Rhode Island's Peter Neronha, 20 attorneys general including Massachusetts and Connecticut are suing the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The lawsuit filed in Rhode Island Federal Court alleges that HUD has unlawfully capped funding for permanent housing projects.
“The Trump Administration consistently and constantly targets our most vulnerable Americans, and this case is no different,” said Attorney General Neronha. “Those experiencing homelessness are in dire need of support, and these unlawful conditions on funding for permanent housing will cause tens of thousands of people to lose their homes. While this Administration will almost certainly continue trying to make life harder for Rhode Islanders and Americans everywhere, we will continue to fight for those who can’t fight for themselves.”
It also claims that HUD has undermined the Continuum of Care, which supports housing programs for the homeless and people with housing instability.
“Trump tried to impose drastic, cruel conditions on homelessness funding that would have thrown thousands of people out of their homes and onto the streets. We sued, we won, but now Trump is back at it again. His cruelty truly has no bounds. We are heading back to court, and we will keep fighting for as long as it takes to protect safe and stable housing,” said Connecticut Attorney General William Tong.
“Instead of helping us tackle our housing crisis, the Trump Administration is once again standing in our way and putting thousands of vulnerable people at risk,” said Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell. “The court has previously ruled that the federal government cannot arbitrarily impose a new and illegal cap on funding for permanent housing, and we intend to be successful again.”
In June, HUD announced one-point-three billion-dollars in cuts for permanent housing programs. The plaintiffs say that would result in tens of thousands of people losing their homes.
(Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
Photo: Kent Nishimura / Getty Images News / Getty Images