Rep. Tlaib Introduces Unhoused Persons Bill of Rights to Shift Defense Funds to Homelessness

Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., introduced legislation last week to expand rights for homeless people and change government treatment of those living on the streets. The measure would redirect billions from defense spending.

The Unhoused Persons Bill of Rights calls for government action to end homelessness within three years. It proposes more than a dozen protections, including freedom of movement in public spaces, affordable housing, livable wages, universal healthcare and panhandling.

Homeless individuals would gain the right to uninhibited access to public parks, transportation, facilities, sidewalks, buildings, restrooms and other spaces. That would allow them to set up camps legally in those areas.

The resolution also grants rights to internet access and the technology needed for it. A Tlaib spokesperson did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment on how that provision would work.

Though nonbinding and without force of law, the resolution shows potential left-wing changes to homelessness policy if Democrats regain power after the 2026 midterms.

Tlaib's proposal offers homeless people freedom from harassment by law enforcement, private businesses, property owners and housed residents. It protects against banishment from private property, which the measure calls a violation of fundamental civil and human rights.

The homeless population reached more than 771,000 in January 2024, the highest level ever recorded, according to a Housing and Urban Development report.

Several provisions challenge a 2024 Supreme Court ruling that allowed cities to enforce bans on camping in public property. More than 100 local governments prohibited homeless camping after the decision, NPR reported.

Tlaib's measure criticizes state and local bans on panhandling, loitering, sleeping in tents or vehicles and other homeless-related activities.

The resolution urges the federal government to end the unhoused crisis by 2029. It requires the Trump administration to redirect at least $168 billion from defense spending, nearly 20% of the annual total, to permanently end and prevent homelessness. The measure does not detail the spending uses.

"Having access to a safe place to live is a human right," Tlaib said in a statement. "Every year, Congress passes another record-breaking military budget, and President Trump just requested a $1.5 trillion Pentagon budget this year. Experts say it would cost a fraction of this to end homelessness in our country."

Tlaib's measure resembles a 2021 resolution introduced by former Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., a onetime Squad member now seeking to reclaim her St. Louis House seat in November's midterms.