Dec. 19 (UPI) — A federal judge has stopped the Trump administration from changing the conditions for allocating $3.9 billion in federal funds to homeless support programs.
U.S. District Court of Rhode Island Judge Mary McElroy issued a preliminary injunction on Friday that stops officials with the Housing and Urban Development Department from significantly changing how the funding approved by Congress would be spent, NPR reported.
“Continuity of housing and stability for vulnerable populations is clearly in the public interest,” McElroy said while ordering HUD to abide by the prior funding requirements.
The ruling applies to HUD’s Continuum of Care program that provides funding for local non-profits and other organizations that help people who are homeless to learn about and access housing resources, according to Politico.
A group of 20 states, 11 local units and several nonprofits sued HUD after its leadership in November revoked prior funding notices and changed how the funds would be distributed.
The changes greatly reduce federal grants to permanent housing, which McElroy said likely go against the requirements set forth in the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, which mostly applies to educational opportunities for children.
HUD officials said the new policies are intended to “restore accountability” and support “self-sufficiency” by focusing on the causes of homelessness, including “illicit drugs and mental illness.”
HUD officials also said they increased the total amount available from $3.6 billion to $3/9 billion.
Opponents to the changes argue that they put 170,000 people at risk of losing their homes and the relatively sudden change in funding requirements makes it very hard for impacted programs to file new funding applications.
Complicating the matter is the 43-day federal government shutdown that started on Oct. 1 and ended on Nov. 12.
McElroy, who was appointed to the bench by President Donald Trump in 2019, said the plaintiffs are likely to win their case when she issued the preliminary injunction.