The recent cuts to federal homelessness funding are devastating. In our community alone, these cuts would eliminate essential permanent housing programs that currently keep nearly 2,500 formerly homeless residents safely housed. These are not just statistics. We are talking about real people, the majority of whom are elders, people with disabilities, families, and survivors of domestic violence. They are stably housed right now, but without these federally-funded programs, they will be forced back onto the streets.
This new funding direction contradicts decades of evidence about what actually ends homelessness. It will not reduce the crisis. It will make it dramatically worse, driving hundreds of thousands more into homelessness locally and across the nation. The human and financial consequences of such a decision will be felt for generations.
These cuts would not only undo years of progress, they would dismantle the foundation of our region’s homelessness response system. Programs funded through federal Continuum of Care grants have shown extraordinary success: 95% of participants in permanent supportive housing remain housed for at least one year. The proposed changes would divert millions of dollars from our community, forcing people back into homelessness and overwhelming already strained emergency, health care, and shelter systems.
Destination: Home strongly opposes these harmful changes and calls on local, state, and federal partners to stand together to protect the lives and stability of our community members. We urge immediate action to preserve this life-saving funding for permanent housing programs and keep these vulnerable residents from losing their homes.