President Donald Trump signed an executive order promoting involuntary civil commitment as a solution to crime linked to homelessness across the country, framing it as a public safety crisis, according to a July 24 White House news release.
Here are five things to know:
- The executive order emphasizes a direct link between homelessness, mental health conditions, substance use disorders and threats to public safety.
- Attorney General Pam Bondi is directed to identify legal avenues to expand the involuntary civil commitment of individuals experiencing homelessness with mental health conditions and substance use disorders.
- The order also encourages state and local governments to adopt broader involuntary commitment laws and standards. States that enforce bans on open illicit drug use, urban squatting and urban camping and loitering will be prioritized when receiving federal funding. States receiving federal funding for homelessness assistance will be required to collect and report health-related data from every individual served.
- According to the order, prior harm-reduction efforts — such as safe consumption sites — will be defunded. Instead, funding will go toward evidence-based treatment, drug and mental health courts, and efforts to move people off the streets through institutional care, outpatient programs and civil commitment.
- The order aims to remove legal barriers by retroactively undoing court and legal agreements that do not promote such commitments, especially when the person is of danger to themselves or the public.
