FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — Gov. Andy Beshear joined leaders from 19 other states and the District of Columbia in a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's decision to end federal housing support that could leave more than 1,900 Kentuckians homeless or at risk of losing their housing, officials reported.
The Office of Governor Beshear detailed that the policy changes would eliminate more than $15 million in federal funding to Kentucky, putting 700 households at risk of returning to homelessness and 1,200 Kentuckians at risk of losing their housing through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
"These illegal and cruel policy changes will cause more people – like veterans and families – to go homeless and make our communities less safe, with more people forced to live on the streets," Beshear said. "We should be helping people get back on their feet through a safe place to call home, not barring them from any chance of success. These policy changes are wrong and dangerous, and they will set our commonwealth and country back."
The lawsuit targets proposed changes to the Continuum of Care program, which directs federal dollars to keep families with children, seniors, veterans and disabled persons housed, officials noted.
The changes would put a 30% cap on funding that states can receive for permanent supportive housing projects and would require states to re-apply for money previously approved by Congress and awarded in 2024.
Without the changes, Kentucky is expected to receive over $21 million to keep people housed and provide homeless services, officials added. With a 30% cap, Kentucky would lose 70% of the more than $15 million currently approved that supports permanent supportive housing in 118 of the state's 120 counties.
The cap would also negatively impact more than $20 million in federal funding going toward rental assistance and supportive assistance for homeless Kentuckians, according to officials.
Eight of the grants currently awarded are specifically for Permanent Supportive Housing, which serve around 324 Kentuckians, including 69 survivors of domestic violence and 205 individuals with at least one disability, a release from Beshear's office read.
Amanda Couch, CEO of Welcome House Inc., an organization that helps with housing services across Northern Kentucky, said the funding cuts would devastate communities.
"If this funding disappears, these households will be pushed back into homelessness, and communities will lose the very programs proven to reduce crisis system costs and improve long-term outcomes," Amanda Couch, CEO of Welcome House Inc. said. "The need will not go away, but without this funding, our ability to respond will be severely diminished."
