The Trump administration has proposed sweeping cuts to federal housing programs — eliminating the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and the HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) entirely and slashing housing vouchers and rental assistance by 43 percent. That’s a more than $33 billion cut from programs that help keep families housed.
We agree it’s time for an honest look at these programs. While they’ve done a lot of good, they’re far from perfect. They need reform. What they don’t need is to be dismantled.
It’s worth remembering why these programs were created in the first place. In the 1970s, cities across the country were facing economic decline and a lack of investment in local infrastructure. Leaders from both parties recognized that local communities know best how to address their own challenges. That’s where CDBG came in, launched in 1974 under Republican President Gerald Ford with bipartisan support.
By 1990, housing stock across the country was aging and construction was slowing down, unable to keep pace with population growth. In response, HOME was created under Republican President George H.W. Bush, again with bipartisan backing. This time, the mission was even more focused: help communities build, preserve and improve affordable housing and encourage local investment and public-private partnerships.
Yes, these programs have helped a lot of people and many communities. But they also haven’t always lived up to their promises. And that’s a reason to fix them — not abandon them.
Here’s what the proposed cuts would mean from where we sit in South Florida: One-third of the residents in SFCLT homes rely on Section 8 vouchers. Many are elderly or living with disabilities. Cuts of this scale wouldn’t just take away assistance, they’d take away people’s homes. The administration’s proposed budget also calls for cuts to the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which helps families keep the lights on and air conditioning running during South Florida’s hottest months. Without it, people will face impossible choices: cool my home, buy groceries or pay for medicine?
Cutting these programs doesn’t make those needs go away. It just shifts the burden to emergency rooms, shelters and already overwhelmed local systems — a move that’s far more costly in the long run. In Florida, for example, a proposed $2.8 billion tax relief package would significantly reduce state revenues at a time when cities are already projecting shortfalls that threaten essential services like public safety, infrastructure and sanitation. It’s a perfect storm — one we may not fully feel yet, but it's coming.
Very often we hear the argument that the market should be left to solve the housing crisis on its own. But in South Florida, as in many regions across the country, the numbers just don’t add up. Rising construction and home insurance costs, limited land, stagnant wages and massive population shifts have created a gap the private sector simply can’t fill. If the market alone could fix this, it would have done so by now. The hard truth is that without strategic federal support, the math simply doesn’t work.
At SFCLT, we rely on CDBG and HOME for nearly every project we take on. These programs help bridge the gap between what the market delivers and what our communities actually need: affordable housing for teachers, nurses, first responders, seniors, veterans and more. That’s why we’re calling for a balanced, common-sense approach that includes:
• Preserving core funding but ensuring it’s spent efficiently and with greater accountability. For CDBG, that means prioritizing projects directly related to housing or infrastructure improvements that support increased housing density. For HOME, it means streamlining approvals and reducing red tape.
• Depoliticizing the local CDBG allocation process to ensure that funds are directed to communities with the greatest need.
• At the federal level, updating the funding formula to accurately identify high-need communities and ensure that up-to-date data is used to guide funding decisions.
• Prioritizing long-term solutions that promote lasting affordability, such as community land trusts like ours.
• And rather than providing indefinite rental assistance or cutting it off after two years, gradually phasing out support for able-bodied working families to promote stability and upward mobility.
Fiscal responsibility isn’t just about cutting budgets. It’s about making smart investments that drive economic stability and ensure that working families can meet their basic needs without falling into crisis. Housing is one of those investments.
We’re ready to work with anyone — Democrat, Republican or independent — to strengthen these programs and make them more effective. But abandoning them altogether would be a mistake. Housing isn’t a red or blue issue. It’s the foundation for stability, dignity and economic opportunity.
Mandy Bartle is the president and CEO of the South Florida Community Land Trust, a nonprofit developer that works with cities and local partners to build affordable housing for low-income and working families. Its properties, located throughout Broward and Miami-Dade counties, include both rental and homeownership opportunities.
Governing’s opinion columns reflect the views of their authors and not necessarily those of Governing’s editors or management.
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