Local and state governments that receive federal homelessness grants would face new pressure to move unhoused people into civil commitment or institutional treatment rather than voluntary housing programs, under a bill directing the Attorney General and Health and Human Services to push for the reversal of court rulings and consent decrees that limit forced commitment. Federal grant priority would go to cities that enforce bans on public drug use, camping, loitering, and squatting, and federally funded housing programs would be required to make substance-abuse or mental-health treatment a condition of receiving services rather than following the current "housing first" approach. Programs that operate safe consumption sites or allow drug use on their property could lose federal funding and face civil or criminal review. Housing providers would also be allowed to collect health information on unhoused participants and share it with law enforcement in some circumstances, and sex offenders experiencing homelessness would be tracked more closely and excluded from programs that house women and children.
Civil Liberties
- Civil commitment barriers — AG to seek reversal of rulings limiting forced institutionalization
- Health-data privacy — Housing programs may collect and share health data on unhoused participants with police
- Housing-assistance conditions — Recipients must accept treatment to keep receiving aid
Criminal Justice & Due Process
- Grant priority for enforcement — Funding favors jurisdictions banning public camping and squatting
- Safe consumption site funding — Programs allowing on-site drug use face funding freezes and legal review
Congressional Summary
Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets ActThis bill requires federal agencies to incentivize the use of civil commitment (i.e., involuntary psychiatric hospitalization or treatment) to address homelessness, such as through prioritizing grant funding for certain activities and other policy changes. The bill provides statutory authority for many provisions of an executive order issued by President Donald Trump on July 24, 2025, titled Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets. The bill requires the Department of Justice (DOJ) to seek reversal of federal and state court decisions and termination of certain court orders that impede a policy of encouraging the civil commitment of unhoused individuals. DOJ must assist jurisdictions with implementing flexible standards for civil commitment and institutional treatment. DOJ must alsoreview whether entities receiving federal housing funds are operating safe consumption sites (i.e., supervised use of illicit drugs) in violation of federal law, ensure that unhoused individuals arrested for federal crimes are evaluated and referred for civil commitment if they are found to be sexually dangerous persons, andensure availability of certain federal funding for state and local governments for encampment removal.Additionally, the bill requires various agencies to implement certain measures, as deemed appropriate, includingconditioning participation of certain individuals in federally funded housing and homelessness assistance programs on the receipt of substance abuse treatment or mental health services,allowing federally funded housing programs to exclusively house women and children, andprioritizing grants for jurisdictions that prohibit urban encampments and squatting.
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- House
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in House
- Action Date
- 2025-11-20
- Date Added
- 2026-07-10
- Source
- Congress.gov →
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