Recent cuts to the US federal government's flagship homelessness programme have been described as 'chaotic and disruptive' by advocates, who warn they will increase homelessness. The Continuum of Care (CoC) programme, which funds housing and services for people at risk of or experiencing homelessness, has faced sweeping policy shifts under the Trump administration, some reversed and others temporarily halted by the courts.
Shawn Pleasants, 58, who received a Section 8 voucher through the CoC after a decade living on the streets of Los Angeles, said the changes brought back the feeling of never being safe. The programme, built on the 'housing first' principle, has helped over 100,000 Americans per year, but the administration redirected the majority of federal housing vouchers from permanent housing to temporary shelters, potentially leaving 117,000 people without supportive housing, according to internal HUD documents.
Amanda Wehrman, director at non-profit Homebase, described the period as massively chaotic, with stops and starts, uncertainty about funding, and an inability to plan strategically. The initial November policy mandated treatment for recipients and penalised jurisdictions employing harm-reduction strategies or recognising transgender individuals, before being rolled back in December. Courts later blocked the funding overhauls, ordering HUD to process projects for 2025 but stopping short of compelling fund awards.
HUD issued new guidance in January, auto-renewing CoC funds with a 9 February deadline for project updates, though no funds will be awarded until the case is resolved. A HUD spokesperson stated the agency respects judicial directives but stands by its objective to overhaul what it calls America's 'failed homelessness system', which it claims relied on 'permanently warehousing the homeless at exorbitant taxpayer cost'. Housing first, a bipartisan policy since George W Bush and codified into federal law in 2009, is considered evidence-based by experts.
Dr Margot Kushel noted that housing first was a game-changer for getting people treatment by first securing permanent supportive housing. The confusion has sown widespread uncertainty among local governments, providers, and individuals unsure whether they will face eviction in the winter months.
