Amidst record-high levels of homelessness, with older adults being the fastest growing group experiencing homelessness, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and its programs are under serious threat.
HUD provides housing and homelessness assistance to the lowest-income households, including nearly five million older adults and individuals with disabilities. HUD also enforces civil rights laws, such as the Fair Housing Act, which prohibit housing discrimination.
Currently, the Trump Administration is working to dismantle HUD and fair housing protections. Unprecedented actions include:
- Planning to terminate at least 50% of HUD staff overall, with cuts as high as around 80% in offices that advance fair housing and oversee rental assistance and homelessness programs;
- Canceling nearly half of HUD’s 162 fair housing grants for nonprofits, such as legal aid agencies, that help people experiencing housing discrimination; and
- Refusing to enforce civil rights protections that provide equal access to shelters and housing for LGBTQ+ individuals.
These attacks on HUD and fair housing will result in more homelessness among older adults and people with disabilities. We need urgent action to preserve HUD programs and people’s rights to access housing without discrimination.
We call on Congress to protect HUD and its duty to promote fair housing for all. We urge those in our network to do the same by contacting your members of Congress.
