State Sues Over Trump Administration Funding Cuts for Homeless
Kaul joins 19 states in suit. Cuts would leave many homeless in Milwaukee.
A homeless tent encampment on the edge of MacArthur Square. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.
Wisconsin is suing the Trump administration over new policies it argues will cut funding for homelessness programs.
Attorney General Josh Kaul joined 19 other states in a lawsuit filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Rhode Island challenging the administration’s new rules for funding by the Continuum of Care (CoC) program, which is “the federal government’s flagship program for funding housing and other services for individuals at risk of and experiencing homelessness,” according to the civil complaint.
The U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) department has released a notice announcing funding and grants available for CoC programs and it included several major policy changes that have not been approved by Congress. The states argue the policy changes will result in thousands of people facing homelessness, including many in Milwaukee County.
“The Trump Administration has embraced policies that risk trapping people in poverty and punishing them for being poor,” the complaint states.
The new policies eliminate HUD support for Housing First programs, which prioritize housing for people facing homelessness with preconditions requiring sobriety or mental health treatment. It cuts funding to programs that “acknowledge the existence of transgender and gender-diverse people,” according to the complaint. It also penalizes local governments whose homelessness policies differ from the federal government’s.
The lawsuit is asking a federal judge to enjoin the new funding notice, holding the policies unlawful and setting them aside in favor a previous set of rules for CoC funding, or at least allowing the funds to flow to programs as directed by Congress.
“Homelessness is a pervasive issue all across our state and nation, and it is unconscionable to even consider kicking thousands of kids, families, seniors, veterans, and more, out of their housing during the coldest months of the year,” said Gov. Tony Evers Tuesday.
HUD distributes billions of dollars annually to CoC programs around the country. In Milwaukee County, where the homelessness response is built upon a Housing First Model, the CoC spends millions every year directly on housing for persons facing homelessness.
If the policy changes move forward, there are more than 900 people in Milwaukee who could be made homeless over the next year if funding for the local CoC is cut, according to information released by Evers’ office. The CoC also funds housing for more than 770 children who would otherwise be homeless.
More than 100 Milwaukee people, mostly women, are in a CoC housing program after escaping a domestic violence situation. Nearly 2,000 people struggling with addiction, mental health challenges or disabilities are receiving help through the CoC. More than 800 of them have no income at all, and most others have extremely low income.
“These are families and adults who simply cannot compete in Milwaukee’s rental market without support—many would be on the street tomorrow without assistance,” according to Evers’ office.
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