Trump Administration Halts Program that keeps affordable housing liveable

According to a document received by Associated Press, the Trump administration is stopping the program of $ 1 billion, which is helping to preserve affordable housing, which helps to endanger thousands of units to hold thousands of units less for low -income Americans.

The action is part of a part of cuts and funding in the US Housing and Urban Development Department, roughly under the direction of President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s Government Efficiency Department, who have harassed the cheap-housing industry.

Protecting these units is less attention than ribbon-cutting, but it is a focal point of efforts to overcome the country’s housing crisis. Hundreds of thousands of low-up apartments, many of them are in danger of getting out under poor Americans, in the need of aging and immediate repair.

The program has already honored the projects that will upgrade at least 25,000 cheap units across the country, and will tell how this wound will be, it is not clear.

A spokesperson of HUD did not respond to repeated requests for remarks. But an internal document reviewed by AP said the program is being “finished” towards Dogi. Two HUDi workers, who have knowledge of the program and spoke on the situation of not printing the name to AP for fear of talking to AP, confirmed the instructions to shutter.

On this face, more than $ 1 billion and flexible retrofit program passed by Congress in 2022, means to improve energy-evil. It is distributed to the owners of affordable housing for the need to update, which includes heating and cooling systems, dripping roofs, aging insulation or windows, or flood -exemption.

But money plays a huge role in preserving cheap units.

Projects using money are required to keep their buildings cheaper for 25 years. Money is also taken advantage of to draw in other investments for major repair and renewal necessary to keep buildings alive.

Experts stated that it is like the construction of a Janga tower, where one of the grants or loans of the program – which ranges from hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars – is a lower block and each new block is another investment, the experts said.

This money was required to come together with the project, “American Community Developers, Inc. Mike Essean, vice president of K, said, which received funds for many affordable housing projects. “Projects will fail and these are projects that are already difficult for finance.”

The news is a blow for Al Hase and Zone Star, a tenant in an apartment building in Vancouver, Washington, with some or other options, is full of seniors with other low-income options-most of which are less than $ 33,000 in a year.

The 170-Unit Smith Tower apartments built in the 1960s require updates, including the first building-wide sprinkler system. The $ 10 million award was a financial kickstart for the approximately $ 100 million project, and is quoted in applications for other investments.

Possible damage “seriously ends our ability to be able to endanger our ability,” Greg Franks, president of the property management company, said, saying that the work is required to maintain the vibrancy of this building based on its age and to keep it feasible for another 60 years. “

“We are dependent on that $ 10 million,” he said.

So, in the 70s, there are a retired couple and stars who have lived there for 16 years.

They fill their balcony with Gerium and Petunis, count the eagles in a nearby park and stay away from social security income. He learned about potential funding loss in a letter from the management company of the apartment.

Hase told AP in a phone call, “It’s a little terrible, it is almost like receiving news from a doctor that you are going to take your life in a few months or a year.”

“We are from an era where there was no wage, so our social security …” he said, stopping. “Sucks,” pitching in the star.

“If I was born a rich man,” he said. Star said: “We are just regular people.”

“And we are lucky because we have got two social securities,” he said.

But being lucky, still not much in today’s rental market. “Prices are going up, I have seen, and there is no way,” he said.

“This is the difference between not being able to live and live,” he said.

HUDi, in search of contingency plans, lack of communication about the organizations sent future of the program, although about two dozen projects will still get funding, a HUD employee told AP. The rest are in Limbo.

“If these funds are not restored, we will definitely seek other money to fill that difference. The reality is that it will take time and essentially make the project more expensive, ”the Housing Development Center’s Travis Philips said about funding for Smith Tower.

This is the condition of several hundred other affordable residence projects that now find themselves in 42 states, Columbia district and Puerto Rico.

Smith Tower Administrator Michelle Arewalos said, “All honesty,” if this building was not here, many of our people will be really homeless. ,

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BEDAYN is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for the US Statehouse News initiative. The report for the US is a non -profit national service program that keeps journalists in the local news room to report on undercover issues.