The Trump administration has presented an unprecedented turn in the policy of tackling homelessness in the United States. The Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) new plan redirects US$ 3.9 billion for short-term programmes that require work, reinforce police action against camps and make aid conditional on treatment for drug addiction or mental disorders.
The hardest blow falls on the model Housing First, adopted since 2009: funding for subsidised permanent housing will be reduced by around two thirds as early as next year. Experts warn that up to 170 thousand people, all disabled and many over 50, could lose their homes and return to the streets as early as January.
For critics, the change is “catastrophic” and technically impossible to offset with local resources. Conservative allies, meanwhile, say that programmes could adapt by adopting requirements such as compulsory treatment or work rules.
The new rules also weaken the autonomy of the 400 local funding systems and allow the government to reject projects that previously complied with diversity and equity policies.
🔎 PopRua Radar will continue to follow how these changes affect real lives - and what this says about the future of global policies for PopRua.
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