Trump’s contradiction about homelessness: What does it mean to CA?

From Marisa KendallCalmness

This story was originally published by CalmattersS Register about their ballots.

President Donald Trump’s new approach to homelessness has several striking similarities to Gavin News.

Trump wants cities to apply laws that make homeless people illegally sleep out. So does Newsom.

Trump has threatened to refuse funding from places that do not. So did Newsom.

And the president wants to facilitate the forcing homeless people living with serious mental illness or addiction to treatment. So does Newsom.

It is rarely Trump and Newsom, usually opponents, to see face to face for anything. But when the President signed an enforcement order This week, pushing cities and countries to use law enforcement to take out people who are not on the street, some read as a deja in Californians.

“I do not know that there is a huge contrast between parts of this order and to what winds it is already blowing in California,” says Ryan Finigan, deputy director of research at the UC Berkeley Terner Housing Innovation Center.

But Trump does not want to stop banning camps for homeless and push people from being treated, and there he and Newsom diverge: the president wants to raise two basic principles of homelessness policy in California.

Trump wants to eliminate federal support for “first housing”, which is the idea that homeless persons should receive a home, even if they still use drugs and “reducing damage”, which focuses on preventing overdose and otherwise to make drug use more fascinated.

Both the principles are Backed by research and were the gold standard in California – and at the federal level – for years

The threat of abandoning these philosophies has left local service providers to seek to find out if they will have to change the way they have helped homeless Californians for years or to risk losing from federal funds.

“In order to overcome all this, the whole structure of service will be turned upside down,” says John Maceri, CEO of The People Cerforcy, a non -profit purpose that serves non -smoother people in Los Angeles.

More of the same in California?

Trump Executive Director orderentitled “Crime Termination and Disorders on the Streets of America” seeks to prioritize funding for countries and cities that apply prohibitions on open drugs, camping, loting and squatting. He also orders the Prosecutor General to make available federal funds to remove camps in places where state and local resources are not sufficient.

The order comes a year after The US Supreme Court has removed protection for The people living on the street in California and other Western states, The ruling cities may ban the camping Even if they have no shelter beds.

Newsom was already Pressing cities To break down into stray camps long before Trump’s order. In May he called every city in the state to adopt an ordinance that illegally makes the camp of public property. As an example of how this should be done, he released a Modeling ordinance This would illegally make the camp in one place for more than three nights in a row, blocking streets or sidewalks, and semi-permanent structures are being built.

But Newsom quickly distanced itself from Trump’s policies.

“Like so many Trump’s executive orders, this order is more focused on creating distracting titles and settling old results than creating a positive impact,” said spokesman Tara Galegos in an email statement. “But his imitation (even poorly executed) is the highest form of flattery.”

Some experts say Trump, who has a history of holding financing for hostages over perceived lights, could use his new executive order as a way to reduce money in California.

The order does not specify exactly what the compliance looks like, Sinigan said. At least 50 California cities have banned the homeless camps in the last year, according to a study by UC Berkeley researchers. But if homelessness does not diminish the way Trump is pleased, the president can accuse California of inability to impose these laws and reduce the financing of the state, Phenigan said.

This threat comes as the Trump administration is already reducing the funds Homeless, Accessible Housing Services and MedicaidS

Trump’s order also prioritizes more people in the street institutions. The order seeks to facilitate the engagement of people with mental illness who cannot take care of themselves, while promising grants and other assistance to help increase their commitments and threatening to divert funding from places that do not push people in medical establishments “to the maximum extent permitted by law.” He also promises to prioritize funding for the expansion of mental health courts and drugs.

NEWSOM also prioritized to make people live with mental illness and addiction outside the camps and to be treated – without their consent, if necessary. His The court of care The program, which came out live in all 58 counties at the end of last year, allows judges to bring people into plans for the treatment of mental health and addiction, but stops allowing judges to force compliance. NEWSOM also support a 2023 law This has expanded, which can be forced to cure under conservation.

Trump’s order has sparked a reaction from groups that support the civil rights of people with mental illness and disabilities. The National Mental Health Alliance, which maintains that compulsory treatment should be used as a last resort, said Trump’s order Increases “serious problems.“California’s disability rights, which also opposed the court court, said Trump’s order goes beyond what California is already doing.

“The gaming book looks similar,” says Greg Cramer, an associate director of public policy. “But I think the consequences of Trump’s action are going even more.”

But the order does not include funding for new treatments for mental health or treatment treatment. In a country that is already struggling with a lack of resources, some experts have said Trump’s order for more admissible treatment feels hollow.

“Even if they agree to get into treatment, where are those facilities in which they need to enter?” Maceri asked.

No more housing first

Upon termination of federal support for the first home and strategies to reduce harms to fight homelessness, Trump’s order ends years of precedent. California has long practiced housing first, which means that everyone has the right to housing, even if they have untreated mental illness or use medicines. The idea is that it is much easier to treat or clean while it is housed than on the street.

Instead, Trump wants people from federal housing programs to have to obey the treatment of drugs or services for mental health as a condition for participation. His order also suspends federal funding to reduce damage.

The concern of people, who provides street work and manages a permanent home, offers its customers to turn drug drugs. It releases antiseptic wipes to help people inject drugs avoid dangerous infections and do not drive out tenants just because they use medicines.

The organization also directs people to treatment programs. But not everyone is ready for it, Maceri said. Damage reduction strategies help to build trust – and keep people safe – until they are ready to clean up, he said.

People who are worried, as many non -profit organizations, use state and private funds – not federal dollars – to pay for harm reduction services.

But Trump’s order directs the Prosecutor General to review whether organizations receiving federal means and also “deliberately distribute drugs” or “allow the use of the distribution of illegal drugs” on their property violate the federal law – and lead to civil or criminal action against them, if so.

This may mean that groups like people’s concern must change their practices.

“If it goes so far,” Maceri said, “I will certainly not put our employees or our clients in legal danger.”

This article was Originally Published on CalMatters and was reissued under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Noderivatives License.