New Trump Rule Puts Millions at Risk of Losing Rental Assistance

If a proposed change to HUD regulations allowing for time limits and work requirements for aid is implemented, low-income Americans could lose their housing.

The Trump administration is proposing a rule that would upend the way federal rental assistance is administered. By allowing new work requirements for the low-income Americans who receive aid, and more stringent time limits on beneficiaries’ periods of eligibility, some experts believe this move could put millions at risk of losing their housing.

The change to Department of Housing and Urban Development regulations would bestow the decision about whether to implement these requirements upon local housing authorities and private property owners. These authorities and owners could institute term limits for as short a period of time as two years, as well as new work requirements mandating a 40-hour workweek. The proposal would be applicable to “work-eligible” individuals between the ages of 18 and 61 with some exemptions, including recipients with disabilities, caretakers of those with disabilities, and parents of children under 6 years old.

President Donald Trump included a two-year limit on assistance in his budget last year—along with a 40 percent cut to rental aid—but Congress did not pass any such legislation. This rule would bypass Congress, which could open it up to legal challenges. HUD argues that instituting these restrictions would encourage low-income households receiving rental assistance to find a more permanent home, and increase turnover in public housing such that more people currently on the waiting list are able to be served.

Critics counter that rather than encourage upward mobility, the proposed rule would simply make it more difficult for low-income households to maintain stable housing.

Renee Williams, senior policy adviser at the National Low Income Housing Coalition, argued that the proposed rule is predicated on the “false idea” that Americans reliant on rental assistance are not employed. For those recipients who already work but do not necessarily meet the 40-hour threshold, this proposal could add significant complications to their daily lives.

“What is trying to be accomplished here is not actually getting at the root causes of housing instability and poverty,” said Williams. In areas with higher rents, if a household is unable to meet those work requirements or find affordable housing within the time limit, they could lose their subsidies and be forced to reapply to the program.

“Even if you are able to get 40 hours a week—which is not a given in a lot of variable, low-wage jobs—the rent is still unaffordable, and so a lot of folks are going to need and rely on rental assistance to be able to stay housed, even if they are working,” said Williams. The work requirements could also add a significant administrative burden both on those who are mandated to........

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