H.R. 10231 — No Homeless Detention Centers Act

This section states findings that homelessness has grown due to a lack of affordable housing, low wages, and other factors, and that more than 300 municipalities, counties, and states have enacted laws criminalizing camping since the Supreme Court's 2024 decision in City of Grants Pass v. Johnson. It further finds that recent state laws and a July 2025 executive order condition federal grants on enforcement of camping bans and expand involuntary commitments and mass detention facilities.

This section prohibits recipients of Department of Housing and Urban Development funds from compelling a person engaging in life-sustaining activities on public property to enter a homeless shelter, requiring labor in exchange for shelter residency, or threatening or punishing homeless persons for such activities. It also bars providing assistance to law enforcement or contractors for those purposes.

This section defines four terms for purposes of the Act: “homeless person” by reference to section 103(a) of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act; “life-sustaining activities” as actions necessary to maintain basic biological health and safety, including sleeping and protecting oneself from the elements; “public property” as any U.S., state, local, tribal, or territorial government-owned or leased land or facilities open to the public, including parks, sidewalks, and plazas; and “punishment” as physical violence or civil or criminal consequences such as arrest, fines, or involuntary commitment.