US homelessness providers face disruption as Trump administration moves away from Housing First
Homelessness organisations across the United States are changing programmes as the Trump administration shifts federal funding towards treatment requirements and short-term transitional housing. Providers and advocates warn that the changes could reduce stable accommodation for people with severe disabilities, while HUD says its reforms target recovery and self-sufficiency.
Homelessness organisations across the United States are facing changes to federally funded programmes as the Trump administration moves away from the Housing First model. Housing First provides permanent accommodation, often alongside voluntary support, on the principle that people need a stable home before addressing health, addiction or other difficulties. The administration is promoting a Treatment First approach and transitional housing lasting up to two years, with treatment requirements.
Providers and advocates say the shift threatens people with serious medical and psychiatric needs. In Louisville, Kentucky, the St. John Center is considering making much of its permanent housing temporary.
Planned housing projects have also been abandoned in Corbin, Kentucky, while fewer places are available in parts of Santa Cruz County, California. St. John executive director Ra’Shann Martin said the longer people remain without housing, the more vulnerable they become.
The centre serves people with conditions including heart disease, cancer, disabilities and mental illness. The United States recorded nearly 750,000 homeless people last year, according to an estimate compiled by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The figure was slightly lower than in 2024 but 31% higher than in 2019.
About a quarter were chronically homeless, meaning they had a disability and long-term or repeated homelessness. Housing First has been central to federal policy since 2013. Research cited in the report shows that it keeps people stably housed, although findings on health outcomes have been mixed.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order calling for an end to federal support for Housing First policies. HUD said the model had failed the most vulnerable and that proposed reforms would address homelessness through recovery, self-sufficiency and accountability.
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