White House Executive Order on Homelessness Puts Additional Pressure on Organizations

By Alexyss Panfile and Laura Busch

On July 24, 2025, The White House released an executive order titled, "Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets.” This order has been released in an attempt to resolve the national homelessness crisis under a new model that consists of five key sections; namely, Purpose and Policy, Restoring Civil Commitment, Fighting Vagrancy on America’s Streets, Redirecting federal resources toward effective methods of addressing homelessness and Increasing accountability and safety in America’s homelessness programs.

The announcement of the order has created much debate across the nation. Ann Oliva, CEO of the National Alliance to End Homelessness stated, “At a time when unaddressed housing costs are driving record numbers of people into homelessness, this order demonstrates a lack of focus and understanding on what our communities — both red and blue — need to address this crisis. Instead, it largely focuses on punishing people for being homeless and denying desperately needed funds to overwhelmed and under resourced frontline workers.”

In the state of New Jersey, non-profits that provide services to the homeless population are feeling the pressure due to cuts in funding. There is uneasiness with the possibility of this new executive order and what it could mean. Family Promise of Sussex County (FPSC) is a local non-profit that provides services to the homeless population in part through federal funding. With the help of state and federal dollars, FPSC provides housing stabilization programs to the community. All of these programs serve a vital purpose in lowering the rate of homelessness in Sussex, Warren, and Hunterdon counties.

As stated in Section 5 of the executive order, Increasing accountability and safety in America’s homelessness programs, “These actions shall include, to the extent permitted by law, ending support for “housing first” policies that deprioritize accountability and fail to promote treatment, recovery, and self-sufficiency.” Many argue that the housing first policies provide a realistic, harm reductive, and inclusive approach to stabilizing individuals in order for them to address their obstacles. In an interview with Ann Oliva, CEO of the National Alliance to End Homelessness, she stated, “Evidence tells us that when we couple safe and affordable housing with the services that people want and need to maintain stability, that folks can keep that housing over the long term. It's one of the most studied interventions, this idea of coupling housing and services.”

The recent release of the 2025 Point in Time (PIT) Count reflects the need for continuous funding and support for the way homelessness is being addressed in the state of New Jersey. The PIT Count is an annual survey that identifies how many individuals were experiencing homelessness on a single night in January. Monarch Housing Associates concluded, “the 2025 count represents an 8% increase in homelessness compared to 2024 and is the highest number of individuals recorded since the 2014 count.”

In Sussex County, it was reported that 128 individuals were experiencing homelessness on the night of January 28th, 2025. This number indicates that there is still an immense need for funding to be allotted toward organizations that combat homelessness in Sussex County alone. In time, the community and area providers will know the impact of this executive order and how it may change the way housing programs are implemented or who gets these vital and often times life- saving services.

About Family Promise of Sussex County

Family Promise of Sussex County has been an integral part of the community for over 25 years, providing services and support to those facing housing instability. With a mission to help homeless and low-income families achieve sustainable independence, Family Promise collaborates with community agencies to provide housing stability and comprehensive support services. To learn more visit us at https://familypromisesussex.org or our offices in Newton, Sparta and Sussex or contact us at fpsc@familypromisesussex.org.