Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...Photo: Ringo Chiu/ShutterstockFor decades, the country has been moving away from long-term residential psychiatric institutions in favor of community-based treatment. That progress is now under threat, following a recent Trump executive order, which aims to “broaden civil commitment laws,” forcing homeless people out of public spaces, according to a look by KFF (formerly the Kaiser Family Foundation) at the intersection of homeless and mental health. The executive order also rolls back progress on strategies that have demonstrated success, directing the Department of Housing and Urban Development to stop funding Housing First programs, which provide homeless people with housing without demanding sobriety or mandatory mental health treatment. Making housing accessible with no strings or prerequisites is core to successful homelessness strategies in countries like Finland. The KFF report notes that unsheltered homelessness among adults has increased by 43% since 2018, partly due to the shortage of affordable housing.