Housing First faces federal pushback under Trump's administration

Federal reviewers removed references to "Housing First" from Sam Tsemberis's presentation, and the administration's executive order plus a HUD funding proposal have prompted lawsuits that led a judge to pause the HUD proposal.

Sam Tsemberis developed the Housing First approach in the 1990s to provide housing without preconditions alongside supportive services. Recently, a federally funded event had Tsemberis's slides reviewed and edits were made that removed terms such as "Housing First," "harm reduction" and "trauma-informed." The White House issued an executive order that criticized Housing First and the Department of Housing and Urban Development proposed large cuts to permanent housing subsidies. Lawsuits filed by states and others have led a federal judge to pause the HUD proposal while legal challenges proceed. Key facts: - A federal reviewer asked for edits that removed references to "Housing First" and related terms from Tsemberis's presentation for a federally funded event. - President Trump's executive order "Ending Crime and Disorder on America's Streets" called out Housing First and stated federal dollars would not back the approach. - HUD proposed cutting permanent housing subsidies by roughly two-thirds, a proposal that was challenged in court and temporarily paused by a federal judge after lawsuits from states and DC. - Decades of research and long-running programs in the US and Europe report high housing retention for Housing First participants, and agencies have previously used the model to reduce veteran homelessness and local shelter populations. Summary: Federal actions have signaled a policy reversal that could affect programs and funding linked to Housing First. Legal challenges have temporarily stalled HUD's proposal, and the next procedural steps are ongoing and undetermined at this time.