"Unheard of and ominous": Trump's D.C. homelessness crackdown perplexes advocates

Advocates for people experiencing homelessness in Washington, D.C., are bracing for President Trump's district crackdown and warning that making homeless populations invisible is not the same as resolving the crisis. The big picture: They began devising plans with few details and limited resources to work with. And for those experiencing homelessness, advocates say, forced relocation may mean separation from family, supportive services and healthcare providers.What they're saying: Homelessness "is not a crime," said Donald Whitehead, the executive director of the D.C.-headquartered National Coalition for the Homeless."And if we're going to solve this, what we have to do is address homelessness and not put the blame on people experiencing homelessness," he added.Driving the news: Trump, at the Monday news conference where he announced the federal takeover of D.C. police and the mobilization of the National Guard, said homeless people would be removed from encampments in D.C. parks, adding, "There are many places that they can go."He said the administration would "help them as much as you can help" — but did not elaborate on how or where people would be moved.The day prior, he commanded all homeless people in D.C. to move out "IMMEDIATELY," adding they would be given "places to stay" but that they would be "FAR" from the district.The latest: White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Tuesday that D.C. Metro Police, with the support of federal agencies, would give people experiencing homelessness the opportunity to leave their encampments, be taken to a shelter or be offered mental health or addiction services.If they refuse, she said, they would be susceptible to fines or jail time. She cited D.C. code she said gives law enforcement authority to act on encampments.Leavitt said Trump's proposal to remove homeless people far from the district is "not off" and is still being explored.The other side: Separating individuals from area support services would have a "devastating impact," Whitehead told Axios."I think the administration was intentionally vague about that, so we are left to just wonder where people are going," he said. The clearest way to prevent people from being moved, he said, is to get them off the streets — but there simply aren't enough beds.Dana White, the director of advocacy at D.C.-based Miriam's Kitchen, told Axios that shelter beds for single adults experiencing homelessness "are almost always all gone." White said the organization's outreach team has advised people experiencing homelessness to proactively leave federal land, noting the group is strategizing with other local and national advocates."This is an unheard of and ominous approach," White said. "There are no details about where we would put any of our neighbors who are unhoused [or] why they would even need to be removed from the city."By the numbers: While the number of people experiencing homelessness in D.C. dropped in the 2025 Point-in-Time (PIT) Count, the number of unhoused people had risen the two years prior.Advocates point to the dramatic increase in housing costs coupled with the end of pandemic-era aid as catalysts for the spike.Zoom in: A number of district encampments have been cleared this year, including after Trump directed D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser to "clean up" groups near the State Department and White House in March.Later that month, he also signed an executive order that instructed Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to direct the National Park Service to remove "all homeless or vagrant encampments" on D.C. federal land.Elizabeth Bowen, an associate professor at the University at Buffalo School of Social Work who researches homelessness, said clearing encampments is not an effective way to resolve homelessness. "It's not a solution at all to ending homelessness," Bowen said. "The solution is getting people into long term, permanent, affordable, independent, supportive housing."But the Trump administration has proposed gutting aid for permanent supportive housing, which Bowen describes as an actual "sustainable solution to homelessness."She also emphasized that shelters, which only have so many beds and staff members, are not a long-term solution.Zoom out: Last month, Trump signed an order encouraging involuntary civil commitment of people experiencing homelessness, sparking condemnation from advocacy groups.Whitehead argues Trump's approach to homelessness is "absolutely misguided," noting that changes to safety net programs in his signature tax and spending legislation could further strain the vulnerable population.The bottom line: While the full impact of Trump's plan remains murky, his rhetoric about the homeless is dangerous on its own, advocates who spoke to Axios say.To Whitehead, "This is a stunt. And unfortunately, people experiencing homelessness are being used as props."The D.C. mayor's office did not comment for this story.Axios' Mimi Montgomery contributed to this report.Go deeper: What to expect under Trump's federal takeover of D.C.

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