Maricopa County stands to lose $32 million and up to 1,388 housing units for vulnerable residents
WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Representative Greg Stanton (D-AZ) today called on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary to rescind guidance that cuts federal funding for proven Housing First models by more than half. Stanton is the former Mayor of Phoenix, Arizona, and former Chair of the Maricopa Regional Continuum of Care which works to address homelessness.
“With this shift, the Trump administration is abandoning decades of evidence-based policy,” Stanton writes to HUD Secretary Scott Turner.
The full letter is HERE.
HUD’s new guidance limits funds for permanent supportive housing to just 30% of a total award. This sweeping change would cut federal support for Maricopa County, Arizona by more than half. 81% of the $53 million Maricopa County Continuum of Care goes towards permanent supportive housing. Maricopa Association of Governments estimates they risk losing $32 million in federal assistance and up to 1,388 housing units.
Stanton also warns “the sudden and significant changes to longstanding federal policy represent a near-unworkable challenge to local governments, as well as housing developers and investors.” Communities may see funding severely delayed, and the instability in federal funding will impact private developers of affordable housing units.
“Behind every number in a grant line item is a human being, someone who has overcome great adversity to achieve stability. These vulnerable Americans now risk eviction and a slide back into homelessness, undoing years of hard-won progress. They deserve far better from their government,” Stanton concludes.