It cost billionaire Joe Lonsdale less than $15 million a year to rewrite America's homelessness playbook, which he calls 'very small'

A team from Cicero Institute, a think tank founded by billionaire and Trump ally Joe Lonsdale, has traveled across the country pushing lawmakers to criminalize public camping and sleeping on streets.

According to the New York Times, 21 states have considered camping bans or other homelessness laws backed by Cicero, with 16 ultimately passing them. The group is now working with the Trump administration to redirect federal funding away from housing subsidies and toward forced treatment programs.

The Housing First debate

Homelessness has neared record highs. In January 2025, when Trump took office for his second term, nearly 746,000 people were experiencing homelessness. The increase has led some Republicans to embrace tougher measures to clear streets and, according to the New York Times, no group has pushed harder than Cicero Institute.

The group’s central target is Housing First, the current federal policy on homelessness. The measure prioritizes getting people into stable housing before addressing issues such as addiction or mental health. The policy was embraced by Trump during his first term. The administration now argues the policy ignores the root cause of homelessness by providing housing subsidies but making treatment optional — a sentiment backed by Cicero.

Critics, however, argue that housing is itself a crucial first step in helping people stabilize their lives and that there is limited evidence that forcing people into treatment will reduce homelessness.

In July 2025, the administration issued an executive order called “Ending Crime and Disorder on American Streets,” which includes a camping ban.

“Obviously, our work has been one of the main influences” in shaping administration views, Mr. Lonsdale said in an interview with the New York Times.

Lonsdale, who is the co-founder of Palantir, declined to tell the New York Times how much he’s spent on the institute, but said it’s “well less” than $15 million a year, calling the amount “very small” for the influence it has.