Latest news with #EmergencyHousingVoucher
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Biden-era emergency housing voucher program, lauded by local officials, slated to end in 2026
A poster at this summer's announcement that the Department of Housing and Urban Develpoment would be displacing the National Science Foundation by moving in to the NSF's office in Alexandria, Virginia. (Photo: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. When Kelly Durrows was told two years ago that she qualified for an Emergency Housing Voucher, funded by federal recovery dollars, she assumed she would be added to another waiting list and wouldn't exit homelessness for another year or two. But four months later, a case worker in Reno handed her a key to her apartment in ending her 15 years of on and off homelessness in 2023. She has been stably housed ever since. The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, signed into law by former President Joe Biden, included $5 billion in investments to create 70,000 emergency vouchers nationwide. More than 600 emergency vouchers are currently in use across Nevada according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development data. 'Normally each year, we're able to move about 10 people into permanent supportive housing,' said Catrina Peters, the homelessness services coordinator for Washoe County. The emergency housing vouchers 'allowed us to make 137 referrals' to get people off the streets, she said. The specialized vouchers were supposed to be funded through 2030, but jurisdictions around the country, including in Reno, were informed by HUD in March that they would receive a final allotment this year to cover 'those remaining amounts will be available to cover (EVA Housing Assistance Program) costs in 2026.' 'We did always kind of have that (2030) end date in mind,' Peters said, adding that 'the more recent correspondence to potentially end in the program in 2026 was quite a surprise.' 'We have extremely limited resources and extremely limited opportunities to serve these folks through other programs,' she said. 'Any reduction in a program impacts our ability to get people housed and out of homelessness.' Homelessness has steadily been on the rise in the state, as in most of the country. More than 10,100 people experienced homelessness in Nevada in 2024 – a 17% increase statewide – according to data released by HUD in December. 'We're seeing rents not increasing as dramatically as they have been in the previous years, but still continuing to rise,' Peters said. 'We have a lot of folks on fixed incomes who don't see a corresponding increase to their income.' Housing vouchers, already scarce, would be even harder to get under Trump's budget bill The end strategy for those emergency housing vouchers, Peters said, is to at some point have 'them moved into the existing housing authority pool, or kind of absorbed into that existing voucher pool,' which is the Housing Choice Vouchers program, formerly known as Section 8. More than 15,000 people receive standard housing vouchers statewide, with thousands on the waitlist hoping to qualify for a voucher. The regular housing voucher program is likely to face cuts as well. President Donald Trump 2026 fiscal budget proposed steep cuts across various agencies, including slashing the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development budget by more than 40%. 'I think if folks want to see a meaningful decrease in the number of people experiencing homelessness, people on the street, people living in cars, then we need to maintain these programs and not see any cuts,' Peters said. Durrows, 47, moved from California to Carson City about 15 years ago to live with her mom when she needed a place to stay while she was unemployed. Her mother died a few months later, and her stepfather asked her to move out. Durrows relocated to Reno, got a job as a housekeeper, and moved into a new apartment. But she lost her job and could no longer afford rent. That was her first time experiencing homelessness. Durrows bounced around to Georgia and Texas, but eventually came back to Reno for good in 2018. 'I barely slept. That's when the drugs came in. I barely could sleep because I had to stay up and keep my dog warm and keep burning fires, and I had to keep hand warmers up under the blankets.' Durrows briefly stayed at Reno's Cares Campus Emergency Shelter in 2023 and was eventually connected with Michael Adragna, a case manager. During that time, she qualified for an emergency housing voucher. Knowing there is a long wait list for unhoused people to get housing assistance, Durrows figured it was too good to be true 'When they told me that I was approved, I was like, 'Yeah, okay, I'm approved, but it's gonna take two, three years to get it,' ' Durrows said. But a few months later, she was in her new place. It's the first time in her life that she has ever 'felt planted,' she said. 'I quit doing drugs,' she said. 'I quit doing all this craziness.' Even after Durrow's first landlord decided not to renew the lease, she was able to secure another apartment using the same voucher. Adragna likened the emergency voucher to 'a golden ticket.' 'The alternative programs with the housing authority were kind of like being on a wait list to nowhere,' he said. Once people are on typical wait lists for various types of housing assistance, such as a housing choice voucher, Adragna said they could be on there 'for maybe two to three years.' What made these emergency vouchers more successful is they came with less stringent requirements from HUD, said Brenda Barnes, the social services manager for Clark County. 'These (vouchers) were more unique in regards to less deniability,' she said. 'There are background checks and various other types of requirements for different vouchers. Some require a disability. These were a little bit more flexible, which made them more accessible.' For the first time, the door to housing was open to people who typically don't qualify for housing assistance, such as people with criminal backgrounds who can't access traditional housing vouchers. 'It was exciting and amazing to see how quickly we utilized these vouchers' to help people 'who were falling through the gaps in other resources in the community,' Barnes said. Peters said that in Washoe County roughly 90% of those who qualified for the emergency vouchers received case management, and have remained stably housed. The vouchers, and the household stability they enable, allows the county 'to reduce community wide costs' associated with 'people who were previously using the emergency room heavily and previously had a lot of interactions with law enforcement.' The emergency voucher program is 'the last thing that should be cut,' Peters said.
The Hill
20-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Ending emergency housing aid cuts a lifeline for domestic violence survivors
For most people, home is a place where they can relax and feel safe. But for people like me who have experienced domestic violence, an abusive home can feel more like a prison. Resources that help survivors escape from violent relationships and quickly find a safe place to live can literally be the difference between life and death. But right now, we are facing a looming crisis. The Emergency Housing Voucher program, a life-saving rental assistance initiative that has helped over 70,000 households experiencing homelessness or fleeing domestic violence, will run out of funding if the federal government doesn't act quickly. Loss of the program would push countless survivors back to their abusers, force tens of thousands of people into homelessness and hurt landlords across every state financially. Back in 2021, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government allocated $5 billion to create the Emergency Housing Voucher program. It was the first time that this type of rental assistance was made available to people at immediate risk of homelessness, escaping domestic violence and without a shelter history. The vouchers not only came with significant rental assistance, which is essential for people living in high-cost cities with low housing vacancies like New York, but they also provided individualized housing navigation. This service, which pairs a voucher recipient with a housing expert to help them quickly find a new apartment, was instrumental in helping me and thousands of others find our homes. These vouchers have helped house people faster than any other new Department of Housing and Urban Development voucher program — and now, they are at risk. The Emergency Housing Voucher program was designed to last 10 years, but the funding has been used faster than expected due to the significant increase in rental costs. More than 59,000 households across the country, including thousands of domestic violence survivors, currently rely on the program to afford their homes. If funding is not continued, many of us would be unable to make rent, forcing us onto the streets, into an overcrowded shelter or back with our abuser. I know it would be a struggle for my family and me, and for voucher holders in different circumstances, it would be an unmitigated, life-threatening disaster. As our country continues to grapple with the worst housing crisis in decades, this is simply not a tenable position. But the reasons to protect the Emergency Housing Voucher program go beyond the recipients who hold a voucher right now. The success of the program has been, in part, due to landlords willingly participating in the program and renting to voucher holders with the knowledge that the federal government could be trusted to pay their portion of the rent. In New York State alone, more than 5,700 property owners participate in the Emergency Housing Voucher program. If we cut off funding, landlords won't receive the rent they are owed and will be hurt financially, but also, they may forever lose the trust they had in voucher programs. It's already incredibly difficult for voucher holders to find an apartment — it took me almost an entire year, even with the help of a housing navigator — and if fewer landlords are willing to take them, their effectiveness will be greatly diminished. As a result, people are likely to stay in shelters even longer, which costs more than vouchers. Once you've escaped from an abusive relationship, a safe and stable home is a sanctuary. It's a place where you can unwind, heal from the trauma you experienced and begin to rebuild your new life free from violence and coercive control. Housing literally saves lives — it certainly saved mine. But now, that could all go away. We must remember that domestic violence can affect anyone, from Republicans to Democrats and everyone in between. Let me be clear: This is not a partisan issue. We need our elected leaders, from the White House to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), to stand up and fight for the Emergency Housing Voucher program. We cannot afford to let almost 60,000 families fall into homelessness. We cannot afford to push domestic violence survivors like me, who depend on vouchers, back to unsafe situations. The federal government must provide additional funding for the Emergency Housing Voucher program and protect survivors. Daniris Espinal is a domestic violence survivor and an Emergency Housing Voucher program recipient.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
100s of Coloradans could be back on the streets with end of housing voucher program
Gary Jackson rests in bed at a former La Quinta Inn on Park Avenue in Denver, June 12, 2022. He lived at the hotel during the spring of 2022 after receiving an emergency housing voucher due to his vulnerability to COVID-19 while managing congestive heart failure. (Giles Clasen for Colorado Newsline) Gary Jackson's most recent spell of homelessness happened during the COVID-19 pandemic. After being released from a more than 12-year prison sentence, his son died. He then lived unsheltered for a couple of years before his heart began to fail, which Jackson says is a direct result of his homelessness. These challenges made Jackson a perfect candidate for the federal Emergency Housing Voucher program. EHVs were created by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 to provide housing for the chronically homeless; people fleeing domestic violence, human trafficking or sexual assault; and families facing housing instability. About 70,000 EHVs were distributed to public housing authorities across the nation. Jackson's EHV helped him get a room at the La Quinta hotel at Interstate 25 and Park Avenue in Denver while he received medical treatments for his heart condition. The EHV gave him enough stability to receive a Section 8 voucher that he's used to rent an apartment of his own for more than a year. 'I got the Holy Grail of housing vouchers, apparently,' Jackson said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Jackson is one of a handful of EHV holders who have successfully transitioned to more stable housing. However, there are hundreds more EHV holders in Colorado facing the possibility of being sent back to the streets. In March, the Colorado Division of Housing received a letter from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development saying that the EHV program is expected to run out of money by the end of 2026, four years earlier than originally expected. Part of the reason for the lack of funding for the program is the national spike in rent costs. Median rents across the U.S. stood at $1,781 per month at the end of 2021, according to Those rents peaked in July 2022 at around $1,850 per month, though they have steadily fallen to $1,694 as of March 2025. Should the funding for this program end, many participants will go back to the dangerous living situations they were in. – Shannon Gray, spokesperson for the Colorado Division of Housing At the same time, the Trump administration has made it clear that it does not intend to continue funding the program. 'While these EHV funds are being obligated to your PHA, you should manage your EHV program with the expectation that no additional funding from HUD will be forthcoming,' the letter DOH received says. Colorado received 996 EHVs, which it then distributed to 12 public housing agencies across the state. Those public housing agencies were primarily located in Front Range counties like Boulder, Denver, Jefferson, and Adams. Cities like Fort Collins, Aurora, Colorado Springs and Littleton also received vouchers. Altogether, nearly 1,200 households benefitted from EHVs, according to federal data. There are 892 EHV units still leased, DOH spokesperson Shannon Gray told Colorado Newsline in an email. 'We are concerned about the implications of non-renewal of the funding for all (EHV) participants in Colorado,' Gray said. 'Should the funding for this program end, many participants will go back to the dangerous living situations they were in.' For public housing officials, the anticipated end of the EHV program has become a significant cause for concern. Peter LiFari, CEO of Maiker Housing Partners in Adams County, told Colorado Newsline that there is a 'mad frenzy' of communication and collaboration among public housing authorities in Colorado to figure out contingency plans for the remaining EHV holders. Those contingency plans are complicated as Colorado leaders have already had to navigate a $1.2 billion state budget shortfall, and federal support remains uncertain. Meanwhile, advocates at the National Low Income Housing Coalition expect the Trump administration to significantly overhaul the Housing Choice Voucher program and reduce the number of available vouchers by around 200,000 in the fiscal year 2026 budget. Housing Choice Vouchers, also known as Section 8 vouchers, are the most common voucher available to people experiencing homelessness. One change LiFari expects the Trump administration to push for is adding work requirements to the HCV program. HUD Secretary Scott Turner said after his confirmation that the agency should work to 'increase self-sufficiency and empower Americans to climb the economic ladder toward a brighter future.' A 2022 federal review of work requirement policies found that they can increase part-time employment, but the impact of the policies to 'reach a level that enables self-sufficiency remains unclear.' 'This is an appetizer from the administration to move the Overton window on work,' LiFari said. Cathy Alderman, spokesperson for the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, told Colorado Newsline that many of the EHV holders don't have other housing options. 'They can't just find another affordable place,' Alderman said. 'It's not likely that they have a great deal of resources saved up to move them into a market-rate unit that doesn't accept vouchers, which is going to ultimately put a lot of people into the cycle of homelessness at a time when homelessness is already on the rise.' Over the last year, homelessness in Colorado increased by more than 29% to more than 18,700 people, according to federal data. Subpopulations like families with children saw an even more significant increase in homelessness, rising 134% compared to 2023. Moving people from an EHV to a more permanent housing voucher is also a complicated process, Alderman added. About 20% of the people who qualify for a housing voucher receive one for various reasons. The number of available vouchers fluctuates every year. There are also waitlists for people to apply for housing vouchers. The program also relies on landlords who accept housing vouchers, which can be inconsistent. The Coalition has units it owns that can be used to provide housing for people who lose their EHV, but Alderman said there are not enough housing units to help the nearly 900 people who could be impacted. 'There's no affordable housing for people to move into,' Alderman said. 'It's why we have the homeless crisis that we have.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
281 Utahns to lose rental assistance when federal funds run dry in 2026
The 9th East Lofts at Bennion Plaza, a mixed-income building that participates in Salt Lake City housing authority programs, is pictured in Salt Lake City. (Photo Courtesy of Salt Lake City Housing Authority) Back in 2021, when Utah's housing prices shot up amid the COVID-19 pandemic homebuying frenzy, Juanita Huertero, 56, said her landlord decided to cash in and sell her home, so 'she just kicked us out.' Just like that, Huertero and her adult son — whose medical issues prevent him from working — had to find a new place to live. She said she ended up homeless for the next six months, temporarily bunking with her daughter in Tooele. Also having been a domestic violence victim, she said she turned to South Valley Services for assistance, which eventually helped her obtain an Emergency Housing Voucher for rental assistance. The Emergency Housing Voucher program, launched in 2021 by then-President Joe Biden as part of the American Rescue Plan Act, used $5 billion in federal funds to help house vulnerable people — those who are homeless, at risk of homelessness, or are trying to flee domestic violence or other dangerous situations, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Since then, Huertero said that voucher has helped keep a roof over her and her family's head. Currently, she lives on a multiplex in Salt Lake City with her elderly aunt and her adult son, both of whom rely on her as a caretaker. She works at a local housing authority — where she helps people like herself get housing assistance, trying to 'give back' in as many ways as she can. But without the voucher, which she said pays for roughly half of their $2,200 rent, Huertero wouldn't know what to do. 'Oh my gosh, if we didn't have that, we probably wouldn't be able to make rent,' she said, adding that even with the rental assistance she at times struggles to make ends meet between the cost of utilities, groceries and gas for her commute. Huertero — who was born in San Diego and moved to Utah decades ago, in 1996, in search of a better life — is one of hundreds of Utahns who could lose their Emergency Housing Voucher assistance earlier than expected unless Congress acts. But the program, faced with rising housing costs, is quickly running out of money. Federal officials expect the funds to run dry by the end of 2026, according to a letter HUD sent to housing agencies across the country, including those in Utah. It advised housing authorities to 'manage your EHV program with the expectation that no additional funding from HUD will be forthcoming.' At least 281 vouchers are currently being used in Utah, according to HUD's website. That number is small compared to other states like California, where nearly 15,500 vouchers are at risk, according to the Associated Press. In total, roughly 60,000 people across the country could lose their rental assistance and face eviction at the end of next year unless Congress sets more money aside for the program. Janice Kimball, CEO of Housing Connect (Salt Lake County's housing authority) received one of those letters from HUD. In Salt Lake County, Emergency Housing Vouchers are helping keep at least 97 people or families housed. 'I think for this fiscal year, we're probably OK,' she told Utah News Dispatch. 'But we're really worried about next fiscal year.' Looking ahead to when the funds are set to expire in 2026, Kimball said 'we're trying to figure out how to keep those folks housed' by transitioning them or absorbing them into other programs, wherever possible. The vast majority of Utahns receiving assistance through Housing Connect do so with Section 8 vouchers, which Kimball said support about 3,000 households. But without more federal dollars, she said Salt Lake County would not be able to sustain its 97 Emergency Housing Vouchers long term. Utah youth homeless shelters face funding uncertainty amid federal cuts, freezes 'We don't have enough of our own funds to do that,' she said, adding that the average cost per unit the vouchers help fund cost about $1,110 per month, 'so we're spending just over $110,000 per month to keep those households housed.' The Housing Authority of Salt Lake City has also distributed a big chunk of Utah's Emergency Housing Vouchers. Currently, 77 vouchers are being used, according to Britnee Dabb, deputy director of Salt Lake City's housing authority. Though Dabb said the authority has been allocated funding for 98 vouchers, she said her team has moved some of the households to other long-term programs they qualify for instead of waiting for the funds to expire. But as for the other 77 still in use? 'If we can't find programs that the households qualify for and are open, these families will lose the rent subsidy and have a large probability of becoming homeless,' Dabb said. To not cause a panic, Kimball said Housing Connect hasn't been notifying renters just yet of the program's expiration date, given there's still so much uncertainty around what federal officials and Congress could do next. In the meantime, she said 'we're hoping that we'll get additional information from HUD, and we're hoping that we'll have an idea of future funding, because that gives us the tools to know what we can do and what we can't do.' How many Emergency Housing Vouchers are at risk in Utah Ogden Housing Authority: 19 Salt Lake County Housing Authority: 97 Salt Lake City Housing Authority: 77 Provo Housing Authority: 27 Utah County Housing Authority: 32 Carbon County Housing Authority: 6 St. George Housing Authority: 17 Cedar City Housing Authority: 12 'The other thing that's really frustrating is that Congress has not passed a budget for 2025, so we're operating on information that we think is current based on last year,' she said. Since the program isn't expected to end until around November 2026, Kimball added 'we have a little bit of time to kind of think this through. So we're hoping we can have the budget numbers in before we have to start making those calls.' Still, she worries the program's expiration will cause a setback during a time when housing in Utah and across the country continues to be a painful issue for so many Utahns and Americans. 'Right now, there's such a deficit of affordable housing that it's really hard for low-income households to be able to find a stable place to live,' she said. 'We should be adding to the mix to help families stay housed. And so, any resource that you remove from the community is detrimental.' Kimball said housing authorities are 'going to do everything they can to keep people housed,' but she said now is a 'good time' for Utahns to reach out to their congressional leaders and 'let them know what the value of housing is for you and your family.' In the past, when voucher programs have been awarded and expire, they are usually extended, Kimball said, 'and it's because of this reason: once you get households or families entered into leases, it's hard to unwind that. Usually it's just been extended.' But under Trump's administration and the GOP-controlled Congress, it's unclear whether that will happen. Kimball said the Emergency Housing Voucher program has helped hundreds of Utahns move from unstable housing or homelessness, to a safe, affordable situation. I can't believe, honestly, that they would (stop) that funding. I mean, this population that I'm included in. We're really vulnerable. We've been through a lot mentally. – Juanita Huertero 'They have some choice in where they can live. It gives them breathing room. … They can start building from there,' she said. 'Affordable housing is like the foundational game changer. It really keeps people stable and allows them to live.' Kimball said she 'can't even imagine having to tell these households that we can't house them.' Though it hasn't come to that, at least not yet, Kimball said she does worry it would be 'devastating' to those renters. While Utah's number of Emergency Housing Vouchers is small compared to other states, to Huertero, it would be life altering. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX She said she's been working hard to complete HUD's five-year Family Self-Sufficiency Program — which helps teach budgeting, saving and other financial goals while setting aside money whenever Huertero gets a salary bump in an escrow account that she can later use to buy a home. But she said she probably has another four years before she could graduate from that program. If the Emergency Housing Voucher program expires, Huertero worries she'll be forced to go back on affordable housing waitlists. 'I'm going to get on any wait list I can, just in case,' she said. Thinking about thousands of others like her who are at risk losing their rental assistance, Huertero choked back tears. 'I can't believe, honestly, that they would (stop) that funding. I mean, this population that I'm included in. We're really vulnerable. We've been through a lot mentally,' she said. 'I'm really struggling to try to understand all this.' She acknowledged that President Donald Trump's administration is looking to reign in federal spending, but pointing to chaos and uncertainty around other frozen funds or cuts, Huertero said she wishes the approach could be more compassionate. 'I get that, yeah, there are some things that really do need to change,' she said. 'But it didn't need to change all in one day, all in one month. You know, he has four years to make these changes.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
A federal emergency housing program is running out of money — fast
(NewsNation) — Some 60,000 people could soon be scrambling to pay rent if Congress doesn't add funding to a federal program supporting those fleeing homelessness and domestic violence. The Emergency Housing Voucher program launched in 2021 as part of then-President Joe Biden's pandemic-era American Rescue Plan Act to help people escape homelessness, domestic violence and human trafficking — but it's running out of money faster than expected. The program was allocated $5 billion, a sum originally expected to last until the end of the decade, but funding is now projected to run out by the end of next year, according to a letter from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development obtained by The Associated Press. 60,000 Americans to lose their rental assistance and risk eviction unless Congress acts If the funding runs out, tens of thousands of EHV recipients may have to find other ways to cover their rent, otherwise, they could be evicted. One analyst told the AP it would be among the largest one-time losses of rental assistance in the U.S. A March letter from HUD advised groups dispersing the funding to 'manage your EHV program with the expectation that no additional funding from HUD will be forthcoming.' The rapid increase in the cost of rent is the main reason funding ran out faster than anticipated. According to the latest program data, California has the most EHV beneficiaries (15,421), followed by New York (9,458) and Texas (3,486). Congresswoman Maxine Waters, a California Democrat, is pushing for an $8 billion infusion to shore up the program. Republicans consider increasing taxes on the rich in break from party orthodoxy 'The success of EHVs in helping to end homelessness for tens of thousands of households cannot beoverstated and, in addition to building more affordable housing, are an effective tool to combat homelessness,' Waters wrote in a recent letter to Rep. French Hill, R-AR, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee. The organizations lobbying Republican and Democratic lawmakers to re-up the funding told the AP they aren't optimistic. During his first term, President Donald Trump repeatedly called for massive spending cuts to HUD programs, and Republicans are currently trying to cut federal spending to afford tax cuts. On Monday, the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) warned that Trump's 2026 budget proposal is expected to include massive spending cuts to HUD's affordable housing programs and urged Congress to increase funding instead. 'The EHV program has been extremely successful, helping almost 60,000 people and families – and in particular families with children – find and maintain stable housing,' NLIHC said in a memo to members. In a recent interview, HUD Secretary Scott Turner blasted government housing subsidies and said they were 'never meant to be a hammock' but rather, 'a trampoline to project people on a different trajectory.' The Associated Press contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
