$5 Billion Rental Assistance Fund Set to Run Out of Cash

“No additional funding from HUD will be forthcoming,” HUD announces.

1 minute read

March 20, 2025, 10:00 AM PDT

By Christine McLaren


Close-up on door handle with door key inserted and blurred furnished room visible beyond.

MyCreative / Adobe Stock

A “quiet panic” has set in among housing authorities across the US as a $5 billion fund that helps people on the verge of homelessness pay rent is set to run out of money — with no plan in place to replace it.

The US Department of Housing and Urban Development sent letters to local housing authorities in early March informing them that the Emergency Housing Voucher program is expiring with “the expectation that no additional funding from HUD will be forthcoming,” reports Ben Christopher for News From The States.

“For the housing authority staff who received the letter, it remains unclear whether the program is winding down simply because it has run out of funds on its own accord or whether it represents a policy shift from the Trump administration, which has been on an aggressive and often uncoordinated cost cutting tear across the federal bureaucracy,” writes Christopher. 

The program supports roughly 60,000 renters and specifically targets the people in most dire need: “people currently living on the street or in shelters, those just on the verge of homelessness and anyone fleeing domestic violence or human trafficking.” 

Read News From The States’ detailed report below. 

Tuesday, March 18, 2025 in News From the States

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

June 11, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Metrorail train pulling into newly opened subterranean station in Washington, D.C. with crowd on platform taking photos.

Congressman Proposes Bill to Rename DC Metro “Trump Train”

The Make Autorail Great Again Act would withhold federal funding to the system until the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), rebrands as the Washington Metropolitan Authority for Greater Access (WMAGA).

June 2, 2025 - The Hill

Large crowd on street in San Francisco, California during Oktoberfest festival.

The Simple Legislative Tool Transforming Vacant Downtowns

In California, Michigan and Georgia, an easy win is bringing dollars — and delight — back to city centers.

June 2, 2025 - Robbie Silver

Street scene in Kathmandu, Nepal with yellow minibuses and other traffic.

The Small South Asian Republic Going all in on EVs

Thanks to one simple policy change less than five years ago, 65% of new cars in this Himalayan country are now electric.

1 hour ago - Fast Company

Bike lane in Washington D.C. protected by low concrete barriers.

DC Backpedals on Bike Lane Protection, Swaps Barriers for Paint

Citing aesthetic concerns, the city is removing the concrete barriers and flexposts that once separated Arizona Avenue cyclists from motor vehicles.

3 hours ago - The Washington Post

Bird's eye view of studio apartment design.

In These Cities, Most New Housing is Under 441 Square Feet

With loosened restrictions on “micro-housing,” tiny units now make up as much as 66% of newly constructed housing.

5 hours ago - Smart Cities Dive