Public News Service – The Trump Administration plans to make significant cuts to permanent housing supports which largely benefit families with children, and those who have experienced homelessness in the past.

The change would cut two-thirds of funding from the Continuum of Care program, according to Department of Housing and Urban Development documents obtained by Politico.

Alison Eisinger, executive director of the Seattle King County Coalition on Homelessness, said 3,500 households in King County are at risk of losing their homes because of these cuts.

“What is going to happen across this country is a nightmare but it is a nightmare that doesn’t have to be this way,” Eisinger asserted. “It is being perpetrated by our federal government on us and it just breaks my heart.”

Cuts to the Continuum of Care and Emergency Housing Voucher programs would risk forcing over 275,000 people across the country out of their housing, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness. Based on the last count, homelessness has increased by about 9% in Washington since 2022, up to nearly 160,000 people.

Proponents of the move said cutting funding for permanent housing is intended to promote self-sufficiency. Eisinger countered the idea does not reflect reality.

“What happens to somebody who’s disabled and living on $804 a month?” Eisinger asked. “Unless they’re fortunate enough to have a friend or family member who they can stay with, those people are going to be out on the streets.”

Eisinger added even for people who are able to work, rent exceeds what many of them can afford. Research shows for every $100 increase in rent in a city, there is at least a 9% corresponding increase in the number of people who experience homelessness.