Reminder: HUD Funding, Staffing Under Threat; Read the Latest and Take Action Today
(May 20, 2025) As expected, the reductions in force at federal agencies have begun to impact capacity at regional affordable housing offices operated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
Following reports by LeadingAge members of significant delays in responses from HUD’s property Account Executives, LeadingAge has begun tracking down new organizational charts for each of the five HUD Multifamily Housing regions. For example, HUD’s Northeast Region, which operates 13 field offices in states along the eastern seaboard from Maine to Virginia (and including NYS), has reorganized their organizational structure after losing nearly 30 percent of staff. Like other HUD regions, the Northeast Region is in the process of reassigning HUD-assisted properties to the remaining staff throughout the region.
Unfortunately, LeadingAge expects additional staff reductions and field office closures in the coming months and will continue to work with the HUD Multifamily Housing regions to understand the impacts of staff reductions and advocate for maintaining capacity at field offices to fully administer HUD’s rental assistance programs for older adults.
In the meantime, on May 14th, the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance held a hearing on how to expand consumer choice and existing housing supply through the use of innovative housing solutions like manufactured housing, modular construction, and 3D-printed housing.
“Whatever their situation, I’m sure all of us have seen the dire need for housing supply that meets the need of this population in our districts. I know some may look at this problem and clamor for greater subsidies or more market intervention by the federal government, but the reality is, we don’t need more subsidies, we just need more homes at prices people can afford,” Subcommittee Chair Mike Flood (R-NE) said in his opening statement.
The chair’s statement comes at a time when the White House is requesting a 43.6 percent cut to HUD’s fiscal year (FY) 2026 appropriation. LeadingAge contends that public subsidy is needed to bridge the gap between what housing costs to build and operate, even innovatively built housing, because many older adults have incomes so low that they cannot afford to pay any combination of the capital or operating costs on their own. The average HUD-assisted older adult household, which has an average annual income of $16,668, can afford to pay about $390 per month for their housing costs (including utilities).
The Financial Services Committee has jurisdiction over HUD affordable housing policies rather than appropriations, but the policy and appropriations committees work closely together. Watch the hearing here.
As Congress engages in its process to determine FY 2026 funding for HUD, members need to hear from affordable housing stakeholders that sufficient HUD funding to preserve, expand, and improve affordable housing for older adults is critical. Let Congress know what we do not support (the White House’s recent request for Congress to cut HUD funding by 43.6 percent) and what we do support (funding to preserve, expand, and improve affordable housing for older adults) for FY 2026. Take action with this action alert.
Contact: Annalyse Komoroske Denio, akomoroskedenio@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8866