Why Cutting Homeless Housing Programs Hurts All of Us

Recently, Politico reported that the federal government is planning to slash funding for permanent housing programs that help people move from homelessness into safe, stable homes. If these cuts go through, more than 170,000 people across the country could lose their housing and be pushed back into homelessness. That includes thousands right here in Michigan.

These programs, called permanent supportive housing (PSH), aren’t just government jargon. They are lifelines. They allow families to stay together, parents to care for their kids, and people with disabilities or chronic illnesses to live with dignity and stability. At Community Housing Network, we’ve seen the impact first-hand: people who once lived in shelters or on the street are now thriving in their own apartments, holding jobs and going back to school, making our communities safer and stronger in the process.

The proposed change would cut permanent housing funds in half and shift resources to short-term programs with work requirements. On the surface, this sounds reasonable — but what about veterans with PTSD, parents with chronic illnesses, or neighbors with severe mental health conditions. These are all disabling conditions – work requirements don’t apply because these are folks who literally cannot meet them. Removing their housing support won’t make them “self-sufficient.” It will simply force them back to shelters, hospital emergency rooms, or worse — the streets.

And here’s where it affects all of us. When people lose their homes, communities pay the price:

• Emergency rooms fill up, which means longer wait times for people in pain.
• Police departments face higher calls and costs, which can mean slower response times during emergencies.
• Families are split apart, which means added trauma for vulnerable children.
• Households spend more of their income on housing, which means less money circulating in the local economy, hurting small businesses.
• Neighborhoods feel the strain, which means they are not the thriving communities that benefit us all.

Homelessness is not just an individual tragedy — it is a community crisis, and requires community wide solutions. Removing PSH funding does not remove the need for PSH. 

Most importantly, we must remember this: people experiencing homelessness are just like you and me. They want safety. They want their families to thrive. They want a chance to build a stable future. Having a home of their own is the foundation that makes all of that possible.

The federal government’s own data has shown for decades that permanent supportive housing works. It reduces homelessness, saves taxpayer dollars, and gives people the stability they need to rebuild their lives. Cutting it would not only be cruel, but also reckless.

At Community Housing Network, we believe that when one of us is denied a safe place to call home, our entire community is weaker. When we lift people up with housing and support, we all thrive together.

Now is the time to raise our voices. Call your Senators. Call your Representatives. Tell them: protect permanent supportive housing. Protect our neighbors, our communities, and our shared future.