Citygate Network is the network of Rescue Missions that Yakima Union Gospel Mission is a part of. “In response to President Trump’s recent Executive Order, Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets, Citygate Network offers the following statement on behalf of the hundreds of gospel-centered ministries we represent across North America. These organizations serve individuals and families facing homelessness, addiction, trauma, and mental illness—day in and day out—with compassion, excellence, and deep faith.
The Executive Order (EO) signals a significant shift in federal homelessness policy—from a Housing First and harm-reduction framework to one centered on treatment, recovery, public safety, and accountability.
We recognize that implementation is still in its earliest stages. Because the EO spans multiple federal agencies—HUD, DOJ, HHS, and DOT—guardrails, guidance, and resources are still being developed. It’s also important to clarify that the Executive Order does not create new legal powers or override constitutional protections. Its implementation must operate within existing laws and funding mechanisms—and will vary significantly across states and communities.
Some view the EO as a much-needed correction to systems that have become ineffective and unsustainable. Others raise valid concerns about how vulnerable individuals may be swept into systems lacking sufficient compassion, oversight, or capacity.
While we affirm the need for effective solutions—especially for individuals with severe mental illness or addiction—we believe every response must prioritize human dignity, legal protections, and what’s best for the individual. Homelessness is not merely a public safety issue—it is a deeply human crisis that requires holistic, trauma-informed, and person-centered solutions.
Our Response Matters
As a movement of gospel-centered ministries serving those facing homelessness, addiction, trauma, and mental illness, we see in this moment both real opportunity and meaningful challenge.
On one hand, the order outlines an approach that seeks to confront the deeper issues driving homelessness—prioritizing supportive services, requiring measurable outcomes, and redirecting funding away from harm-reduction efforts and toward long-term treatment and recovery. These are principles many of our ministries already embody. Daily, we walk with individuals and families from crisis to stability, not just offering a bed, but delivering hope, healing, and wholeness in Jesus’ name.
At the same time, we recognize that how policy is implemented matters just as much as what is proposed. Language in the executive order risks equating homelessness with disorder—framing it as a public nuisance rather than a human crisis. That framing can reinforce stigma and obscure the complex root causes of homelessness: trauma, systemic poverty, housing scarcity, untreated mental illness, and generational cycles of brokenness.
While criminal behavior should never be excused, being unhoused is not a crime. Sweeping generalizations—suggesting that most people experiencing homelessness are dangerous, addicted, or mentally unstable—oversimplify a deeply layered issue. These narratives lead us away from empathy and toward fear-based responses that often harm the very people we seek to help.
In moments like this, our response matters. As public discourse sharpens and opinions differ, we are reminded of the call to speak truth—not with hostility or harshness, but with grace and conviction:
“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”
— 1 Peter 3:15
As Christ-followers, we are compelled to respond not from defensiveness or division, but with gentleness, clarity, and deep conviction. We must lift our voices to remind policymakers, partners, and communities that those on the streets are not problems to be managed—they are people, created in the image of God, worthy of help, hope, and restoration. We are called to the work of human flourishing and life transformation—not by our strength, but by God’s grace.
Where We Stand in Agreement
There are areas within the Executive Order that, generally, align with Citygate Network’s values and the work of our member ministries:
- A treatment-first approach that addresses the root causes of homelessness and addiction, rather than simply managing visible symptoms.
- A shift away from Housing First mandates, which often fall short without integrated services and accountability.
- Ending federal funding for safe consumption sites, which often prolong addiction and hinder recovery.
- A renewed focus on outcome-based funding—prioritizing programs that demonstrate long-term recovery, housing stability, and personal transformation.
- Encouragement of public safety policies, provided they are executed with compassion and without criminalizing poverty itself.
These changes affirm what our members have long believed: housing alone is not a solution—healing is essential.
Where We Urge Caution and Care
While we see encouraging alignment in some areas of the Executive Order, there are serious and complex concerns that require discernment, compassion, and careful implementation:
- Expanded civil commitment processes, while legal and sometimes necessary, must be accompanied by judicial oversight and due process protections to prevent overreach.
- Mandated treatment, while sometimes necessary, is rarely as effective as when someone chooses recovery willingly.
- Ministry capacity is already strained. Many of our member ministries are full. Teams are fatigued. Resources are stretched. New demands must be matched by strategic investments in infrastructure, staffing, and systems of care.
- Enforcement of camping, loitering, and squatting laws—without accessible alternatives—risks further criminalizing people in crisis and deepening the trauma they already face.
Any shift of this magnitude must be approached with wisdom, humility, and accountability. If we fail to see people—not just problems—we risk replacing one broken system with another.
Our calling in this season is to remain rooted in truth and overflowing with grace. The Executive Order affirms that faith-based programs may continue to access federal funding without compromising their identity, message, or hiring practices (though local ordinances may vary). As gospel-powered ministries, we welcome this affirmation and encourage participation—not withdrawal—from shaping the evolving landscape of care and recovery. We encourage ministries to engage proactively with local Continuums of Care and be part of the solution—bringing the voice of faith-based service to the table, not retreating from public systems, but shaping them with excellence, humility, and love.
Our Commitment
Citygate Network remains unwavering in this conviction:
We are the heart, hands, and feet of Jesus—marked by how we love others.
Real transformation doesn’t happen through force. It happens in relationship. In community. In Christlike compassion. In spaces of trust. And it happens one life at a time.
As the implications of this executive order continue to unfold, Citygate Network will stay engaged, informed, and prayerful—serving with courage, humility, and unwavering faith.
We will listen.
We will speak truth.
We will advocate.
And above all, we will lead.”
Source: https://www.citygatenetwork.org/statement-on-the-executive-order-ending-crime-and-disorder-on-americas-streets/
