On July 24, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14321 titled “Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets.”[1] The order is aimed at multiple federal agencies, including the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). It calls on them to review and revise how federal funding is being used to support people experiencing homelessness, public safety, and mental health programs.
The order claims to be attempting to reduce crime and restore order in American cities but it could have significant implications for housing and community development programs that rely on federal funding to operate, including the Community Development Block Grant program (CDBG), which gives local governments the flexibility to address their individual community needs.[2] A portion of CDBG funds are used to support programs that use the “Housing First” approach to address homelessness. The Housing First approach prioritizes providing permanent housing to those experiencing homelessness so they can then pursue other goals to improve their quality of life. It is based on the belief that there are basic necessities that are critical and that should come before anything else.[3]
In Michigan, organizations such as MCREST
(Macomb County Rotating Emergency Shelter Team) in Macomb County reflect this
approach. For more than 30 years MCREST has worked to help people experiencing
homelessness find stability by connecting them with emergency shelter, rental
assistance, and long term housing resources.[4] Its mission is made
successful through CDBG funding and it illustrates how these types of programs
can change people’s lives. By linking together people experiencing homelessness
and public disorder, this executive order is shifting how federal policies see
successful housing initiatives.
HUD’s Role
HUD programs have always tried to balance
fostering community development while creating inclusive communities through
affordable housing and supporting vulnerable populations. However, recent
developments have placed additional stress on the agency’s ability to fulfill
its mission. Reports have been circling of HUD’s workforce being cut by
approximately 23% since January 2025.[5] Additionally, HUD has faced
challenges in maintaining its field offices, hindering its ability to properly
oversee and administer its housing programs.[6] This concern becomes
even more of an issue under EO 14321 which asks HUD and other agencies to
reassess how federal funding is being used to address homelessness and general
public safety initiatives. Because HUD is already struggling with limited capacity,
implementing the changes required in the EO is going to further strain them and
make it harder for them to carry out their housing programs in the communities
that need it the most.
What the Executive Order (EO) Does
EO 14321 claims to be addressing the problem of public safety by taking on the “root causes” causing this “disorderly behavior” and making cities unsafe. It specifically focuses on people experiencing homelessness, untreated mental health conditions, and drug addiction as the primary causes of violent attacks and general public safety threats. It directs several federal agencies, including the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Transportation, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, to take immediate action.
The EO lays out some specific directives for
these agencies:
●
Review discretionary grant
programs and determine whether they can prioritize funding prohibitions on open
illicit drug use, urban camping or loitering, and urban squatting.
●
Reevaluate existing policies on
civil commitment of those who cannot care for themselves anymore.
●
Assess and end “housing first”
policies that provide housing without prior conditions such as sobriety.
HUD’s Involvement
Under EO 14321, HUD is being tasked with reviewing its programs to ensure that it’s aligned with the EO’s goals. HUD usually plays the role of federal housing policy and community development.[7] Its programs capture a wide range of assistance from housing rentals and public housing to unhoused prevention and general quality of life improvement.
There could be a number of effects on HUD’s
policies based on EO 14321:
●
Prioritization of Enforcement
Oriented Policies: HUD may give higher priority to applicants that align with
the EO’s objectives. Resources could be reallocated toward law enforcement
initiatives at the expense of their current housing models.
●
Reevaluation of Housing First: HUD
has always used the Housing First approach as a best practice, arguing that
stable housing makes other services more effective. The EO directly challenges
that, labeling Housing First as ineffective, and urging a focus on behavioral
change before assistance.
●
Integration with Other Agencies:
Coordination with other law enforcement could change the way HUD operates in
terms of designing or funding local programs.
None of these changes will occur immediately, but they are all shifting away from prioritizing housing stability as an end and HUD may be forced to tie funding more closely to behavioral outcomes.
Concern & Support
Critics are worried that this approach will make the crisis much worse than it currently is. The data is there to back this up as Housing First has been shown to reduce people experiencing homelessness and improve long term stability.[9] After reviewing 26 studies, the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) reported that in comparison to Treatment First programs, Housing First programs decreased homelessness by 88% and improved housing stability by 41%.[10]
Despite the overwhelmingly positive evidence
in favor of Housing First programs, public reaction to EO 14321 has been
divided. Supporters of the order argue that it finally holds people accountable
for their criminal behavior and provides treatment for substance abuse while
allowing them to emphasize rehabilitation as a successful strategy to
anti-homelessness.[11]
Executive Order 14321 represents more than
just a new view on people experiencing homelessness, it truly reflects a shift
in how the federal government is viewing housing, mental health, and public
safety. For HUD, this could mean rethinking the entire way they operate and who
they are serving. For programs like the CDBG, the EO introduces uncertainty
about what projects they’ll choose to prioritize going forward.
Links:
[0] "Robert Weaver Building - Dept of Housing and Urban Development - 2012-12-18" by Tim Evanson is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/?ref=openverse.
[2]https://www.hudexchange.info/programs/cdbg/
[3]https://endhomelessness.org/resources/policy-information/protecting-the-use-of-housing-first/
[4]https://www.mcrest.org/mission