29-01-2025
Trump policies could have ‘long-term effects' on homelessness, advocates say
(KRON) — Those who advocate for the unhoused community are paying a close eye on the freezing of federal funds. In the Bay Area and beyond, many affordable housing projects rely on federal funding to break ground.
The Bay Area is already in the midst of a housing crunch. There are concerns about what impacts a funding freeze could have.
'We could see some long-term effects on the homeless because of this decision being made,' said Jennifer Friedenbach, executive director of the Coalition on Homelessness.
Tuesday was a stressful day for Friedenbach, who paid close attention to announcements from the White House as the Trump administration announced a freeze on federal grants and loans.
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Federal funds, Friedenbach says, are essential to building affordable housing.
'A lot of the projects are already in the pipeline, so even though the money hasn't been released this could really sideline housing that has already been planned for, so that's pretty frightening,' Friedenbach said.
In San Francisco, the Council Community Housing Organizations manages affordable housing and helps residents at risk of being displaced. John Avalos with the council doesn't know how that work can continue without federal assistance.
'We're worried about keeping staff, we're worried about supporting our residents,' said Avalos. 'Federal dollars also support our supportive housing services to help people to change their lives to address behavioral help issues of psychological emotional issues and addiction.'
Avalos was relieved to hear that a federal judge temporarily blocked the freeze on federal grants and loans the same day it was announced.
'We expect that there will be a lot of work in the courts,' Avalos said.
It's not just affordable housing that would be impacted if a freeze on federal funds goes into effect— but also money for Section 8 housing. According to Friedenbach, more than 600,000 people in California rely on housing vouchers to pay their rent.
She said the new administration is out of touch with the needs of those experiencing poverty.
'Their funding base for their campaigns is people with a lot of money,' she said. 'They are catering to their perspectives that don't really understand poverty and don't understand how important this kind of assistance is for folks.'
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