Trump Cuts to Continuum of Care Programs, Section 8 Housing Could Leave Hundreds of Thousands Unhoused, Exacerbate Homelessness

Roundtable | Photos

BOSTON – Yesterday, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), a Member of the Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance of the House Financial Services Committee (FSC), convened advocates and community partners to sound the alarm on the housing crisis created by Donald Trump and his harmful cuts to Continuum of Care programs and Section 8 housing. These cuts would jeopardize housing stability and critical services for vulnerable individuals and families, and significant delays in the distribution of Section 8 funding has already resulted in uncertainty and hardship for recipients and service providers across the Commonwealth.

Rep. Pressley recently joined her colleagues in demanding the Department of Housing and Urban Development avoid such a detrimental funding gap for Continuum of Care programs, which help many grantees in Boston with life-saving housing assistance, and renewed her calls at a House Financial Services Committee last week.

“Housing is not just a roof over your head—it is dignity, humanity, and security,” said Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley. “Our federal government has long divested and underinvested in affordable housing, systemically putting housing out of reach for far too many and disproportionately for marginalized communities. Today, with the cost of housing skyrocketing, Donald Trump’s cruel and harmful cuts to essential housing assistance programs like Continuum of Care and Section 8 are exacerbating this housing crisis and could leave more of our most vulnerable families unhoused. We must fight back and affirm safe, affordable, and accessible housing as the fundamental human right that it is.”

Joining Congresswoman Pressley at the convening were: State Senator Lydia Edwards; Anna Rouseau, MetroHousing; Caitlin Golden, Massachusetts Housing & Shelter Alliance (MHSA); Diane Cohen, Somerville Housing Authority; Lyndia Downie, Pine Street Inn; Gretchen Van Ness, LGBTQ Senior Housing, Inc; and Emily Levine, 2Life.

“American communities shouldn’t have to beg the Trump administration for Congressionally-approved funding they’ve already competed for and won. These abrupt changes do nothing to make housing more affordable and will instead hurt families, veterans, seniors, people with disabilities, and survivors of domestic violence who are stably housed thanks to these programs,” said Senator Warren. “I’m with the City of Boston, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and other affected communities in fighting back against these illegal funding cuts.”

“The cuts made by the Department of Housing and Urban Development are detrimental to a significant program that keeps people experiencing homelessness safe,” said Senator Lydia Edwards, State Senator for the Third Suffolk District. “These cuts ignore decades of evidence and threaten to destabilize more than 170,000 people nationwide. Massachusetts has fought hard to reduce homelessness, and these changes move us in the wrong direction. I want to thank the advocates, electeds and organizations who joined us today to remind us why funding for the Continuum of Care program is so vital, and I join my colleagues in urging HUD to immediately reconsider.” 

“HUD changes to the Continuum of care program will undo decades of progress in reducing homelessness. By limiting the use of funds for the proven Housing First approach, these changes will force thousands of disabled individuals back onto the streets. While overall funding remains unchanged, the new spending rules, which drastically reduce the funding for permanent housing, will ultimately raise costs by people using more expensive emergency services (shelters, hospitals, jails, and police interactions). And the human cost will increase because it will exacerbate human suffering and shattered lives.” – Rev. Anne M. Rousseau, CFO, Metro Housing Boston

“HUD’s changes to the Continuum of Care program create serious uncertainty for the providers and residents who rely on these critical resources every day. For years, this funding has supported proven approaches that help over 2,000 veterans, seniors, families, and people with disabilities access stable housing in Boston. The new requirements and altered funding structure place that stability at risk and could set back progress Boston has made in preventing homelessness. We are deeply concerned about the impact these shifts may have on our partners’ ability to deliver critical services.” – Daniel Lesser, Chief of Staff, Mayor’s Office of Housing at the City of Boston

“Rep. Ayanna Pressley has been a housing champion for many years, and I’m honored to join her at today’s housing roundtable discussion on recent HUD funding cuts impacting the Contiuum of Care and delays in Section 8 funding,” said Diane Cohen, Executive Director for the Somerville Housing Authority in Massachusetts. “As our communities face growing homelessness and housing affordability crises, we need a full toolbox of adequately funded solutions to help families find and keep homes. I join Rep. Pressley in calling for full renewal of all existing Continuum of Care grants, which will help keep nearly 170,000 formerly unhoused people nationwide in their homes. We also need to fully fund the Housing Choice Voucher program – including doubling the Housing Assistance Payment set-aside to account for skyrocketing rents, and continuing to fund the Emergency Housing Voucher accounts, which help the most at-risk families and individuals. These programs are not just numbers on a spreadsheet – they improve lives. Nearly three thousand families served by the Somerville Housing Authority have homes because of these programs, and over thirteen hundred private landlords and community organizations depend on timely payments to continue serving their communities. Affordable housing provides shelter and serves as a vital economic engine in our community, and we must recommit to the programs that help make it possible.”

“The Massachusetts Housing & Shelter Alliance (MHSA) is grateful for Congresswoman Pressley’s leadership. Right now, nearly 4,000 households statewide – individuals and families with disabilities – are in danger of losing their housing due to a dramatic policy change from the federal government. Thank you to Congresswoman Pressley for bringing together stakeholders to stand up for our communities and protect what we know works: housing solutions to homelessness.” – Caitlin Golden, Chief Policy & Strategy Officer, Massachusetts Housing & Shelter Alliance (MHSA)

“HUD funding has made the stability and safety of a home a reality for thousands of people in Massachusetts,” said Lyndia Downie, president and executive director of Pine Street Inn. “We are grateful for this support for housing people who have struggled with homelessness for many years. We appreciate the work of Congresswoman Pressley and the Massachusetts delegation for their help in ensuring that housing with support remains a priority for HUD.”

Footage of the roundtable discussion is available here. For photos from the event, click here.

As a Member of the Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance of the House Financial Services Committee (FSC), Rep. Pressley has consistently advocated for policies that affirm housing as a human right and center the dignity and humanity of all people.

• In December 2025, Rep. Pressley underscored the need to support grandfamily and kinship households, which are vital to preventing homelessness and keeping families and communities whole.
• In November 2025, on National Housing Day, Rep. Pressley introduced the Appraisal Modernization Act, legislation to promote equity and combat systemic bias in the home appraisal process that has disadvantaged many current and aspiring homeowners—especially homeowners of color.
• In October 2025, Rep. Pressley introduced the Innovation Fund Act to establish a program to reward communities that are taking innovative steps to increase housing supply.
• In May 2025, Rep, Pressley, along with Representatives Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Jimmy Gomez (CA-34), and Greg Casar (TX-35), reintroduced the Tenants’ Right to Organize Act, legislation to protect the power of tenants, including those with federal vouchers, to organize.
• In June 2024, Rep. Pressley, along with Representatives Maxine Waters (CA-43) and Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), re-introduced the Tenant Empowerment Act, bold legislation to strengthen HUD tenant protections and provide renters with the tools necessary to improve the quality of their homes.
• In March 2024, Rep. Pressley, along with Mayor Wu, visited Roxbury to celebrate the $1,000,000 in federal funding she secured to provide emergency childcare support for families experiencing homelessness in the City of Boston.
• In March 2024, Rep. Pressley, along with Senators Warren and Markey, applauded the final passage of $850,000 in federal community project funding for The Pryde, an affordable housing development for LGBTQ+ seniors in Hyde Park.
• In March 2024, Rep. Pressley urged Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell to cut interest rates to boost home affordability and construction of affordable housing.
• In January 2024, Rep. Pressley, during a House Financial Services Committee Hearing, highlighted the growing housing crisis and how appraisal bias and discriminatory tenant screening practices exacerbate the racial wealth and homeownership gaps, especially for Black communities.
• In January 2024, Rep. Pressley celebrated the $2.4 million in federal funding she secured to support the community-led transformation of the Clarendon Hill housing community, an ethnically, linguistically and economically diverse neighborhood in Somerville.
• In December 2023, Rep. Pressley requested the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to provide data on housing needs for Medicaid beneficiaries and feedback on challenges the agency is having in covering housing support for people requiring home and community-based services (HCBS).
• In July 2023, Rep. Pressley, along with Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) and Congresswoman Cori Bush (MO-01), reintroduced the Housing Emergencies Lifeline Program (HELP) Act, critical legislation to provide much-needed assistance to those facing eviction amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. 
• In June 2023, Rep. Pressley and Rep. Rashida Tlaib introduced the Housing for Formerly Incarcerated Reentry and Stable Tenancy (Housing FIRST) Act, bold legislation to help people who are formerly incarcerated and those with criminal histories access safe and stable housing.
• In September 2021, Rep. Pressley joined Rep. Bush and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) in introducing the Keeping Renters Safe Act of 2021 to enact an urgently needed nationwide eviction moratorium. 
• On July 2021, ahead of the expiration of the previous CDC eviction moratorium, Reps. Pressley, Bush, Gomez and their progressive colleagues sent a letter renewing their calls for President Biden and CDC Director Rochelle Walensky to extend the federal eviction moratorium and prevent the historic and deadly wave of evictions that would occur if the government failed to do so. 
• On July 30, 2021, Rep. Pressley joined House Financial Services Committee Chairwoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) in introducing the Protecting Renters from Evictions Act of 2021, legislation to extend the eviction moratorium through the end of the year. 
• In June 2021, Rep. Pressley, along with Reps. Gomez and Bush, led over 40 of their colleagues on a letter urging President Biden and CDC Director Walensky to extend and strengthen the moratorium for the duration of the public health crisis. 
• In June 2021, Congresswoman Pressley, along with Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), re-introduced the Rent and Mortgage Cancellation Act, a bill to institute a nationwide cancellation of rents and home mortgage payments through the duration of the coronavirus pandemic.
• On May 18, 2021, Reps. Bush and Pressley sent a letter to the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), calling on the CDC to strengthen and extend the federal moratorium on evictions, ensuring families can remain safely in their homes for the duration of the COVID-19 global health emergency.
• On July 28, 2020, Rep. Pressley, Rep. DeLauro and Sen. Harris introduced the Housing Emergencies Lifeline Program (HELP) Act to provide much-needed, layered assistance to those facing eviction amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
• On July 24, 2020, in a Financial Services Committee hearing, Rep. Pressley discussed the unprecedented financial cliff facing millions of renters and homeowners, the economic consequences of millions losing their homes, including the ability to return to work, and why funding for legal representation is so critical.
• On May 11, 2020, Reps. Tlaib, and Joe Neguse (D-CO) urge House and Senate leadership to include $11.5 billion in funding for Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) in the next relief package to aid the nation’s homeless population who are experiencing heightened vulnerability during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• On April 10, 2020, Rep. Pressley urged Congressional leadership to prioritize recurring monthly cash payments to those most at-risk during the COVID-19 crisis. This funding would allow people to cover all their bills, including rent.
• On April 17, 2020, Reps. Pressley, Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and colleagues introduce the Rent and Mortgage Cancellation Act, a bill to institute a nationwide cancellation of rents and home mortgage payments through the duration of the coronavirus pandemic.

• On March 23, 2020, Reps. Pressley and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) introduced the Public Health Emergency Shelter Act of 2020, legislation to provide critical funding to states and local governments responding to the needs of families and individuals experiencing homelessness during the COVID-19 crisis. This legislation was included and passed through the HEROES Act and H.R. 7301, the Emergency Housing Protections and Relief Act of 2020.
• On March 19, 2020, Rep. Pressley, along with progressive lawmakers and organizations, introduced the Housing is a Human Right Act to authorize more than $200 billion in federal spending over 10 years for crucial housing infrastructure and reduce homelessness.
• On March 18, 2020, Reps. Pressley, Katie Porter (D-CA) and Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) wrote to HUD calling for a moratorium on evicting renters during the coronavirus pandemic.
• In July 2019, Rep. Pressley announced legislation that would prohibit the use of biometric recognition technology in most public and assisted housing units funded by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), protecting tenants from biased surveillance technology. 
• In November 2019, Rep. Pressley and Rep. Tlaib wrote to HUD blasting the agency for ignoring low-income tenants seeking to save their homes.

###