U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner applauded President Trump’s Executive Order (EO), “Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets.” The EO restores accountability to homelessness programs by ensuring Americans suffering from severe mental illness or addiction get treatment to support recovery and self-sufficiency. By taking action to redirect federal resources toward programs that tackle substance abuse as part of addressing homelessness and protecting public safety, today’s action represents a shift away from the failed “housing first” policies that ignored the relationship between homelessness, illicit drugs, and mental illness.
“We can protect the safety and security of our streets while also supporting access to resources that will help homeless Americans break cycles of addiction and dependency,” said HUD Secretary Scott Turner. “The Biden administration failed to address the root causes of homelessness and as a result we saw the largest number of individuals living on the streets ever recorded. Having a heart for our homeless brothers and sisters does not mean indefinitely subsidizing housing without accountability and proper requirements for treatment, recovery, and pathways for self-sufficiency. Having a heart for our homeless brothers and sisters means helping them get back on their feet through a holistic approach so that the tough times will be temporary, and our streets and communities will be safer.”
Under the leadership of Secretary Turner, HUD will continue implementing the EO’s directives by encouraging accountability through tangible outcomes, including addressing substance use disorder. Data shows that 51% of homeless individuals living on the streets report that substance use disorder contributed to their loss of housing and 50% report that a mental health condition contributed to their loss of housing.
Since January 2025, HUD has invested more than $5 million for youth aging out of foster care, providing temporary supportive funding to prevent homelessness. According to the National Center for Housing and Child Welfare, of the more than 20,000 young Americans aging out of foster care each year, an estimated 25% experience homelessness within four years. Additionally, the HUD Veterans’ Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program, which works with the U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) and community partners to address veteran homelessness, currently supports more than 89,000 veterans with temporary housing through a HUD-VASH voucher and more than 250,000 veterans have leased a HUD-VASH voucher to date. In April, Secretary Turner announced $2.2 million in new available funding under the Tribal HUD-VASH program to support the expansion of rental assistance for Native American Veterans.
Read the text of the executive order here.