Trump administration to rethink changes to homelessness grant program

President Donald Trump’s administration on Monday backed away from sweeping adjustments it not too long ago introduced to a $3 billion grant program for homeless companies, in response to lawsuits by states, cities and nonprofits.

The federal government stated in a submitting in Rhode Island federal court docket that the U.S. Division of Housing and City Improvement has withdrawn adjustments to its Continuum of Care grant program, together with a cap on the quantity of funding that can be utilized for everlasting housing and a ban on grants to teams concentrating on transgender communities, to overview points raised within the lawsuits. In keeping with the submitting, HUD plans to situation a revised coverage earlier than the January utility deadlines.

The advocacy group Michigan Coalition In opposition to Homelessness stated the withdrawal was excellent news, however nonetheless warned of a $12.5 million funding hole subsequent 12 months and is asking the state of Michigan to assist fill it.

The change was introduced about an hour earlier than U.S. District Decide Mary McElroy held a listening to to think about blocking implementation of the adjustments unveiled final month whereas the lawsuits proceed.

Decide reprimands administration

McElroy declined to right away rule and scheduled one other listening to for December 19. However she chided the Trump administration for the abrupt change, saying it had squandered authorized sources and clouded the grant program with uncertainty.

“It looks like intentional chaos,” McElroy says. “You may change the coverage all you need (however) there’s a mechanism to do this.”

The lawsuits allege the adjustments violate the regulation that created this system and illegally goal LGBTQ folks and different communities that don’t align with the Trump administration’s coverage priorities.

The governments and teams that sued stated the adjustments, if carried out, would power them to reshape their packages or threat shedding funding and will trigger greater than 170,000 folks to lose their housing.

Congress created the Continuum of Care program in 1987 to offer states, native governments and nonprofits with sources to offer supportive companies to the homeless, with an emphasis on veterans, households and folks with disabilities.

This system has lengthy been based mostly on a “housing first” method to combating homelessness, which prioritizes inserting folks in everlasting housing with out stipulations similar to sobriety and employment. Along with housing, the subsidies fund youngster care, job coaching, psychological well being care and transportation companies.

The Trump administration has criticized the housing-first method, and HUD stated final month it was revising the grant program to deal with transitional housing initiatives with work necessities and different circumstances. HUD has additionally barred grant recipients from utilizing the funding for actions that promote range, fairness and inclusion, elective abortions or “gender ideology,” or disrupt the administration’s immigration enforcement agenda.

Trump, a Republican, has accomplished that too urged states and cities to clear homeless encampments and refer folks to substance abuse and psychological well being services.

The Michigan Coalition In opposition to Homelessness had beforehand estimated that greater than 7,000 households may very well be affected by HUD’s preliminary coverage change and face imminent homelessness. Whereas the withdrawal is “initially excellent news,” funding for these households shouldn’t be assured and far will depend upon any new necessities from HUD, stated Sarah Rennie, the group’s senior director of advocacy and engagement. She pointed to a $12.5 million funding hole from January to June subsequent 12 months to deal with folks and preserve packages operating. The coalition is asking the state of Michigan to think about emergency funding, she stated.

“State funding is essential to forestall the tip of packages, the destabilization of homeless techniques and workers, and most significantly, to forestall precariously housing households who depend on this cash from being evicted throughout Michigan’s harsh winter months and most probably returning to homelessness,” Rennie stated in a Dec. 9 electronic mail to the Free Press.

Reporting by Daniel Wiessner in Albany, New York, modifying by Alexia Garamfalvi and Rod Nickel. Detroit Free Press reporter Nushrat Rahman contributed.