Trump’s troubled plan for homeless vets

A new pilot program from the Department of Justice and Veterans Affairs aims to help homeless veterans by establishing legal guardianships for those who cannot care for themselves, though the move has drawn concern from veterans’ advocates nationwide.

The move by the Trump administration was announced on Wednesday, authorizing the DOJ to appoint VA attorneys as special assistant U.S. attorneys. This would enable them to act as legal guardians and oversee conservatorships for approximately 700 homeless veterans, including the ability to commit them to involuntary hospitals for mental or physical health reasons.

“Our new partnership with the Justice Department reflects our ongoing commitment to ensuring that every Veteran receives timely, appropriate care, even in complex cases,” VA Secretary Doug Collins said in a statement on Wednesday.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said the new initiative would provide these veterans “the support and dignity they deserve.”

“This will give Veterans who need it most legal representation and crucial help in complex medical decisions,” Bondi said in a post on X.

The decision comes after a 2025 executive order from President Donald Trump to increase hospitalizations, even if involuntary, to reduce homelessness and “disorderly behavior.” The VA denied any connection, instead focusing on veterans receiving “appropriate” care, according to reporting from the Wall Street Journal.

Nationwide, tens of thousands of veterans are experiencing homelessness. Nearly 33,000 homeless veterans were reported in 2024, according to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans. Roughly 5.3% of the nation’s homeless population is made up of male and female veterans.

However, the new program has been met with criticism from veterans’ rights advocates, who say it will end up making the problem worse.

Amy Fairweather, policy director at the veterans’ support organization Swords to Plowshares, told Salon the initiative is “counterproductive,” warning that homeless veterans’ perception of the VA would suffer.

“They’ll run away. They value their liberty, just as anyone else does.”

“The key to getting veterans off the streets is establishing trust, providing real services,” Fairweather said. “If the perception of the VA is that they’re going to lock you up, then veterans are not going to go for that help. They’ll run away. They value their liberty, just as anyone else does.”

While Fairweather thinks that legal guardianships and conservatorships can be necessary, she emphasized that they would only be acceptable in “extremely severe cases with really good oversight.”

She noted that the homeless veteran population has been declining. Indeed, data from 2025 found that homelessness among veterans reached its lowest point since data tracking began in 2009. She credited the existing system with that success.

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“It’s housing, case management, mental health care, physical health care,” Fairweather said. “We have a system that works. Let’s strengthen it.”

Skepticism has also come from Congress. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., is the ranking member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. He said the policy change “leaves a lot of important questions unanswered.”

” Legal guardianship should be the last resort for veterans.”

“Congress and veterans deserve immediate answers before VA and DOJ take any further action. Legal guardianship should be the last resort for veterans,” Blumenthal said in a statement to Salon.

Paul Sullivan, national vice chair of Veterans for Common Sense, says the right strategy centers on trust between veterans and the VA.

“When a homeless Veteran sees a VA employee offering help, a veteran should have a sense of trust that VA assistance will focus on known and effective solutions,” Sullivan told Salon. He stressed the need for quality health care, benefits, and a return to the Housing First program.

The “Housing First” policy was expanded under President Barack Obama to help find housing for veterans and get them off the street. They would receive housing as the first part of a more comprehensive care plan, with the program settling over 170,000 veterans since 2012. However, funding to the program was cut in July 2025 at the direction of Trump, who called it “a terrible model.”

Sullivan warned that changes to VA policy that take decision-making out of veterans’ control is a risk that could seriously backfiring. “If the VA dramatically changes policy away from the proven and comprehensive assistance, and VA shifts towards a one-size-fits-all immediate institutionalization, then Veterans may avoid VA employees.”

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