Homeless individuals and tents remain in D.C. amid Trump's crackdown
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A homeless encampment near the Lincoln Memorial is cleared last month. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images
The Trump administration has cleared dozens of homeless encampments under the federal crackdown, but many unhoused people and tents remain in D.C.
The big picture: President Trump has often railed against the District's homeless population and has made removing encampments part of his goal to "beautify D.C."
- The city's unhoused residents and advocates live in a state of fear and confusion, with many unsure of where to go.
Driving the news: 764 unhoused people live outdoors in D.C., according to a census the city conducted last week to track results of the increased federal presence, per a release shared with Axios.
- Prior to the crackdown, the Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness had estimated about 798 such people were in D.C. on any given night.
By the numbers: 81 people were living in tents last week, the census found, down from 128 in July. The city hasn't confirmed whether the remaining 683 people were outside.
- The number of tents in the city has dropped, too, down to 54 from 107 in July.
- 80 new residents have moved into shelters since the start of the federal crackdown, per the release.
State of play: 50 encampments have been cleared by "multi-agency teams" under the federal takeover, a White House official tells Axios.
- Clearings have happened around areas like Washington Circle, New York Avenue Presbyterian Church and the Kennedy Center.
- D.C. police patrols and city officials are working together to clear additional encampments, per the official.
- Homeless people are given the option to leave, go to a shelter or get addiction and mental health services. If they refuse, they could receive fines or jail time, per the White House official.
The latest: D.C. police and federal agencies will "begin enforcing the laws that are already on the books," says the official, pointing to D.C. legislation that bars people from using public space beyond what's permitted and obstructing areas like sidewalks, building entrances and park passways.
What they're saying: "President Trump is cleaning up D.C. to make it safe for all residents and visitors while ensuring homeless individuals aren't out on the streets putting themselves at risk or posing a risk to others," White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson tells Axios.
- The White House didn't respond to questions regarding whether there would be a push to remove homeless individuals not living in encampments from public spaces.
- D.C. police won't remove homeless individuals not living in encampments from public spaces, a city official tells Axios, adding that the force is not changing anything regarding how these rules are already enforced.
Zoom out: There was speculation that jurisdictions neighboring D.C. might see an increase in unhoused people relocating from the city amid the crackdown, but this doesn't seem to be the case.
- Alexandria, Arlington County, Montgomery County and Prince George's County haven't seen noticeable increases in their homeless populations, spokespeople tell Axios.
- Instead of leaving D.C. or going to a shelter, some homeless people are just finding new out-of-the-way places to relocate away from federal enforcement.
Context: Homelessness was declining in D.C. before the crackdown and dropped 9% between this year and last year, per the city's latest point-in-time (PIT) counts conducted in January.
- The number of homeless families dropped 18.1%, and there was a 4.5% drop among individuals.
Yes, but: The numbers from last week's census shouldn't be directly compared with this year's PIT numbers because the methodologies used to gather each were different, per the release.
What we're watching: The city expects to see a spike in the number of unhoused people seeking shelter as the weather turns cold.
- Meanwhile, they're expanding outreach to connect locals with housing and resources.
- The city added 100 shelter beds in August and plans to open a new dorm-style shelter this month, with job, substance abuse and mental health support.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to clarify that the 764 unhoused people counted in a city census last week were only those living outdoors (and not the city's total unhoused population).