The Trump administration is pushing to involuntarily commit more people to psychiatric hospitals in an effort to forcibly battle homelessness, according to a new executive order issued July 24.
“Shifting homeless individuals into long-term institutional settings for humane treatment through the appropriate use of civil commitment will restore public order,” the memo states. It also calls for defunding “housing first” programs, which prioritize quickly getting people into stable housing with fewer restrictions.
With the order, the new Trump administration is entering an ongoing debate over nationwide crises in mental healthcare and housing, and the intersection of the two. In recent years, even some blue states and cities like New York and San Francisco have moved to increase the use of involuntary treatment. Proponents of these policies say that people with severe mental illness are often too sick to accept help and can pose a threat to themselves or others when left untreated. Critics argue that these approaches are ineffective, costly, and in violation of patients’ civil rights.
Some housing advocates argue the president’s order is a deflection. “Some people experiencing homelessness have mental illness,” said Jesse Rabinowitz of the National Homelessness Law Center. “That’s not the cause of homelessness. The cause of homelessness is that housing is too expensive. Institutionalizing folks doesn’t treat the root cause of the problem.”
Standards for when someone is eligible for involuntary treatment vary state by state, and attorneys say much of Trump’s order is beyond his authority. However, the order could have an impact on the distribution of federal funding and provide support to cities and states seeking to crack down on homeless encampments.
To better understand the potential impact of this directive, The Marshall Project spoke with Jennifer Mathis, deputy director of the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, which advocates against “unnecessary institutionalization” and for increased voluntary mental health treatment in community settings instead. This conversation was edited for length and clarity:
There had been chatter for a while about this happening. It was somewhat consistent with the rhetoric the president has used over the years in his campaigns and while in office. I think it’s entirely misguided.
Recent Comments