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The White House's Misguided Journey on Homelessness

January 2017-Present: President Trump leads an administration focused on policy changes that create and perpetuate homelessness, to include requesting massive funding cuts to anti-poverty programs, eliminating the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, adding work requirements to Medicaid and food stamps, and expanding penalties for immigrants who use social benefit programs (just to name a few).

July 2019: In an interview with Tucker Carlson, President Trump commented on the homelessness crisis, expressing extreme concern (particularly at the visibility of homelessness). He largely blames liberals and sanctuary cities for the homelessness “phenomena that started two years ago.”

September 2019: White House officials toured public housing and encampments in California and news broke that the Trump administration was considering action on homelessness. Advocates are very concerned that impending action would further criminalize homelessness.

Last Week: The White House Council of Economic Advisors released a report: The State of Homelessness in America. The report misrepresents evidence and asserts that homelessness is caused by overregulation of housing markets, the “tolerability” and availability of shelters, and “individual characteristics” like mental illness and poverty. Read an analysis and suggested talking points for responding.

Now: TAKE ACTION!

It’s time for homeless advocates to speak up and correct this narrative. Mr. Trump holds considerable power to change the systems that create and perpetuate homelessness. If he is serious about ending homelessness, we are ready to engage in a productive and meaningful conversation about how to move forward.

Read our letter to President Trump inviting him to speak with us. The letter is signed by 10 national organizations and co-authored by our partners at the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty, National Alliance to End Homelessness, and the National Coalition for the Homeless.

Add your organization to our letter and sign on as a supporter by October 4. National, state, and local organizations are welcome to sign.

Will you stand with us to call out the erroneous nature of the White House report and ask the President to join us in advancing proven strategies to prevent and end homelessness?

Add Your Organization as a Supporter of the Letter

The National Health Care for the Homeless Council believes housing is health care and that both are human rights. We hope you will join us in this fight.

Other News to Know

Public Charge and Immigrant Health Care: The Final Public Charge rule, which penalizes people seeking a green card for using public benefits, is set to take effect on October 15. Read an FAQ on Public Charge and learn how to take action in our last edition of Mobilizer. Additionally concerning, the Administration has stopped processing requests to defer deportation for medical reasons, compromising the integrity of a long-standing humanitarian relief policy.
Presidential Candidate Corner: We partnered with eight anti-homelessness advocacy groups on a letter asking presidential candidates to address homelessness during the campaigns. While the most recent debates did not include explicit discussion on homelessness, there was talk aplenty on the future of health care. Stay tuned for more as we get closer to the election and follow what the candidates are saying on housing and homelessness. Mark your calendar, because the next debate is scheduled for Tuesday, October 15.
Universal Health Care and Racism: The New York Times' 1619 Project aims to reframe the narrative about our country’s history and race in America. We recommend the entire series, particularly the latest article: "Why Doesn’t the United States Have Universal Health Care? The Answer Has Everything to Do with Race."
Submit Policy and Advocacy Proposals for our Conference: The National HCH Council’s annual Conference & Policy Symposium brings together approximately 1,000 members of the HCH community (this year on May 11-14, 2020, in Phoenix, AZ) to share best practices to prevent and end homelessness. The quality of our conference sessions depend on your submissions. Submit your ideas for policy and advocacy sessions by October 27. If you want advice on an idea, email us.

Did you receive Mobilizer as a forwarded email or hear about it via social media? Register now to receive our action alerts each month!

Regina Reed, MPH
National Health Policy Organizer
National HCH Council
Baltimore, MD
rreed@nhchc.org
(443) 703-1337

This publication and all HCH advocacy are funded by dues from Organizational Members of the Council and by private donations. Consider joining the Council to support this work.