Following a whirlwind week in Los Angeles for the 2025 Innovations and Solutions for Ending Unsheltered Homelessness conference, we’re back in Washington, where the news certainly hasn’t let up. Here’s a quick run-down of everything we’re watching for you from the Nation’s Capital.
Update on FY2024 Continuum of Care Funding
Earlier this week, thanks to your efforts, Representatives Scott Peters (CA-50), Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), and Sara Jacobs (CA-51) and 52 of their colleagues in the House urged HUD to process the FY2024 grants and get those funds to providers.
In addition, the National Council of Nonprofits (NCN) filed a new motion in its case against the Office of Management and Budget which seeks to have the CoC grants covered by the court’s Preliminary Injunction that prevents the administration from implementing broad federal funding freezes. Stay tuned to NCN’s social media for updates.
The Alliance is hopeful that these efforts will prompt HUD to release the grants so that communities can continue their lifesaving work. Although the award letters and grant agreements in question have still not been processed as of this morning, we have received reports today that grantees have been notified that FY2024 CoC grants will begin to be processed as early as next week. Please be aware that this will use an expedited process.
In the meantime, we strongly advise funding recipients to:
- Hold off on pre-emptively winding down any programming until the timing of FY24 CoC processing becomes clearer, and
- Carefully read any documentation (including award letters and grants agreements) from HUD, as we expect significant changes to the content of these documents to reflect the priorities of the current Administration. This should likely include review by your legal counsel.
Stand Up For HUD
This coming Monday, March 10th, the Alliance will join local and national organizations from across the country in a day of action to push back against the dramatic staffing cuts that are currently proposed for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. There can be no doubt about it: these cuts will hurt local economies, worsen the affordable housing crisis, place even more people at risk of homelessness, and make it even more difficult for communities to respond to homelessness.
Please keep an eye out for an Advocacy Alert on Monday, which will help you stand up for HUD. In the meantime, organizations can add their names to the National Low Income Housing Coalition’s national sign-on letter.
Tell Us How You Want to Advocate
Advocacy has been the major theme of 2025 so far and we don’t see this changing anytime soon. With that in mind, our team has assembled a survey to help us better understand how you want to be engaged as an advocate, and how we can make these opportunities as convenient as possible.
Whether you consider yourself currently to be an advocate or not, please take a moment to complete the survey. You are our most important and impactful advocates, so please help us engage you with the opportunities that best suit you.
Ongoing Communication
The Alliance is committed to keeping you informed of what is happening in Washington so that communities and providers can plan and respond accordingly. To streamline our communications, over the next few weeks we will begin transitioning our end-of-week messages into our Tuesday “Best Practices” newsletter. Of course, if new actions are taken between those communications, we will get the word out. Please make sure that you and your colleagues are signed up for our newsletter and for our advocacy alerts so that you don’t miss any critical updates!
As always, I thank each of you for your tireless work during these uncertain times. We are incredibly grateful for your efforts.
Ann Oliva
CEO, National Alliance to End Homelessness