CityLab Daily: What’s Behind Trump’s Skid Row Crackdown?

On the skids: President Donald Trump plans to wade into the homelessness crisis in Los Angeles, according to a report in the Washington Post. As officials from the White House, HUD, and other agencies visit their counterparts in Los Angeles, they are weighing several possible steps, including moving unhoused people into facilities administered by the federal government and razing encampments like downtown L.A.’s Skid Row area.

The prospect of a federal intervention is raising red flags among city leaders and advocates for the homeless, who say clearing camps would be disruptive and expensive. It’s also not clear that the president has the power to order such a sweep. “The federal government doesn’t have a legal authority to make people who are homeless go anywhere they don’t want to go,” one advocate says. While there are lots of ways the feds could help address California’s crisis of homelessness—starting with funding affordable housing programs and other services designed to keep low-income residents sheltered—experts and city leaders tell CityLab’s Sarah Holder and Kriston Capps that the administration’s approach could make things worse by using Skid Row as a stage for political theater. Read their story: The White House Is Planning a Federal Intervention on California Homelessness