with disabilities, this is exactly the kind of rhetoric that dehumanizes people who simply need support.

Section 2 of the Executive Order seeks to increase involuntary commitment of people with disabilities and unhoused people, rather than providing them with the supports they need to live successfully in the community where we all belong. Section 3 seeks to enforce inhumane anti-homelessness laws, essentially making it illegal for unhoused people to exist in public. The goal is to incarcerate and institutionalize all of these people, warehousing them away, so society doesn’t have to deal with the systemic issues that lead to homelessness.

Section 4 is called “Redirecting Federal Resources Toward Effective Methods of Addressing Homelessness," but the truth is anything but. This section calls for ending harm reduction programs, and shifting responsibility for mental health and substance use treatment from the public sector to the private sector. Harm reduction programs work. They are evidence-based, and help people struggling with addiction make safer choices, preserving life and safety on the long and difficult road to recovery. Shifting responsibility for mental health and substance use treatment to the private sector raises concerns. It throws people into a for-profit system with minimum oversight, allowing abuse and neglect to run unchecked. If these programs don’t receive Federal funds and oversight, market forces will push them to generate profit. The results are increased treatment costs for individuals who can’t afford it, and cutting corners in patient care.  A basic principle of our social safety net is to ensure that people who need resources and support are able to access it.

Section 5 contains two more appalling recommendations. The first is to cut funding for “Housing First” programs, making it clear that this EO has nothing to do with actually resolving the issues of homelessness; it simply aims to move unhoused people out of sight and into institutions. If the goal of this order really was to reduce homelessness, it would bolster the best proven method:  using Housing First to get people into safe, supportive homes they can afford. Being unhoused exacerbates mental health and substance abuse conditions due to extreme stress, and studies show that once a person is housed, they are better able to focus on recovery.

The second recommendation in Section 5 is to “allow or require” recipients of Federal funding for homelessness to collect information on the people they are serving, and to require that those funding recipients share that data with law enforcement.  This recommendation will hinder the success of these programs.  We can’t expect that unhoused people will voluntarily allow their information be given to law enforcement.  And the type of law enforcement here is not specified.  Your local police force could arrest you for the crime of being unhoused; or worse, ICE could deport you. Either way, people in need are discouraged from seeking help.

Homelessness is a systemic issue, and sweeping those facing it under the rug is not an effective solution. We need harm reduction; we need support for people with mental illness and substance abuse disorders; and we need it now more than ever, as funding is cut for programs like SNAP and housing rental assistance.

As we marched on July 23rd, one of our chants was “we will not go away.” People with physical, mental health, and substance use disabilities have been institutionalized and marginalized for too long. We demand support, not incarceration. And we demand Federal programs that actually help people achieve their goals of independent living safely. We are not going away; we’re here to stay.

As the news cycle continues to distract us, it’s important to focus on the policy changes that are materially happening, and not be sidetracked by drama and conspiracy theories.  Knowledge is a powerful tool, and an educated populace is more likely to stay vigilant, stay strong, and keep marching in protest of policies that are detrimental to all of us.

For a complete copy of the Executive Order visit the White House page at https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/07/ending-crime-and-disorder-on-americas-streets/

Rachael Cowan
Systems Change Advocate, Stavros CIL