Trump’s Housing Plan Could Cut Aid for 1.4M Families
Synopsis
A proposed new budget by the Trump administration would strip housing assistance from more than 1.4 million low-income households in the U.S., according to a New York University study. Released to the Associated Press,…
A proposed new budget by the Trump administration would strip housing assistance from more than 1.4 million low-income households in the U.S., according to a New York University study. Released to the Associated Press, the study indicates that the proposal would impose a two-year cap on federal rental aid, a drastic shift from the present system, where families can receive assistance for many years if they are in need.
This shift would burden working families with kids the most. Based on the study, approximately 70% of the families that would be impacted have already been receiving assistance for over two years. Critics argue that this action would hurt individuals who are attempting to maintain employment or complete education while raising children, further decreasing their ability to stay afloat.
Five Major Housing Programs to Be Merged, Budget Cut by Nearly 50% Under New Proposal
The proposal would roll five large housing aid programs, such as Housing Choice Vouchers and Public Housing, into one. This new program, the State Rental Assistance Block Grant, would receive $31.79 billion. That's a significant reduction from the existing $58.51 billion.
Scott Turner, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), testified in a hearing in June that the housing system is currently broken. He maintained that housing assistance was never intended to be permanent and that the new plan would assist individuals to gain independence. "We want to break the cycle of dependency," he stated.
But housing specialists warn that eliminating assistance too quickly may cause more problems than it solves. When governments have attempted similar time limitations in the past, most of these programs have been discontinued because they did not succeed. In Tacoma, Washington, for instance, individuals who were not restricted by a time limit actually made more income and performed better generally.
Rising Opposition
There are also many in Congress resisting. Representative James Clyburn of South Carolina stated that there is no concrete evidence that the plan will be fiscally responsible. He cautioned that it will instead further plunge struggling families into crisis.
Individuals such as Aaliyah Barnes, who is a single mother living in Louisville and training to be a nurse, report feeling frightened. "I'm doing everything I'm supposed to do," she explained. "But under this plan, I could lose my home before I even graduate."
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