Trump Was Right to Shutter This Homelessness Agency
The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness pushed the disastrous Housing First policy on states and ignored mounting evidence of its failure.
Last week, the Trump administration placed all 14 employees of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) on leave. Homeless advocates had been bracing for the move, following an executive order several weeks ago that instructed the agency to reduce its activities to the minimum required by statute.
While homeless advocates criticized the Trump administration’s decision to shutter the USICH, it’s the right call. The agency oversaw the largest increase in homelessness on record. Moreover, it has been unwilling to recognize the role its policies played in this development.
Former USICH executive director Jeff Olivet lamented the demise of the agency, calling it a “devastating decision” for “the fine public servants who . . . have dedicated their lives to the work of ending homelessness.” Notably, Olivet did not include homeless people among those who would be materially affected by the decision. He was right not to do so: the USICH has completely failed in its “work of ending homelessness.”
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