LETTER: Homelessness demands compassion, not control

In July 2025, President Trump signed “Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets.” The order frames homelessness as a crisis of addiction, mental illness, and public disorder. It directs federal agencies to support states that expand civil commitment programs and prioritize treatment over housing. While it promises funding incentives, it risks reducing human beings to problems of “crime and disorder” rather than neighbors in need. For the veteran without a home or the family priced out of housing, this framing misses the mark.

Utah rushed to comply, announcing a 1,300-bed homeless services campus in Salt Lake City. Leaders say it will provide treatment, recovery, and transitional services. Supporters call it bold action; critics warn it could become a warehouse for the poor. The campus may help those with severe health needs, but it risks overlooking the many who are homeless simply because housing costs outpace wages.

In June 2025, Moses Lake chose a different path: closing its main shelter, the Open Doors Sleep Center, and shifting responsibility to nonprofits. Officials framed this as “facilitation.” In practice, it means displacement. People without homes are left with fewer options, and the city’s approach prioritizes visibility – removing homelessness from sight – over solutions.

Washington’s 2024–2029 Homeless Housing Strategic Plan takes a broader view. It emphasizes housing first, prevention, rapid rehousing, and permanent supportive housing. The plan is decentralized, relying on local crisis response systems and community input. It treats homelessness as a housing and economic issue, not merely a behavioral one. While funding challenges remain, Washington’s plan aligns closely with evidence‑based practices.

Experts agree: housing first, prevention, integrated services, and respect for civil liberties are the pillars of effective homelessness policy. By that measure, Washington leads, Utah offers partial alignment, and Moses Lake falls short. Washington’s plan reflects national best practices; Utah’s campus experiment risks coercion; Moses Lake’s shelter closure contradicts them outright.

Jesus identified with the homeless: “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” He commanded compassion: “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Washington’s plan reflects this teaching most closely, offering shelter first and treating people with dignity. Utah’s plan echoes his call to heal, but risks binding people against their will. Moses Lake’s closure runs counter to his command, pushing the poor away instead of embracing them.

Homelessness is not disorder to be erased, nor a spectacle to be hidden. It is a human crisis demanding compassion, justice, and dignity. Whether veteran, family, or individual, the homeless are our neighbors. As Jesus taught, their suffering is our responsibility.

Duane Pitts

Moses Lake