Homeless housing providers in Sonoma County are facing mounting uncertainty and potential funding lapses after the U.S. Housing and Urban Development, or HUD, temporarily withdrew a major funding overhaul this week.
According to the Press Democrat, the proposed new policies, which aimed to shift billions of dollars away from long-term supportive housing, were put on hold just hours before HUD was set to defend them in federal court.
For Sonoma County, the change threatened to cut HUD funding for permanent supportive housing from $4.2 million down to under $1.3 million.
Local providers, including COTS and Buckelew Programs, report they are already taking steps to transition clients out of housing because grants worth hundreds of thousands of dollars are set to expire early next year. Leaders warn the policy chaos could push some of the county’s most vulnerable residents—including veterans and people with chronic illnesses—back into homelessness.
