WASHINGTON (July 25, 2025) – A new executive order was signed Thursday making it easier for cities and states to remove homeless people from streets and encampments. The legislation will ensure federal funding will be redirected to move homeless people into treatment and rehabilitation centers. This comes after the Supreme Court ruled in June that people without homes can be arrested and fined for sleeping in public spaces.
For additional context and analysis, please consider Hilary Silver, professor of Sociology, International Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration at the George Washington University College of Arts and Sciences. Professor Silver's expertise includes research focusing on social/anti-poverty policies in the US and around the world, migrant integration and inequality in Europe, social exclusion, homelessness, and poverty.
"The evidence that visible disorder like street homelessness increases crime is very thin. Rather, it increases the public's fear of crime," Silver says. "That means forced institutionalization is about politics, not helping people."
To speak with Professor Silver, please contact Skyler Sales at skylers
gwu [dot] edu.
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