Fears of forced labor increase due to new “homeless campus” in the US
The US state of Utah is planning to establish a 1,300-bed “homeless campus” on rural land at the edge of town. Officials frame it as treatment and recovery. Advocates warn it will criminalize poverty and enable forced labor.
Trump’s order and Utah’s plan
In July, President Donald Trump signed the “Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets” order. It threatens to withhold federal funding from states that fail to criminalize public camping. The order also directs the Justice Department to expand involuntary civil commitments for unhoused adults. It requires the Department of Housing and Urban Development to abandon “Housing First” policies. These prioritize stable housing before treatment or sobriety.
Within a week, Utah’s Republican leaders sent a letter to the state’s Homeless Services Board calling for a “transformative, services-based homeless campus.” Under a proposal from Randy Shumway, over 300 beds would be for involuntary commitment. Others would be “an alternative to jail.” He called it an “accountability center” where people could be sanctioned there for about 90 days to detox and receive care.