Late yesterday evening (2/13/25), we learned that the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) plans to discharge 50% of its employees after they received directions early this week from President Trump to “undertake preparations to initiate large-scale reductions in force” that focus on workers who have roles that are not required by any law or statute or are a part of a role that involves working with “diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.”
This drastic reduction in HUD staff will make it significantly harder to access critical federal resources that are used to:
- Rebuild housing and infrastructure after major disasters and mitigate future harm.
- Build and preserve affordable rental housing for low-income households.
- Provide rental assistance.
- Address and prevent homelessness.
- Revitalize neighborhoods and promote economic development, as well as infrastructure and service improvement across communities.
- Reform restrictive zoning and land use regulations that inflate housing costs
Shelters will close their doors; construction on new projects will stop; households receiving rental assistance will face rent increases and risk eviction; and the communities, families, and small businesses that have been impacted by disasters, including our communities in Western and Eastern North Carolina, will be unable to rebuild.
TAKE ACTION TODAY!
- Contact your representatives and urge them to protect HUD programs and staff!
- Sign onto our letter to protect critical federal resources and programs that communities across our state and country rely on. Sign on here.
North Carolina communities cannot afford to lose HUD funding for critical housing, community, and homelessness programs. Reduction in staff means reduction in capacity and increased barriers to congressionally approved federal investments that are needed to address our most pressing housing challenges. Take action today!
