05.21.2019

WASHINGTON -- Progressive organizations raise concerns over a Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) proposal that would put thousands of families at risk of eviction, homelessness and family separation by requiring families receiving assistance to prove eligibility of all members in their household. The letter comes as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson testifies before the House Financial Services committee.

The rule change is widely considered as an attempt by the administration to prevent mixed status families from living in federally subsidized housing. The letter outlines that “based on an analysis conducted by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), this rule change would threaten 25,000 families, including 55,000 children, with displacement at an increased cost of $200 million per year.”

While HUD officials have advocated for the rule change, a growing list of groups including Make the Road NY, CASA, Center For Popular Democracy, United We Dream, Families Belong Together, Raices and others have denounced it as the latest assault by the Trump administration on our communities.

“A policy that rips families from their homes is inhumane and morally bankrupt. This rule would threaten thousands of families with displacement, forcing children and parents into homeless, hunger, and constant instability. This rule is a continuation of Trump’s anti-Immigrant and white nationalist agenda, that aims to exclude immigrants at all costs. In the face of hateful policy, we must fight to protect our families and continue to build a society that includes all of us.” Ana María Archila, Co-Executive Director of the Center for Popular Democracy.

“According to a recent HUD Homeless Assessment report, the states most affected would be California, Texas, and New York. These three states hold nearly half of the countries homelessness,” said CASA’s Executive Director Gustavo Torres. “We encourage you to revoke this rule as it will have a devastating impact on our families who need the assistance the most. It will also be a strain on our economy.”

Read the full letter here.

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Inarú Meléndez, imelendez@populardemocracy.org, 413-331-9530