Lives In Limbo: 60,000 Households Face Eviction As Housing Voucher Program Falters

Thousands will face the risk of eviction as $5 billion rental assistance program runs out of money.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has warned local housing authorities that the rental assistance program is running out of money, putting 60,000 households at risk of eviction.

Local public housing authorities administering funds from the Emergency Housing Voucher program received a March 6 notice from HUD announcing the program’s expiration, Governing reports. According to the letter, agencies will receive one final payment this spring, which may allow some to extend the program into 2026.

The announcement means there is no plan to prevent the $5 billion program from running out of funds. Roughly 60,000 renters who benefit from the vouchers — more than 15,000 of them in California — will be at risk of losing their housing once the final dollars run out.

Despite the short notice, housing authorities were advised to proceed “with the expectation that no additional funding from HUD will be forthcoming.”

“This could very well lead to thousands of additional people becoming homeless in California,” said Alex Visotzky, senior policy fellow, the National Alliance to End Homelessness.

The Emergency Housing Voucher program is specifically designed for those in the most critical need, including individuals experiencing homelessness, those at risk of losing their housing, and anyone fleeing domestic violence or human trafficking. In California’s major metro areas, voucher waitlists often exceed a decade.

This means housing authorities will have few if any, extra vouchers to offer those losing assistance from the emergency program. Without an alternative solution, authorities could face the unfortunate challenge of revoking aid from individuals who rely on it to keep a roof over their heads. The fund’s end comes as the Trump administration makes sweeping cuts to federal programs nationwide.

“We should figure out a way to save this program and make sure these people continue to receive federal rental assistance,” said Tushar Gurjal, a policy analyst at the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials. “None of these folks did anything wrong. They’re just using their vouchers and following all the rules.”