20 states sue HUD over 'chaos' in program supporting homeless

Source: The Hill

11/25/25 7:09 PM ET


Democratic officials in 20 states and Washington, D.C., sued the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on Tuesday, alleging that its recent changes to the Continuum of Care (COC) housing program have thrown it into “chaos.” The complaint, filed in U.S. District Court in Rhode Island, says that HUD’s reversal of its “Housing First” model, its elimination of CoC funding to applicants who acknowledge transgender individuals and its discrimination against localities whose approach to homelessness is different from that of the Trump administration are “unlawful several times over.”

The CoC program provides funding to nonprofits, states, tribal authorities and local governments to rehouse homeless people, families, people fleeing violent situations and others in need of assistance. It was established via the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 1987 and codified by Congress in 2009.

Earlier this month, HUD Secretary Scott Turner unveiled sweeping reforms to the program. The department cut the percentage of program funds dedicated to long-term housing from roughly 90 percent to 30 percent. The majority of those funds will be redirected to transitional housing and supportive services. Turner justified the changes by arguing that they will help people “achieve long-term self-sufficiency and recovery” and “promote independence” from government-funded housing.

The lawsuit filed Tuesday, though, says that the funding and eligibility changes are part of the administration’s efforts to “reverse HUD’s longstanding, statutorily grounded commitments” to its “Housing First” model.

Read more: https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/5622678-lawsuit-against-hud-changes/