Trump executive order targets homeless

What happened

President Donald Trump Thursday signed an executive order aimed at strengthening state and local government efforts to involuntarily hospitalize homeless people "with mental illness, who pose risks to themselves or the public, or are living on the streets and cannot care for themselves."

The order tells federal authorities to defund "housing first policies" and direct money toward states and cities that crack down on "open illicit drug use" and "urban camping and loitering," and track "the location of homeless sex offenders." About 771,800 people experienced homelessness in America last year, a record high.

Who said what

This executive order will "ensure that Americans feel safe in their own communities," said White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. Prioritizing treatment and self-sufficiency over housing will provide a "crucial safety net" for homeless people, Devon Kurtz, Public Safety Policy Director at the Cicero Institute, told NPR.

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While there's "no question" homelessness, drug use and mental illness are problems, "disinvesting in treatment" will not "address the fundamental issues," Regina LaBelle, the director of the Addiction and Public Policy Initiative at the Georgetown University Law Center, said to The Washington Post.

What next?

The order's immediate impact is "unclear" because "states set laws and handle the process of involuntary commitments," the Post said. The National Coalition for the Homeless warned it would "make our cities more dangerous for residents who are poor."