Trump Administration’s Plan to Institutionalize Homeless Veterans Sparks Controversy

The Trump administration’s 2025 executive order “Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets” calls for involuntary treatment of homeless individuals. Within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), a slide deck titled “Safe Harbor” outlines a pilot that would extend this approach to homeless veterans. In March 2026 the VA issued a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Justice Department to allow state-court guardianship for veterans who lack family or representation, a step the administration says will facilitate medical decision-making.

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Annual “point-in-time” counts report more than 30,000 U.S. military veterans experiencing homelessness. Over the past decade the figure has declined, a trend experts attribute to increased funding and a “housing-first” philosophy that provides shelter without prerequisites.

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• 30,000+ homeless veterans (latest government count).

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• Decline in veteran homelessness over the last ten years, linked to robust funding and housing-first policies.

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• Doug Collins, VA Secretary.

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• Mark Takano, Democratic chair of the House Veterans Affairs Committee.

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• Jess Finucan, Director of Policy & Advocacy, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.

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• Ann Oliva, CEO, National Alliance to End Homelessness.

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• Pedro Jauregui and Veronica Hood, outreach workers with U.S. Vets.

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• Curtis Ervin, 87-year-old Navy veteran living in his truck.

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Collins told the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans conference that many veterans “have no family, they have no representation, and they really are not in a position to actually make competent choices for their own healthcare.” He added that the guardianship court will appoint a community representative to protect veterans’ medical well-being. A VA spokesperson reiterated that the guardianship MOU is unrelated to the “Safe Harbor” proposal. Takano, in a statement to NPR, asserted that the VA has withheld information about the program despite multiple congressional requests for clarification.

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Takano accused the VA of failing to address “the risks associated with guardianship, an industry rife with fraud and exploitation.” Finucan warned that extending guardianship to homeless veterans creates a “slippery slope.” Oliva described the administration’s public comments as “disingenuous,” noting a mismatch between the executive order’s language on involuntary commitment and the VA’s claim that the pilot targets a different population.

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Jauregui and Hood of U.S. Vets emphasize relationship-building over forced placement, noting that outreach “rather than make it something traumatic where we’re forcing you into it” can lead to voluntary engagement. Their work with Curtis Ervin resulted in the veteran agreeing to seek hospital care and, the following day, moving into housing for the first time in decades.

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Collins maintains the guardianship MOU is separate from “Safe Harbor,” yet the leaked slide deck links the two initiatives, suggesting a coordinated effort. The VA has not publicly clarified the scope of the pilot, and details about eligibility criteria remain undisclosed.

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• “Somebody in our building leaked it to the Hill. And guess what? Rep. Takano happily put out information that wasn't correct,” — Doug Collins, VA Secretary

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• “I've got veterans who are sitting in hospitals who can't make competent choices for themselves to get better … next-level care. We're helping them do that. … When it came out that we were attacking homeless and going after homeless, I wanted to puke,” — Doug Collins, VA Secretary

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• “I've given VA multiple opportunities at public hearings and in congressional requests to clarify its intent, and it refuses to do so,” — Mark Takano, Representative

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• “I like to think that it's altruistic, like they really wanna help veterans in hospital situations have the decision-making skills that they need. But the fact that it also applies to homeless veterans and those veterans at risk of homelessness, I think, is really a slippery slope,” — Jess Finucan, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America

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• “Rather than make it something traumatic where we're forcing you into it, let outreach workers like us build the relationship,” — Pedro Jauregui, U.S. Vets

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Congressional committees have scheduled additional hearings on the “Safe Harbor” pilot and the guardianship MOU. Advocacy groups plan to submit further testimony, while the VA is expected to release a detailed implementation plan later in 2026. The outcome will shape whether involuntary treatment becomes a standard tool for addressing veteran homelessness.

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