Document OEq6n1bwQZw4j8JxRxLkzMN0j

FW: <External Message> HUD Daily Briefing (3-31-25) From: To: Date: Attachments: "Lee, Jessica K. EOP/OMB" (b) (6) "Askew, Emil E. EOP/OMB"(b) (6) "Belford, Sarah H. EOP/OMB" (b) (6) "Chase, Anthony N. EOP/OMB" b) (6) , "King, Kelly C. EOP/OMB" (b) (6) 'Kruse, Megan K. EOP/OMB" (b) (6) (b) (6) .(b) (6) "Radzinschi, Lucas R. EOP/OMB" "Reynado, Kharl M. EOP/OMB" "Stoffers, Ryan E. EOP/OMB" b) (6) Mon, 31 Mar 2025 09:26:07 -0400 HUD Daily Briefing (3-31-25).docx (480.44 kB) Good morning and happy Monday! Hope everyone had a nice weekend. From: Ballard, Daniel L <(b) (6) Sent: Monday, March 31, 2025 7:38 AM To: Lee, Jessica K. E0P/OMB Lb) (6) Subject: FW: <External Message> HUD Daily Briefing (3-31-25) From: HUD Daily (b) (6) Sent: Monday, March 31, 2025 7:31:27 AM (UTC-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada) To: g) (6) Subject: <External Message> HUD Daily Briefing (3-31-25) CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. If you have concerns about the content of the email, please send it to phishinqnhud.crov or click the Report Phishing Button on the Outlook ribbon or Phishing option within OWA. P ~E NT O,, 011 % * * IIIM1 4 41t CIEVt."' HUD DAILY BRIEFING Prepared for the Office of Public Affairs, U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development By TechMIS HUD.TechMlS.com Mobile User Copy 1 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023804 TO: DATE: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development & Staff Monday, March 31, 2025 7:00 AM ET HUD News and Opinion HUD chief showcases how private-public partnerships uplift economically neglected areas in Philly tour (FOXNews.com) - full text One River Marina plans excite HUD Secretary Turner (PA Times, PA) - full text HUD chief puts illegal aliens living in government-funded housing on notice: Americans are 'our only priority' (FOXNews.com) - full text HUD Chief Warns Illegal Aliens in Government-Funded Housinq Nationwide -- California Sanctuary Cities to Face Biggest Impact (USA Herald, NY) - full text Trump Administration Sues to Void Union Deals Across Government (Bloomberg) - full text Trump administration sues to end some federal workers' union contracts (Politico) - full text 'It didn't have to be this way' - Fired HUD probationary employees denied back pay (WTOP, Washington, DC) - full text Affordable Housing Renovations Halt Mid-Air Amidst DOGE Clawbacks (Planetizen) - full text JCT1 Advocates in CT predict White House's 'inexcusable' cuts to HUD would exacerbate homelessness here (CT Insider, CT) - full text fCT1Blumenthal says Trump's HUD cuts would increase homelessness (WSHU-FM 91.1, CT) - full text [PA1 Parker's housing plan is ambitious, but can it overcome steep challenges? I Editorial (Philadelphia Inquirer, PA) - full text [MOlTenants worried as Lee's Summit Housing Authority drops to 1 full-time employee (KSHB, MO) - full text fLA] New Orleans' public housing agency has a new director. Here are her plans. (Times Picayune / NOLA.com, LA) - full text JILL POAH set to start construction next month on $44M mixed-use project (Chicago Business Journal, IL) - full text JIM Homeless Indy residents will lose access to emergency HUD and IHA vouchers (WFYI Indianapolis' Public Radio, IN) - full text [WAI Seattle homelessness, housing workers fear federal cuts are coming (Seattle Times, WA) full text fPR1Trump, Bad Bunny and Puerto Rico's Perennially Broken Power Grid (Politico) - full text National Housinq News 2 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023805 Federal judge orders CFPB to reinstate terminated employees (HousingWire.com) - full text District Judge Blocks CFPB Firings (The Mortgage Point) - full text Judge grants CFPB preliminary injunction, halts mass firings (National Mortgage News) - full text Trump signs order ending union bargaining rights for wide swaths of federal employees (NPR) - full text Trump Order Could Cripple Federal Worker Unions Fighting DOGE Cuts (New York Times) - full text Trump administration sues to invalidate dozens of union contracts (Reuters) - full text Trump Demolishes Federal Workers' Union Rights Ahead of Mass Firing (The New Republic Online) - full text Fed CIO Offices, 20-Plus Agencies Losing Union Bargaining Under New EO (MeriTalk) - full text Trump Admin Targets Key Policy for Closing Gaps in Access to Home Loans and More (Next City) full text Exclusive: All CDFI programs legally required, Treasury suggests (National Mortgage News) - full text Fannie Mae raises home-sales outlook while downgrading economic growth forecast (HousingWire.com) - full text Rates have room to come down as economy cools: Fannie Mae (Inman) - full text Fannie Mae boosts mortgage origination, home sales forecasts (National Mortgage News) - full text Barr welcomes regulatory rethink but Fed needs to supervise (National Mortgage News) - full text Uptick in goods inflation underscores Fed uncertainty (National Mortgage News) - full text Economic Fears Surge as Americans Brace for Uncertainty (The Mortgage Point) - full text DOGE wants businesses to run government services 'as much as possible' (Washington Post) - full text DOGE team defends government downsizing efforts (The National Desk) - full text WashPost: Trump Cutting Up to 50 Percent in Federal Agencies (NewsMax.com) - full text How U.S. Agencies are Handling Government Layoffs (The Mortgage Point) - full text GSE release likely to face significant hurdles (National Mortgage News) - full text Home Price Growth Remains Drama-Free (MortgageNewsDaily) - full text US Housing Payments Hit Record High (Newsweek) - full text Purchase Applications Improve; Refinancing Ebbs (MortgageNewsDaily) - full text 3 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023806 Mortgage Rates Move Lower Even Though They Weren't Supposed To (MortgageNewsDaily) - full text [DC] Reimagining D.C.'s controversial concrete landmarks (Washington Business Journal. DC) - full text [ID] Idaho passes new law to curb use of mortgage trigger leads (HousingWire.com) - full text fID1 Idaho passes trigger lead bill as national ban is brewing (National Mortgage News) - full text [CA] California Best Title to pay $150K in incentives settlement (HousingWire.com) - full text Broadcast (TV and Radio) HUD Sec. Scott Turner speaks with Greg Kelly on illegal migrants and more (NEWSMX-TV) HUD workers face blows as they're fired then rehired without back pay (WTOP-FM CBS DC) [MA] Springfield families with vouchers struggle to find affordable housing (WGGB-TV Fox Springfield, MA) ECT1 Developer considers turning mall into apartments to address inventory issue (WVIT-TV NBC Hartford, CT) [NY] Residents in Albany speak out against conditions at housing project (WGDJ-AM Albany. NY) (NY] Florida woman scams NYC into paying her rent (WNYC-FM NPR New York, NY) IPA] HUD Sec. Scott Turner visits Philadelphia Housing Authority (WCAU-TV NBC Philadelphia. PA) [PA] Philadelphia Housing Authority will have more affordable housing in Germantown (WPVI-TV ABC Philadelphia, PA) PA] Pittsburgh mayor signs order to protect against housing discrimination and displacement (WTAE-TV ABC Pittsburgh, PA) IPA] Pittsburgh woman receives new home through HEARTH nonprofit (WPXI-TV NBC Pittsburgh, PA) [FL] Tallahassee Housing Authority to look for new leadership after director announces retirement (WCTV-TV CBS Tallahassee, FL) [FL] Youth drop-in center opens in Pine Hills thanks to HUD funding (CFLN-TV Spectrum News Orlando, FL) JAR] Springdale mayor says most of Community Block Grant funding will go to city's housing rehab program (KFSM-TV CBS Ft. Smith, AR) [MO] Tenants at a Lee's Summit Housing Authority complex still asking for changes (KSHB-TV NBC Kansas City. MO) [MO] Red Cross and HUD still offering help for Cloverleaf residents after property deemed unsafe (KMBC-TV ABC Kansas City. MO) 4 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023807 [OH] Toledo's Fair Housing Center faces challenges amid DOGE cuts (WTOL-TV CBS Toledo, OH) (TX] After-school learning complex opens at San Antonio's Westway Apartments (KABB-TV Fox San Antonio. TX) (NV] Nevada Rural Housing Authority opens wait list for unhoused in Carson City (KRNV-TV NBC Reno, NV) Housing Supply How Cities Are Turning Empty Offices Into Housing--and What It Really Takes to Make It Work (propmodo) - full text New Home Sales Should Come With a Warning (MortgageNewsDaily) - full text Pending Home Sales Crack Half-Hearted Smile Amid Longer Term Depression (MortgageNewsDaily) - full text (WA] Legislature is leading WA's housing policy. That isn't sitting right in Seattle (Seattle Times, WA) - full text (WA] Seattle council's plan for housing in Sodo carries rewards and risks (Seattle Times, WA) - full text (WA] Seattle used to have affordable housing. What happened to it? (Seattle Times, WA) - full text [CA] Marin approves $9.39M more for rural housing project (Mahn Independent Journal, CA) - full text Homeownership Home Buyers Start to Come Off Sidelines Even as Rates, Prices Stay Stuck (Wall Street Journal) full text Homeownership is 'an investment,' Maryland governor says. High prices mean fewer young adults can benefit (CNBC) - full text Home Equity Lending Increases by 10.8% in 2024 (Inside Mortgage Finance) How home equity platforms can use Al to reach consumers (National Mortgage News) - full text No, homeowner delinquency rates aren't elevated (HousingWire.com) - full text Congress must stop Biden's VA mortgage bailout -- before it's too late (The Hill) - full text [Nyl From homeless and sleeping on the floor to living in a new house (WBFO, Buffalo. NY) - full text [NY] 'This is my house': Habitat Buffalo dedicates new home for Vazquez family (Buffalo News, NY) - full text (MS] Judge denies Pennymac. Caliber motions to dismiss lawsuit (National Mortgage News) - full text 5 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023808 fMN] Tolkkinen: Greater Minnesota homeowners nervous about rising costs are taking on renters (Minneapolis Star Tribune, MN) - full text [WA1 Single mothers benefit from Tacoma Habitat for Humanity's housing initiative (King5.com. Seattle. WA) - full text Climate Resilience and Sustainability Climate disasters are on the rise. These states want to make oil companies pay. (Stateline) - full text [CAI Laguna Beach awarded FEMA and state grant funding, to mitigate wildfire hazards in two canyon areas (Los Angeles Times. CA) - full text Disaster Recovery INC] Residents debate new performing arts center as Asheville prepares Helene recovery blueprint (WHOR. Wilmington. NC) - full text (SC) What has been learned and what's left to do six months after Helene (Aiken Standard, SC) full text (CA) In Altadena, RV dwellers live next to their homes, straddling burn zone and normalcy (Los Angeles Times) - full text [CAI KB Home to build first wildfire-resistant community in SoCal (Inman) - full text [CA] California suspends environmental laws to speed rebuilding of utilities after L.A. fires (Los Angeles Times, CA) - full text fCA1 FEMA Extends Deadline to Submit Right of Entry Forms for Debris Removal; Expands Eligibility (Palisadian-Post, CA) - full text [CAI Palisades Fire Cleanup Deadline Extended, More Properties Eligible (Pacific Palisades Patch, CA) - full text [HI] Heated dispute erupts over disaster recovery fund for HECO (Hawaii News Now. Honolulu, HI) - full text JHII West Maui hotels recognized for renovations as recovery efforts continues for region (Hawaii News Now, Honolulu, HI) - full text Homelessness In Cities' Rush to Clear Homeless Camps, People Have Been Crushed to Death (New York Times) - full text LOT] Opinion: Connecticut's homeless survived winter. We need a better support system in time for next one. (CT Insider, CT) - full text INY1 Domestic violence transfer housing proposed (Mid-Hudson News. NY) - full text [PA] Bethlehem Haven becomes Pennsylvania's first certified medical respite center for homeless (Pittsburgh Business Times, PA) - full text 6 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023809 INC' Out of Sight, Out of Mind - The realities of homelessness in Washington (Washington Daily News, NC) - full text [SC] Medical examiner: Man killed during Atlanta homeless encampment sweep died from blunt force trauma (WRDW-TV CBS 12 Augusta, SC) - full text EFL] Volusia County deputies clear homeless camp after attempted murder last week (Fox 35 Orlando, FL) - full text JFLI A Fort Myers church says many times homeless children are forgotten & need help (WFTX-TV Fox 4 Cape Coral, FL) - full text JFLI DeLand homeless camp to be cleared after attempted murder (Daytona Beach News Journal, FL) - full text fFL1 Mayor addresses homelessness challenges in Gainesville amid rising concerns (WCJB-TV ABC 20 Gainesville, FL) - full text JFLI New resource center for homeless teens and young adults opens in Orange County (WESHTV NBC 2 Daytona Beach, FL) - full text [FL] Bills aim to prioritize housing for at-risk students (Florida A&M University Famuan, FL) - full text [FL] The Florida Youth SHINE advocacy group is back -- lobbying for more foster care reforms (WLRN, FL) - full text [FL] Drop-in center for homeless youth opens its doors in Pine Hills (Central Florida News 13, Orlando, FL) - full text EMS] With nowhere to go, more face homelessness on Mississippi's Gulf Coast (WDAM-TV NBC 7 Laurel, MS) - full text fLA1 New Orleans not providing adequate oversight for homeless shelters, audit finds (KTBS.com, Shreveport, LA) - full text JMIl 'Major housing problem' - Pontiac activist, lawmakers fight high costs, poor conditions (Detroit Free Press, MI) - full text JMIl Mel Trotter Ministries to pilot new housing program for homeless men (Grand Rapids Press, MI) - full text [ILI Illinois bill to protect homeless from fines faces law enforcement backlash (Center Square Illinois, IL) - full text JMN1 Need help finding housing or financial aid? Minnesota's growing number of hubs support families. (Minneapolis Star Tribune, MN) - full text [TX] Travis County Commissioners Greenlight $5M to Housing for Homeless Austinites (Austin Chronicle, TX) - full text JTX1 How SoldiersVillage is giving homeless veterans a new life (KXII-TV 12, Sherman, TX) - full text 1OK1 'Not solving any problem' - OKC's Homeless Alliance, lawmakers question bill to restrict homelessness shelter zoning (News 9, Oklahoma City, OK) - full text 7 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023810 [OKI 'Planting a seed': Tulsa nonprofit places homeless veterans in housing (KJRH-TV, Tulsa, OK) - full text [Sp] Good NAtured second Houseless Forum discussion of long-term strategies to combat homelessness (Argus Leader, SD) - full text [KS] United Way Announces $3.2 Million Grant To Help With Housing Assistance (CommunityVoiceKS.com, Wichita, KS) - full text [COI Denver art project unites formerly unhoused people to address barriers of homelessness (KMGH-TV ABC 7 Denver, CO) - full text [AZ] 12News gets answers after concern grows over homeless encampment near south Phoenix neighborhood (KPNX-TV NBC 12 Mesa, AZ) - full text JAZ] City opens Phoenix Navigation Center, a new homeless shelter with close to 300 emergency beds (KJZZ.org, Phoenix, AZ) - full text MA] Federal Way hotels for homeless to be fully open by fall 2025 (Kent Reporter, WA) - full text [WA] State's successful homeless encampment removal program could see cuts (Seattle Times, WA) - full text [OM After nearly 40 years serving homeless youth. Portland transitional housing program forced to close (Oregonian, OR) - full text [OR] Oregon city at heart of high court homelessness ruling blocked from enforcing camping ban (Associated Press) - full text fOR1 Protest against Old Town hotel owner turns violent, as homeless aid effort splits neighborhood (Oregonian, OR) - full text ICA] Congress reestablished its caucus to address homelessness. Rep. Nanette Barragan, its cochair, outlines the goals (Orange County Register, CA) - full text [CAT Federal judge questions LA leaders about wasteful homeless spending following audit (ABC7.com, Los Angeles, CA) - full text ICAl Judge to L.A. Leaders - 'I Am Your Worst Nightmare' in Scathing Homeless Spending Rebuke [Santa Monica Mirror, CA) - full text [CA] 'Disingenuous: ' S.F. lawmaker blasts Mayor Lurie over Bayview homeless shelterplans (San Francisco Chronicle, CA) - full text JCAlActivists push back on planned Oakland homeless encampment sweeps (KNTV-TV NBC San Jose, CA) - full text [CAl Laguna Beach community shows support for existing homeless shelter in canyon (Los Angeles Times) - full text ICA1Six Arrested in Homeless Encampments Between Escondido & Harmony Grove in San Diego County (Sierra Sun Times, CA) - full text ICA1Veterans Transition Center's Lightfighter Village in Marina complete (Monterey Herald, CA) full text 8 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023811 [CA] Homeless prevention funds Why some programs were saved but others face cuts (LAist, CA) full text [CA] Housing for homeless families coming in September (Benito Link. CA) - full text [CA] To understand homelessness, listen to homeless people. Here's what I learned (Los Angeles Times, CA) - full text Fair Housing Judge reverses DOGE efforts to cancel HUD fair housing grants (Real Deal) - full text US Regulators Plan to Withdraw Overhauls to Anti-Redlining Rules (Bloomberg) - full text Federal banking agencies seek to rescind 2023 CRA rule (HousingWire.com) - full text Regulators plan to withdraw overhauls to anti-redlining rules (National Mortgage News) - full text CFPB cites DEI in push to kill $105k settlement with mortgage broker (Inman) - full text The CFPB fined a lender for discrimination. Now it wants to give the money back. (Yahoo! Finance) - full text [NY] Fair housing suit against Elliman. agents dismissed with prejudice (Inman) - full text [PA] Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule cut. PHRC responds (NorthCentralPA.com, Williamsport, PA) - full text [PA] Gainey clamps down on housing discrimination as Trump rolls back federal protections (Pittsburgh Tribune Review. PA) - full text [PA] Pittsburgh Mayor Gainey seeks to enhance anti-discrimination housing protections (90.5 WESA, Pittsburgh, PA) - full text [OH] The Fair Housing Center issues statement on canceled grants (PointandShoreland.com. OH) full text [TX] Abbott Launches Fair Housing Investigation Into Muslim 'EPIC City' Development (The Texan, TX) - full text [TX] Gov. Abbott says group behind Muslim-centric neighborhood is potentially discriminatory (Dallas Morning News, TX) - full text [TX] State Investigating Muslim Compound for Fair Housing Violations (Texas Scorecard, TX) - full text Federal Housing Administration and Multifamily Housing Loan Think How Trump's housing policies could reshape mortgages (National Mortgage News) full text Correspondents Regain FHA/VA Market Share in 4Q (Inside Mortgage Finance) 5 Common Reverse Mortgage Myths, Debunked (Money) - full text 9 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023812 Public and Indian Housing JCT1 Shippan Place, subsidized apartment building in Stamford, due for renovations (CT Insider, CT) - full text [CT1 Car Crashes into Building in Preston Connecticut (WTIC - Audacy.com, CT) JCT.] Vehicle crashes into building at Preston housing complex, officials say (CT Insider, CT) [NY] Public housing tenants call for cleaner, safer conditions (WTen.com, NY) - full text ENY1 Tenants demands action from Albany Housing Authority over poor apartment conditions (CBS 6, NY) - full text [NY] Unfreezing New York's Projects (City Journal, NY) - full text [NY] Florida woman scammed rent from NYCHA while living 1,000 miles away, prosecutors say (Gothamist, NY) - full text [NY] Woman accused of illegally subletting Section 8 housing in NYC (PIX11, NY) - full text [NY.] Report: Woman accused of NYC rent scam while living in Hialeah (Local10.com, Miami, FL) full text INY1 Southampton Town Board Approves Funds to Help Build Affordable Housing (Dan's Papers, NY) - full text JNYI 97-year-old woman says NYCHA apartment infested with mice (News 12 Bronx, NY) - full text [PAO PHA acquires 381 homes in Germantown for $75.9 million (Philadelphia Inquirer, PA) - full text [PA] Philly housing authority buys multifamily portfolio for $76M (Real Deal) - full text EPA] PHA 'moving aggressively' to buy up apartment buildings (Philly Voice, PA) - full text JPA] Philadelphia Housing Authority pays $76 million for Germantown apartment portfolio (Philadelphia Business Journal, PA) - full text JPA1 Woman, her children receive safe housing from local nonprofit, Allegheny County Housing Authority (WPXI, Pittsburgh, PA) - full text IDE1 New State Housing Director Matthew Heckles discusses plans to tackle Delaware's housing crisis (Delaware Public Media, DE) - full text JVAI Housing Authority gets green light to change its name (Bristol Herald Courier, VA) - full text [FL] Tallahassee Housing Authority director announces retirement Friday (WCTV6, FL) - full text JMS1 Laurel Housing Authority launches community garden partnership (Laurel Leader-Call, MS) full text ILA1Greinwich Village residents complain of decrepit, abandoned houses (KPLC TV, LA) - full text [OH1 Stark Metropolitan Housing Authority undergoes manager shakeup amid restructuring (Canton Repository, OH) - full text 10 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023813 [OH) Suspect arrested in CMHA police chase also convicted in 'Promise beating (Cleveland 19 News, OH) - full text [TX) Emergency housing voucher funding ends (Uvalde Leader-News, TX) - full text ITXI 'It needs to stop' - Garbage continues to pile up at Moss Rose apartments in Killeen, Texas (KWTX, TX) - full text (ND) Increasing available housing in Jamestown a challenge (Jamestown Sun. ND) - full text [001 CHA progresses on Jane's Place, executive director search (Mountain Mail, CO) - full text jCO1 Is it time for a Vail Valley housing authority? Housing needs assessment shows a growing need (Vail Daily. CO) - full text 10O1 Xcel declined $1M offer for Zuni power plant ahead of landmark application (Denver Post. CO) - full text [CA) Former San Jose motel to become permanent housing (San Jose Spotlight, CA) - full text JCAI Renovation of long-neglected park in S.F.'s Western Addition gets an emotion-filled kickoff (San Francisco Chronicle, CA) - full text [CA] Work Gets Underway on 96-Unit Affordable Housing Project in Los Angeles' Rose Hill Neighborhood (RENTV.com, CA) - full text [CA1 Housing Authority Plans 204 New Apartments in Santa Barbara for Seniors (Noozhawk.com, CA) - full text Community Planning and Development [FL' Sarasota County office formed to oversee housing programs (Sarasota Observer, FL) - full text [UT] Salt Lake City charging ahead with HUD grants despite Washington turmoil (KUER 90.1, Salt Lake City. UT) - full text JAZZ SV City Council takes first look at CDBG proposals (MyHeraldReview.com, Sierra Vista. AZ) full text JAZ) $50 million in federal funding won't reach Arizona projects because of government shutdown bill (KJZZ.org, Phoenix. AZ) - full text [ID) City of Boise seeks clarity on stalled federal funding (Idaho Press-Tribune, ID) - full text [CA) Oceanside Skate Park Reopens After Nearly $500K Renovation (Camp Pendleton Patch, CA) - full text Affordable Housing Housing affordability worsens in O1, home prices outpace wages (HousingWire.com) - full text (ME] A new Portland tenants union wants to help monitor for rent control violations (Portland Press Herald, ME) - full text 11 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023814 fMA1 Springfield resident describes impact of affordable housing cuts on the city (Western Mass News, MA) - full text ENY1 Gloversville Common Council approves pro-housing pledge (The Daily Gazette. NY) - full text INJ1 In New Jersey, Pivotal Affordable Housing Decision Turns 50 (Shelterforce) - full text IPA' MidPoint affiliate acquires Penn Avenue site in East Liberty for 43-unit affordable senior complex (Pittsburgh Business Times, PA) - full text 'SCI Charleston County launches fund to boost affordable housing throughout area (WTMA.com, SC) - full text [SC1 Charleston County creates $8 million loan fund to help developers build affordable housing (Charleston Post and Courier, SC) - full text JGA1 Savannah passes affordable housing 'overlay' zoning district, meant to boost city's housing supply (Georgia Public Broadcasting, GA) - full text fILI Rep. Maurice West and Arne Duncan - Illinois must invest in housing support for people exiting prison (Chicago Tribune, IL) - full text jMN1Vacant lots in North Minneapolis set to become affordable housing project (Twin Cities Business Journal, MN) - full text [MT] Missoula Redevelopment Agency amends guidelines around workforce housing assistance (KPAX, Missoula, MT) - full text 'NMI New program allows landlords to turn run down properties into affordable rentals (KRQE, Albuquerque. NM) - full text JWA1 Langley residents divided over affordable housing project (South Whidbey Record, WA) - full text fCA1 Mountain View looks to protect tenants from landlord harassment, retaliation (Mountain View Voice, CA) - full text Headlines The Washington Post The New York Times The Wall Street Journal ABC News CBS News CNN Fox News NBC News 12 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023815 Washington Schedule President Vice President Senate House of Representatives Editorial Note: This Brief represents summarized content - click on the hyperlink to access full-text articles for these news summaries. Disclaimer: The information and views expressed in this News Briefing do not necessarily represent the views of HUD or the United States and do not constitute an endorsement by the Department. HUD News and Opinion HUD chief showcases how private-public partnerships uplift economically neglected areas in Philly tour (FOXNews.com) - full text FOXNews.com [3/30/2025 3:57 PM, Emma Colton, 46189K] VIDEO. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner is reinvigorating the private sector's role in aiding economically distressed areas that have been neglected for decades -- including touring areas of Philadelphia that have seen massive development since he served in the first Trump administration. "The last five years have brought $84 billion of private investment. One million people have gotten lifted off the poverty rolls. Home values and Opportunity Zones have risen, while rents did not go up. And so the Opportunity Zones initiative is not only about economic development, but it's about community development. Families are able to build brand-new foundations for their lives," Turner told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview from Philadelphia. Turner traveled to the City of Brotherly Love on Thursday to meet with local community and business leaders to discuss and tour recently revitalized areas of the city and Opportunity Zone projects, which are defined as economically distressed areas across the nation that incentivize investment and economic development through federal tax benefits to investors. Opportunity Zones were created under the first Trump administration through the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Turner served as the executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council during the first Trump administration, as well as led the Opportunity Zones Initiative. Now that Turner is serving as the secretary of HUD in the second Trump administration, he previewed his excitement over "Opportunity Zones 2.0" that will make the program "even better than before." "I'm very excited about the extension, the continuation of Opportunity Zones. And Opportunity Zones 2.0, if you will, and my estimation will be even better. So I'm looking 13 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023816 forward to working with Sen. Tim Scott, Congress, the White House, and our private partners to make this even better than before," he said. Turner spent Thursday meeting with local leaders at the Philadelphia Housing Authority, before touring a grocery store built in a North Philadelphia neighborhood, SharswoodBlumberg, that has historically been rocked by crime and economic struggles. The grocery store, called Grocery Outlet, is part of a mixed-use development project that came about after HUD announced a $30 million Choice Neighborhoods Grant in 2020 that attracted an additional $517 million in private and public investments. The development includes a community center that houses the Philadelphia Housing Authority, a health clinic and additional housing. Turner also toured a newly completed building in Philadelphia's Fishtown neighborhood, called The Battery, which is an Opportunity Zone Development that has provided nearly 200 apartment units nestled along the Delaware River with views of Philadelphia's skyline. The building is also home to a luxury boutique hotel called Riversuites at The Battery. The building previously served as a power plant that was built just after World War I, before it was shuttered and sat vacant for decades with no hope of revitalization due to its lofty costs and work to rehab, according to investors and local development leaders who joined Turner on his tour of the building. The building's prospects turned around in 2020, as the area's Opportunity Zone designation and tax incentives to preserve historic properties attracted $154 million in investments. Now, the building showcases modern living spaces, while preserving its turn-of-thecentury architecture in an area of Philadelphia that had previously been neglected for housing and economic opportunities. "I'm very excited. We're here at the Battery in Philadelphia, which is an Opportunity Zone project. It's a mixed-use development. This is an old factory that they repurposed this building to bring mixed-use, economic development and community development using the Opportunity Zone initiative. I'm so excited to see," Turner told Fox News Digital from The Battery's rooftop, which boasts the energy plant's old smokestacks that have been transformed into private terraces. "There's living space here. There's commercial space here. And people in this area now can utilize this... 50 years this place was dilapidated and closed. And now, through the investment of Opportunity Zones... this is a thriving place that Philadelphians can once use again," he added. Turner explained to Fox Digital that developments in Opportunity Zones impact families and entire communities, while also rallying economic opportunities for private investors. "Philadelphia has done a great job as it pertains to Opportunity Zones.. . And I would say, and I will say, there's a lot of excitement from our private development people, and partners around the country about the extenuation of Opportunity Zones. Families are impacted. We're mission-minded at HUD. It's economic development, it's community development. Our mission is to be a blessing to the people that we serve. Having publicprivate partnerships allows us and helps us to do this for the people of America, and 14 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023817 Opportunity Zones is a major factor in that," he said. Philadelphia has been rocked by crime, fentanyl addiction and homelessness in recent years, which were three issues that spiraled nationwide amid and following the coronavirus pandemic. Turner highlighted to Fox News Digital that "government is not the answer" to issues related to America's housing crisis, homelessness, drug addiction and crime, but instead must operate as a "partner" to the private sector, faith-based programs and nonprofits. "Homelessness is a big deal in our country," he said. "It went up 18% in the last year -- over 770,000 people on one single night in January of 2024 were homeless, and that's unacceptable. With record funding coming from HUD, we still have a homelessness crisis in our country." "Public-private partnerships are vital to eradicating homelessness," he continued. "Faithbased institutions, nonprofit institutions that are doing the work on a daily basis, we have to partner. The federal government is not the answer. The federal government is a great partner, a great facilitator. But it's the private sector, it's faith-based, it's the nonprofits that really have their hands to the plow and their feet on the ground, that are doing the everyday work." The HUD secretary has been on an immigration blitz, including joining forces with Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem last week to form a new interagency initiative aimed at ensuring that federal housing funds do not go to illegal immigrants. The pair of Trump officials signed a Memorandum of Understanding Monday that solidified the partnership in its effort to end "wasteful misappropriation" of taxpayerfunded public housing resources that previously benefited illegal immigrants who flooded the nation under the Biden administration. Turner said illegal immigrants taking advantage of government-funded housing are "on notice" that he and HUD are prioritizing only Americans for housing. "Those that are here illegally, that are living in HUD-funded public housing, we're putting (them) on notice this is not acceptable," Turner said. "We will not have it anymore." "At HUD, we only serve one out of four Americans that we should be serving, and that has to come to an end," Turner continued. "And so we're not only making it a priority, but we are making that our only priority, that American citizens will benefit from hard-working American taxpayer dollars." One River Marina plans excite HUD Secretary Turner (PA Times, PA) - full text PA Times [3/28/2025 8:00 AM, Tom Waring, 132K, PA] Scott Turner, secretary of the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, was in Philadelphia on Thursday for a series of events, including a stop at the Quaker City Yacht Club, where there is a planned $40 million project taking place in an Opportunity Zone, meant to spur investment. Turner met with property owners Ron and Dana Russikoff, who last year bought the Delaware River waterfront land at 5190 Princeton Ave. from BSI Construction. "This is beautiful. We don't have this in Dallas," said Turner, a businessman and former NFL player and Texas state representative. 15 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023818 The Russikoffs have grand plans. Right now, Quaker City Yacht Club -- with a bar and event space -- is their tenant. That structure will be rebuilt for use by the yacht club, which has been in existence since 1887. The Russikoffs, who had their 1994 wedding reception at the yacht club, are former owners of the SureShade retractable sunshade product line for boats. Their latest venture is One River Development, which consists of 5.8 acres. They plan to develop a full-service marina and entertainment complex -- One River Marina. The Russikoffs have seen similar developments in waterfront communities in other parts of the country. "We want to bring that here," Ron said. One River Marina, with dockmaster John Nugent, will feature 200 to 250 boat slips, boat storage and boat fuel. There will be a swimming club, three different restaurant concepts and a four-level parking garage with 280 spaces, not to mention great views of the river. "Developing that vision, that's what excites us," Ron said. "We're 100 percent connected to the neighborhood," Dana said. One River Marina will seek to revitalize boating on the Delaware River, attracting both land-based residents and traveling waterborne tourists. "This is an amazing part of the city," Dana Russikoff told Turner. "We're looking forward to bringing it back." Turner was joined by Joe DeFelice, a Winchester Park resident who is a HUD regional administrator. Other stops on Turner's tour were the Sharswood Blumberg housing development at 24th and Master streets; The Battery, a former power plant in Fishtown that was converted, thanks to being in an Opportunity Zone, to housing and many amenities; and the Riverview Wellness Village, a recovery housing property at 7979 State Road, where he met with Mayor Cherelle Parker. City Councilman Mike Driscoll attended the event at the yacht club. As a state representative, he sponsored legislation that led to the site being included as an Opportunity Zone and One River Marina being able to buy and develop it. "We're reconnecting folks back to the river," he said. There are 8,764 certified Opportunity Zones in the United States, including 82 in Philadelphia. "Opportunity Zones have been extremely impactful for our country," Turner said. Turner said Opportunity Zones spur economic development and improve communities. Home values rise, he said, and people come off poverty rolls. "It's been transformative for our country," he said. Turner was impressed with The Battery redevelopment in an Opportunity Zone and believes One River Marina will be a great use of Opportunity Zone land because of its beautiful location and the concepts, ideas and strategies the Russikoffs are using. "They have a heart for this and a spirit," he said. "This is what it's all about. The spirit of the law is being carried out here. I'm looking forward to seeing it come to pass." HUD chief puts illegal aliens living in government-funded housing on notice: Americans are `our only priority' (FOXNews.com) - full text FOXNews.com [3/28/2025 10:14 AM, Emma Colton, 46189K] VIDEO. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner warned illegal immigrants living in government-funded housing, telling Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview that HUD is prioritizing only Americans under the Trump administration. "Those that are here illegally, that are living in HUD-funded public 16 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023819 housing, we're putting (them) on notice this is not acceptable," Turner told Fox News Digital from Philadelphia, as he toured the city's recent HUD successes and met with local housing and business leaders. "We will not have it anymore,". "At HUD, we only serve one out of four Americans that we should be serving, and that has to come to an end," Turner continued. "And so we're not only making it a priority, but we are making that our only priority, that American citizens will benefit from hard-working American taxpayer dollars." The HUD secretary has been on an immigration blitz, including joining forces with Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem to form a new interagency initiative aimed at ensuring that federal housing funds do not go to illegal immigrants. The pair of Trump officials signed a Memorandum of Understanding Monday that solidified the partnership in its effort to end "wasteful misappropriation" of taxpayer-funded public housing resources that previously benefited illegal immigrants who flooded the nation under the Biden administration. "American tax dollars should be used for the benefit of American citizens, especially when it comes to an issue as pressing as our nation's housing crisis," Turner said Monday. "This new agreement will leverage resources, including technology and personnel, to ensure American people are the only priority when it comes to public housing. We will continue to work closely with DHS to maximize our resources and put American citizens first." On Wednesday, Turner announced that his department had axed taxpayer-backed Federal Housing Administration (FHA) mortgages for illegal immigrants. Turner said after announcing the change that HUD-backed mortgages should benefit Americans "who play by the rules and work hard, not those who enter our country illegally." Turner told Fox News Digital Thursday that the Biden administration rolled out "harmful" immigration policies that worsened homelessness across the U.S. and prioritized illegal immigrants over U.S. citizens in need of housing. "We have a homelessness and we have a housing affordability crisis," he said. "During the Biden administration, there were very harmful, irresponsible border security and immigration policies. They prioritized illegal aliens over American citizens." Turner highlighted to Fox News Digital that "government is not the answer" to issues related to America's housing crisis, homelessness, drug addiction and crime, but instead must operate as a "partner" to the private sector, faith-based programs and nonprofits. "Homelessness is a big deal in our country," he said. "It went up 18% in the last year -- over 770,000 people on one single night in January of 2024 were homeless, and that's unacceptable. With record funding coming from HUD, we still have a homelessness crisis in our country." "Public-private partnerships are vital to eradicating homelessness," he continued. "Faith-based institutions, nonprofit institutions that are doing the work on a daily basis, we have to partner. The federal government is not the answer. The federal government is a great partner, a great facilitator. But it's the private sector, it's faithbased, it's the nonprofits that really have their hands to the plow and their feet on the ground, that are doing the everyday work." Turner cited that crime, drug use and illegal immigration have all compounded the U.S.' housing crisis. Turner traveled to Philadelphia on Thursday to visit "Opportunity Zones" in the City of Brotherly Love. HUD's Opportunity Zones are defined as economically distressed areas across the nation that incentivize investment and economic 17 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023820 development through federal tax benefits to investors. The HUD secretary previously served as the executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council during the first Trump administration, and he led the Opportunity Zones Initiative to revitalize economically distressed areas with affordable housing, and the launch of new businesses -- such as the creation of grocery stores in food deserts often found in inner cities. HUD Chief Warns Illegal Aliens in Government-Funded Housing Nationwide -- California Sanctuary Cities to Face Biggest Impact (USA Herald, NY) - full text USA Herald [3/28/2025 3:30 PM, Samuel Lopez, 16K, NY] In a bold announcement likely to have significant implications nationwide--especially in sanctuary states like California--the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner declared illegal immigrants will no longer be permitted to reside in HUD-funded public housing programs. This decision, announced during Turner's recent visit to Philadelphia, sends a strong message that the Trump administration views American citizens as its singular priority when allocating taxpayerfunded housing assistance. "Those that are here illegally, that are living in HUD-funded public housing, we're putting them on notice this is not acceptable," Turner said. "We will not have it anymore. At HUD, we only serve one out of four Americans we should be serving, and that has to come to an end." The move represents a major shift from previous policies, particularly in sanctuary states like California, where eligibility for Section 8 and other public housing programs historically overlooked immigration status. As a result, tens of thousands of non-citizens currently benefit from subsidized housing across cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego, cities now bracing for the potentially catastrophic social repercussions of this federal crackdown. California Governor Gavin Newsom, already facing criticism for homelessness, crime, and housing affordability crises statewide, will now grapple with this looming policy shift that could result in many illegal immigrant families becoming homeless overnight. In California, the sanctuary status has long provided illegal immigrants with broad access to social services, including government-funded housing assistance. With HUD's new directive prioritizing American citizens, cities like San Francisco, Oakland, and Los Angeles, traditionally seen as strongholds of immigrant advocacy, may soon witness thousands forced onto the streets. Secretary Turner's directive is bolstered by a recently signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between HUD and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Secretary Turner, along with DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, emphasized the collaboration aims to stop the "wasteful misappropriation" of housing resources, ensuring federal funding supports only legally eligible residents. "American tax dollars should be used for the benefit of American citizens, especially when it comes to an issue as pressing as our nation's housing crisis," Turner affirmed. "We will continue to work closely with DHS to maximize our resources and put American citizens first." Turner stated on Monday, "This new agreement will leverage resources, including technology and personnel..." to emphasize the rapid and decisive actions HUD will take to remove non-citizens, including resident aliens who have violated immigration laws or been convicted of crimes. The deployment of advanced technology and personnel familiar with the specific cases of participating individuals will accelerate their immediate and permanent removal from all HUD programs. 18 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023821 The immediate enforcement of this policy presents substantial risks for landlords participating in the HUD Section 8 program. Property owners receiving subsidized payments who knowingly or unknowingly house undocumented immigrants could be exposed to federal penalties, including possible termination from the program. Landlords who knowingly violate HUD's regulations, including those related to tenant eligibility, may face termination from the Section 8 program. While directly 'housing undocumented immigrants' is not the stated reason for termination, the regulations do require that all Section 8 tenants meet specific eligibility criteria, which include having eligible immigration status. If a landlord fails to verify or disregards a tenant's ineligibility due to immigration status, they risk losing their participation in the program. This can result in the cessation of Housing Assistance Payments (HAP) and removal from HUD's approved list of landlords. 24 CFR 982.306 grants Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) the power to disapprove owners who do not comply with program requirements, which include adhering to tenant eligibility rules. In essence, landlords are required to follow the rules of the HUD Section 8 program, which includes verifying tenant eligibility. If a landlord knowingly disregards these rules, and rents to someone who is not eligible for the program, they can be removed from the program. Legal experts warn landlords must swiftly review tenant eligibility, with increased scrutiny expected from federal authorities. "The risk for landlords is significant," explained legal analyst and housing expert, Jonathan Marks. "They must proactively ensure compliance or face losing access to critical federal housing subsidies." Critics of the sanctuary city model, long frustrated by perceived misuse of taxpayerfunded housing programs, have warmly welcomed HUD's announcement. This development is particularly appealing to Californians dissatisfied with the state's recordhigh homelessness and stretched public services. However, immigrant advocacy groups warn of a looming humanitarian crisis, urging state leadership to provide immediate contingency plans for displaced families. Secretary Turner further criticized the Biden administration's immigration policies as detrimental, blaming them for exacerbating national homelessness and housing affordability crises. Turner stated unequivocally, "During the Biden administration, there were very harmful, irresponsible border security and immigration policies. They prioritized illegal aliens over American citizens." As the new HUD initiative takes effect nationwide, California faces unique and intensified challenges due to its sanctuary policies. Governor Newsom's administration must now address this looming displacement crisis, adding complexity to an already embattled leadership facing accusations of neglect in addressing public safety, affordability, and homelessness effectively. The HUD Secretary underscored that solutions to America's housing issues require cooperation beyond government intervention. "Public-private partnerships are vital to eradicating homelessness," Turner noted. "Faith-based institutions, nonprofit institutions that are doing the work on a daily basis, we have to partner. The federal government is not the answer. The federal government is a great partner, a great facilitator. But it's the private sector, it's faith-based, it's the nonprofits that really have their hands to the plow and their feet on the ground, that are doing the everyday work." Turner said. As the policy takes effect, the nation--California in particular--anticipates the impact of a 19 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023822 decision that places a strong emphasis on prioritizing American citizens in federally funded housing. This shift is expected to free up spaces within the program and allocate more funding, enabling greater access to subsidized housing for Americans. Even those who have been working and consistently paying their own rent for years may not realize that they could have qualified for partial rent relief. In the current economic climate, this could provide crucial support to millions of hardworking and deserving American families. Trump Administration Sues to Void Union Deals Across Government (Bloomberg) - full text Bloomberg [3/27/2025 11:47 PM, Jennifer A. Dlouhy, 16228K] Donald Trump's administration moved to invalidate contracts between a swath of US government agencies and the largest federal union representing their employees, marking a sweeping attack on collective bargaining rights as the president aims to lay off government workers. In a lawsuit by the Justice Department, the Defense Department and other US agencies, the administration said that collective bargaining agreements reached with local chapters of the American Federation of Government Employees before Trump took office are impeding his efforts to reform the government and pose a threat to national security. The legal move late Thursday came shortly after Trump signed an executive order directing agencies across the executive branch to cease collective bargaining with federal unions. Other components of the government that filed the complaint in federal court in Texas include the Homeland Security Department, Agriculture Department, Housing and Urban Development Department, Department of Veterans Affairs, the Social Security Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency. According to AFGE's website, the union represents over 820,000 workers in nearly every agency of the federal and DC governments, spread across over 900 local unions. "Public servants, appointees, and officials come to work every day advancing the public interest, serving the American people, and furthering the President's agenda with energy," Justice Department lawyers said in the complaint. "When inflexible CBAs obstruct presidential and agency head capacity to ensure accountability and improve performance, all citizens pay the price." 'Bullying Tactics' AFGE issued a statement denouncing what it called "bullying tactics" by the administration. "President Trump's latest executive order is a disgraceful and retaliatory attack on the rights of hundreds of thousands of patriotic American civil servants -- nearly one-third of whom are veterans - simply because they are members of a union that stands up to his harmful policies," according to the statement from AFGE National President Everett Kelley. The president's executive order encompasses agencies not known for their national security portfolios, including the Environmental Protection Agency and units of the Interior Department that govern energy production. A fact sheet issued by the White House justified their inclusion citing Congress' declaration that "energy insecurity threatens national security." 20 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023823 The president's directive also bars negotiations with unions by the Department of Veterans Affairs since it "serves as the backstop healthcare provider for wounded troops in wartime" and for the National Science Foundation, since "NSF-funded research supports military and cybersecurity breakthroughs," according to the fact sheet. The move coincides with efforts in Congress to limit union rights. It also comes as Trump is moving to remake the government, by cutting its workforce and abolishing some agencies. Senate Legislation Republicans in the Senate have advanced legislation that would bar federal employees from organizing or joining labor unions. Collective bargaining also would be precluded under that legislation. Trump said his action was rooted in authority under the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978. In the fact sheet, the White House decried the work of "hostile federal unions" it claimed were enabled to "obstruct agency management," which is "dangerous in agencies with national security responsibilities." For instance, according to the fact sheet, agencies can't modify policies in collective bargaining agreements until they expire -- and President Joe Biden's administration negotiated many of the pacts so they extend until the end of Trump's second term in office. Trump administration sues to end some federal workers' union contracts (Politico) - full text Politico [3/28/2025 2:50 PM, Hassan Ali Kanu] The Trump administration is suing the country's largest federal worker union, seeking to invalidate existing collective employment contracts between government employees and agencies because they interfere with White House goals. The administration filed the unprecedented lawsuit late Thursday, shortly after President Donald Trump issued an executive order moving to strip unionization rights from most of the federal workforce. The lawsuit asks U.S. District Judge Alan Albright, a Trump appointee based in Waco, Texas, to authorize the agencies to "rescind or repudiate" some collective bargaining agreements with the American Federation of Government Employees because they "significantly constrain the Executive Branch" in its push to purge the federal workforce and exert greater control over agency operations. In the complaint, agencies including the departments of Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Veterans Affairs, and the Social Security Administration claim that the AFGE entered into "midnight" agreements with President Joe Biden's administration that included restrictions on "return-to-work policies" and other terms that unfairly limit the executive branch. The "President and his senior Executive Branch officials cannot afford to be obstructed by CBAs that micromanage oversight of the federal workforce and impede performance accountability," the agencies said in the complaint. Much of the federal workforce has been unionized for decades. Roughly 32 percent of public sector workers are members of unions, more than five times the rate of private sector employees, according to 2024 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Unlike private worker unions, government employees cannot bargain over salaries, benefits or hiring and firing decisions. 21 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023824 The lawsuit names dozens of small unions representing subgroups of federal workers who share classifications and other job characteristics, as well as a collective employment contract with the government. It includes unions representing some employees at HUD, workers who provide medical services to the military at the Defense Health Agency, and some employees at Lackland Air Force Base. The Trump administration is asking Albright for a reinterpretation of federal law that would permit the agencies to rescind union contracts, rather than alleging any particular legal violations on the unions' part. It filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, where Albright is assigned all civil cases. The Trump appointee has previously drawn public criticism and controversy for enabling so-called "judge shopping." Albright's caseload represented more than 19 percent of all patent cases nationwide in 2020 after he openly courted patent attorneys and encouraged them to file infringement claims in his courtroom. Chief Justice John Roberts addressed the issue in the Supreme Court's 2022 annual report. `It didn't have to be this way' - Fired HUD probationary employees denied back pay (WTOP, Washington, DC) - full text WTOP [3/29/2025 4:10 AM, Kate Ryan, 2017K, DC] A probationary worker at the Department of Housing and Urban Development tells WTOP that the agency's decision to deny back pay to reinstated workers is making what has been a tough situation even tougher. Speaking to WTOP on the condition that her name not be used, she recalled getting the news that she was being fired last month as demoralizing. "Even when you see the evidence that there's tens of thousands of people being fired, it still hurts to see that," she said. "In my case, I had nothing but positive reviews, five out of five, in the short time that I worked there." The fired HUD worker described a sort of "whipsaw effect" from a series of emails. "We received an email from HUD last week, letting us know they were going to take us back and reinstate us," she said, and that they would be on administrative leave temporarily and should cancel all unemployment claims. In that same email, she said, employees were told they would get back pay and benefits. But then, last week, the former HUD staffer said, "We got another email from HUD that they were no longer going to comply with the court order" from a judge requiring the back pay. "And it was up to us to ensure that we were covered with health care. So I've been without health insurance for about a week now," she added. WTOP's news partner Federal News Network has reported on HUD's decision to deny back pay to probationary employees, and that the March 25 email "did not provide a date employees would be taken off administrative leave and officially return to their jobs." The former HUD employee explained that she would be eligible for the Temporary Continuation of Coverage plan, but that would come at a cost of $2,400 a month. "It's quite impossible, we just lost more than half of our family's income," she said. "I'm the one who held all of our health insurance, because my husband is a small-business owner," and doesn't have benefits. Adding to her frustration, when she checked on the status of her unemployment claim in D.C., she said she was told that she has not been approved "and they said it's because the federal government isn't complying. They're not confirming that we were let go for non-performance-based reasons, and employees who are fired for performance reasons do not qualify for unemployment insurance in the 22 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023825 District of Columbia." She became teary as she explained that between losing her income, going without unemployment pay and facing the loss of health care benefits for a young family has been tough. "All it takes is one month of not getting a paycheck for your family to really struggle and to really lose access to health care," she said with a sob. "It's just really hard." She also said that like others who have been fired under President Donald Trump's administration's plans to slash government spending, she has been looking for work. "I've applied for over 200 jobs and I've only had one interview in the past six weeks," she said. Having worked in the private sector for over a decade prior to joining the federal government as a probationary employee, she said, "It just made me regret so much my decision to join the federal government." "Government is supposed to protect people. Not be there trying to hurt people, and it feels like we are being hurt," she said, becoming teary again. The scale of the firings, and what appeared to be a lack of coordination, she said, made it feel like "we're creating this little destruction of our economy right now, and it didn't have to be this way, you know?" WTOP has reached out to the Department of Housing and Urban Development for a response, and received an email that read in part, "We are in receipt of your request. and it is currently under review. We will respond back to you." Affordable Housing Renovations Halt Mid-Air Amidst DOGE Clawbacks (Planetizen) - full text Planetizen [3/28/2025 10:00 AM, Christine McLaren, 149K] $1.4 billion of funding is in limbo amidst federal clawbacks to a program providing support for green building retrofits to affordable housing developments. As a result, renovations to the buildings have been halted, as the risk of losing Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) financing puts the complex web of funding required for most affordable housing upgrades in jeopardy. "Financing affordable housing developments usually involves a complex capital stack, since providers don't have the luxury of raising rents to cover their costs. Grants and loans under HUD'S retrofit program helped to close financing gaps for upgrades that otherwise wouldn't be feasible," reports Bloomberg. Bloomberg reports that while the Green and Resilient Retrofit program has not yet been cancelled, any project that hasn't closed their transaction with HUD is at risk. That encompasses most of the projects funded by the program. The article gives several examples from the ground of renovation projects stalled, including asbestos removal, insulation improvements, and energy efficiency upgrades. [CT] Advocates in CT predict White House's `inexcusable' cuts to HUD would exacerbate homelessness here (CT Insider, CT) - full text CT Insider [3/28/2025 3:23 PM, Ken Dixon, 1474K, CT] On Friday morning, state Rep. Bobby Sanchez, who runs a homeless shelter in Meriden, was met by about a dozen people who had spent the night outdoors. "Waiting to get something to eat," Sanchez described the crowd. "Waiting to take a shower. Waiting to get their clothes washed. These are people that slept outside last night, OK? That 23 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023826 they're staying outside in this cold weather is just bad policy here in the state of Connecticut." If the announced massive staffing cuts to the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development go through, he and other housing advocates said, Connecticut's homeless problem -- and others who spend 30 percent or more of their incomes on housing -- could double. Currently, HUD helps about 160,000 state residents, more than 65 percent of whom at elderly, disabled or children. "Homelessness has increased by 13 percent over just one year and now, incredibly, inexplicably, inexcusably, the federal government is backing away from an obligation it has to housing in the state of Connecticut and across the country," said U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who led an afternoon news conference in the State Capitol complex calling for a public uproar over the Trump administration's order to cut HUD by 50 percent. "They're not saving money here," Blumenthal said of the announce slashing of HUD staff and the planned closure of two-thirds of field offices, "It is cruel and it's stupid but it is dumb because eventually the costs will be higher. They're not saving money here. All they're doing in the short term is providing more savings, supposedly, for their tax cuts for the billionaires. It's not saving money for America." Predicting imminent legal challenges to the HUD reductions, Blumenthal said that as many as four official letters requesting details he has sent to the agency have not been acknowledged at a time when the state and nation are enduring acute housing shortages. "The fact is, everybody has a stake in our housing stock," he said. "HUD is vital to our middle class as well as lower-income and lower-wealth people and all of us, regardless of how much we make or own because the supply of housing will continue to go down if the federal government continues to slash and trash, as Elon Musk is apparently intent on doing." Sarah Fox, the CEO of the Connecticut Coalition to End Hornlessness, estimated that about 900 people statewide sleep outside every night, 500 of whom are children. About 5,000 people statewide are categorized as homeless. "What we're talking about today is basic human dignity and what it means to have a home for everyone across the country," she said. "We have a problem in this state and across the country." Blumenthal and the advocates said that it's too soon to feel the impact of the planned cuts. "It's going to effect a rise in homelessness," said Brittany Ignace, an attorney with Grater Hartford Legal Aid. State Rep. Antonio Felipe, D-Bridgeport, co-chairman of the legislative Housing Committee, said that HUD programs have helped his city's residents for decades. "We need to look holistically at how to build more, how to make sure we are providing housing in this state for as many people as we can but we need us all to work together," he said. Sanchez said that while homeless advocates are asking for about $33 million in state funding, twice that amount is a more realistic need. "Why do we have to come up here every day and every year to ask for support for our communities? Now we're fighting the feds because the feds want to take money away from us." [CT] Blumenthal says Trump's HUD cuts would increase homelessness (WSHUFM 91.1, CT) - full text WSHU-FM 91.1 [3/28/2025 4:35 PM, Ebong udoma, 26K, CT] President Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency, headed by Elon Musk, has said it plans to lay off 50% of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban 24 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023827 Development's workforce and eliminate half of its field offices. Those cuts would increase homelessness in Connecticut, according to U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (DCT). "We've asked for information in three to four letters. And the secretary for Housing and Urban Development has answered not one of them," Blumenthal said. "They have denied essential information about these cutbacks in federal support for housing at a time we all know there is a housing shortage," he said at a news briefing at the state Legislative Office Building in Hartford on Friday. That would not be good for Connecticut, which had a 13% increase in homelessness last year. "We are losing housing rather than creating more of it. HUD is vital to the middle class, as well as people with lower incomes and wealth. And all of us, regardless of how much we make or own, because the supply of housing will continue to go down," Blumenthal said. The Trump administration should stop gutting programs that protect families and instead focus on addressing the homelessness crises and providing resources to communities to tackle the housing shortage, he said. In Connecticut HUD programs assist more than 160,000 people, 66% of which are seniors, children and people with disabilities, according to officials. [PA] Parker's housing plan is ambitious, but can it overcome steep challenges? I Editorial (Philadelphia Inquirer, PA) - full text Philadelphia Inquirer [3/30/2025 5:00 AM, Editorial Board, 2629K, PA) The need for more housing is a problem nationwide, and Philadelphia is not exempt. The shortage has driven up costs for both renters and first-time homeowners in a market traditionally known for its affordability when compared with other large East Coast cities. In addressing the problem, Mayor Cherelle L. Parker's $2 billion Housing Opportunities Made Easy initiative could be the transformative change Philadelphia needs -- that is, if she can muster crucial support from her former colleagues on City Council. Last month, Parker declared her intent to build, preserve, and restore roughly 30,000 homes. In a speech to Council on Monday, she detailed how she plans to reach her goal through a mix of affordable and market-rate housing, additional resources for home repair programs she pioneered as a member of City Council, and a renewed push for the Turn The Key workforce housing program designed by former Council President Darrell L. Clarke. The mayor's proposal is appropriately ambitious, but it also has some daunting obstacles to overcome. One major complication is the ongoing antics of the Trump administration, which has already slashed staffing at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The Housing Choice Voucher Program, recently expanded to serve 30,000 Philadelphia households, is also under threat from the Department of Government Efficiency's chaotic destruction of congressionally approved federal programs. The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, which funds affordable housing proposals, has also been threatened by Elon Musk's DOGE minions. These federal cuts will make it harder to serve households with the most needs. Another complicating factor is what Parker referred to as the elephant in the room: councilmanic prerogative -- the tradition of deferring land-use decisions to district Council members. 25 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023828 Prerogative functions as one of the city's biggest constraints on housing, hampering the development of market-rate, affordable, and workforce housing alike. Zoning restrictions rubber-stamped through prerogative limit the height and density of housing proposals -- including those along key transit corridors -- over neighbors' misguided fears of growth. Some members of Council, like the 5th District's Jeffery Young, have proven unwilling to sell city-owned vacant lots, even after the Land Bank has approved plans. Council members also routinely intervene to shrink the size of proposals, even ones with a significant number of affordable units. While the Parker administration has wisely avoided a direct challenge to recalcitrant Council members so far, it is impossible for the mayor's plan to succeed at the needed citywide scale as long as some districts insist on opting out. Another wrench is local groups who oppose using city money, city land, or other taxpayer-funded incentives for any proposal that serves households they deem too wealthy. These groups often cite the wage disparity between city and suburban households, arguing the federal income guidelines are skewed as a result. Parker, for her part, has repeatedly said she does not intend to exclude households who are "a nickel over the limit" from accessing housing assistance their city tax dollars are paying for. That's almost certainly the right move. A growing consensus among housing policy experts is that more housing supply, including market-rate development, is good for all households, even those that cannot afford new construction. Every household that rents a new luxury apartment in Northern Liberties or a new townhouse in Graduate Hospital is one less bidder for the more affordable housing options that already exist. Additionally, the natural highs and lows of the housing market have allowed the Philadelphia Housing Authority to acquire properties built for luxury rentals at lower costs than building in-house, and higher apartment vacancy rates have led many landlords to market to voucher holders. An easier political lift for Parker is the additional support for housing preservation and maintenance programs, like Basic Systems Repair and Restore Repair Renew, which have a proven track record of fighting blight, reducing gun violence, and allowing longtime homeowners to stay in the neighborhoods even as costs rise. Still, preserving housing is only half the plan. If the mayor is to succeed in accomplishing all her housing goals, she'll need to find a way to overcome the local and federal roadblocks to bring her plan home. [MO] Tenants worried as Lee's Summit Housing Authority drops to 1 full-time employee (KSHB, MO) - full text KSHB [3/28/2025 11:19 PM, Alyssa Jackson, 562K, MO] VIDEO. The Lee's Summit Housing Authority (LSHA) is down to one full-time employee and tenants have lots of questions. The only permanent staff member is a maintenance employee. The three-person administrative staff was fired after an internal investigation. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Office of Inspector General is investigating fraud potentially linked to the previous employees. The last executive director resigned in October. The entire board of commissioners resigned a month later. KSHB 41 has done stories on the dysfunction at the agency. The struggles for tenants to get their concerns addressed during the agency's challenges are why Sandra Esry is trying to bring residents together. "Instead of one or five people being brave enough to go up there and complain about the conditions here 26 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023829 and lack of help there, I see a resident council," Esry said. Esry has lived in Lee Haven, a public housing community overseen by the housing authority, for several years. Tenants have complained about the lack of maintenance and poor conditions of the homes for years. Esry has been researching how to form a Lee Haven resident council for a month. The council is an official tenant-led organization that can be a bridge between residents and leadership at a housing authority. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has bylaws and a comprehensive process tenants must follow. Esry thought it was long overdue for an effort like this. "Nothing has changed for us. Maintenance is still putting out fires where it can, doing what it can. We're living in our homes falling down around us and scared to death to say anything," Esry said. Esry started a Facebook page for the council she is trying to form and plans to go doorto-door to ask tenants for their support. "When 50 people are expressing concerns, questions and ideas, it's hard to ignore that," Esry said. "That's not just old people complaining." The agency's new interim director, Tina Bartlett, said she's fully supportive of a council. She remains the executive director of the Independence Housing Authority (IHA) while temporarily working for LSHA. Bartlett has seen residents organize in the same way. "The residents live here, so they know what the issues are and what's going right and wrong," she said. "It gives them the ability to meet with management and staff in an organized way. 'Hey, we have concerns about this.- . Bartlett has been the interim for LSHA for about a month. Her staff from IHA are helping her run the Lee's Summit agency. They were shocked by the workload they inherited. "It was definitely a lot more than we expected," Bartlett said. "We knew the agency had been in trouble." At LSHA's board of commissioners meeting on Wednesday, tenants complained about their March rent payments not being processed. A staff member from IHA, who recently started assisting Lee's Summit, said they will try to process the payments within two weeks. It's on a list of many tasks they are focusing on. HUD's Office of Inspector General was also present at the meeting. They would not confirm or deny a fraud investigation with KSHB 41's Alyssa Jackson. "As a matter of course, the HUD Office of Inspector General does not confirm or deny the existence or non-existence of investigations. That's not to say that there is or isn't one in this instance but rather that, regardless, this is not the type of information that we provide." Job positions for the fired LSHA employees have been posted. "The biggest thing is to be patient -- Rome wasn't built in a day kinda thing," Bartlett said. As tenants in the housing authority hope for their issues and concerns to be fixed with new leadership, Esry believes change can start with them. "Those people will carry the voice of 50 units," she said. "When they speak, they will speak for 50 voices, not three." [LA] New Orleans' public housing agency has a new director. Here are her plans. (Times Picayune / NOLA.com, LA) - full text Times Picayune / NOLA.com [3/31/2025 5:00 AM, Sophie Kasakove, 1494K, LA] Two months after taking the helm of New Orleans' public housing authority, Marjorianna Willman has big plans to turn around an agency plagued in recent years by management 27 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023830 and personnel woes. Willman, who now oversees housing for 23,000 low-income families across the city, said last week that she has already made major changes in a bid to fill vacant units, maintain housing vouchers, and beef up staffing, after the agency's former director, Evette Hester, resigned amid scrutiny. "We are working very hard to get us in a position where we can be exceptional," said Willman. "That's what we want." Since taking over as executive director of the Housing Authority of New Orleans in late January, Willman has won supporters among board members and tenant advocates who had mounted stiff pressure on Hester. But they also noted the intimidating task before Willman, a veteran affordable housing official, in tackling both longstanding challenges at the agency and new ones by the federal government, which oversees and funds HANO and other housing authorities across the country. Among them: The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development slapped HANO with a "substandard" ranking in 2022, the latest year a score was issued, for persistent vacancies at the agency's public housing units. And the Trump administration's move to reduce waste across various programs, including HUD, could portend problems for HANO's programs, including its popular Section 8 voucher program. "I'm looking for change, and I'm thinking that Ms. Marjorianna Willman is going to bring those changes," said Sharon Jasper, a HANG resident who was ousted from the agency's board in 2022 after speaking out about conditions in public housing. But Jasper said it remains to be seen if Willman's grand vision gets fully executed. "We can say one thing, but the work we do is going to speak for itself," said Jasper. Willman is a familiar face in housing circles in New Orleans and statewide. An LSU grad, she worked for a decade as a program director at the Louisiana Housing Corporation until she was tapped by Mayor LaToya Cantrell to head the city's Office of Housing Policy and Community Development in 2018. Willman returned to the state affordable housing agency in 2022, where she took over as executive director in 2024. She held the position for a year before resigning just a couple of weeks after Hester announced her resignation from HANO in October. "It's a difficult job and very rewarding at the same time," Willman said about her new position in an email this week. "The NANO staff and I are making life better for people in New Orleans every day... I can't think of anything better that I could want from a career." In a board meeting and in other emailed responses, Willman pointed to numerous changes she has made in her first couple of months on the job. She has filled vacant positions, and she rehired two former department directors who had left during Hester's tenure. Widespread staff turnover under Hester, including of senior staffers, led employees to raise concerns about a void in knowledge and expertise to keep the agency running smoothly. "The department was gutted in terms of staff," said Willman at Tuesday's board meeting, referring to a department that manages properties owned and operated by NANO. One of the returning department directors will replace consultant Paula Watts, who was contracted by Hester to run the department on a temporary basis, according to public records. Instead, full-time staff are now doing the work that Watts and other contracted advisers had been doing under Hester, Willman said, a move she called "a cost-saving measure." One such consultant, Sherri Sengsouvanna, was paid over $660,000 to 28 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023831 handle project management in HANG's development department between January 2023 and December 2024, according to public records. NANO is also working to fill vacant units, especially at the Fischer Development Neighborhood on the West Bank, the largest property it directly manages. And Willman's staff has also worked to fix errors in how it reports its vacant units to HUD, which she said played a major role in HANO's "substandard" score. "We are actively pre-leasing and expect to start filling previously vacant units soon," said Willman. "We now have some form of work underway at all 11 HANG communities, all focused on improving housing quality." HANG board President Percy Manson on Tuesday lauded Willman's efforts to tackle issues at the agency's properties, and her meetings with residents. "That is what was missing, because we needed someone to be out there listening to the tenants and understanding their needs, and making sure that housing is provided" and maintained, said Manson. In response to challenges Willman learned voucher recipients were facing, Willman decided to grant them more time to find acceptable units -- they had 120 days, but now have 210 days. Her office is also reinstating vouchers to people who were forced to return them over the past year because they couldn't find a unit in time, she said. "The goal is to make sure that folks have access to housing and maintain their housing," said Willman. Willman also said she is restarting regular meetings between the agency and landlords in an effort to persuade new landlords to accept vouchers. And in anticipation of federal housing-related funding cuts, the agency will focus on getting private investors involved as part-owners and operators of its remaining public housing complexes, she said. HANG relies almost entirely on federal funding. In interviews this week, some critics of the agency under Hester's leadership expressed confidence in Willman. "I think she is very much able to straighten out that department and get it back on the right road," said Debra Joseph, who served as president of the HANG board during Hester's tenure until 2021, and knows Willman from her days at City Hall. Cynthia Wiggins, president of the Guste Homes Resident Management Corporation, which manages Guste Homes, a public housing complex in Central City, expressed a more cautious view. "It's just too early to comment," said Wiggins, who said she hadn't seen any major changes so far. "I think she's still trying to figure out what's going on at the agency." Housing NOLA Director Andreanecia Morris, a former HANG board member who has also worked with Willman previously, said she believed Willman was up to the challenge. "The community expects and demands better than what we've got in the past," said Morris. "I think she's capable of that." [IL] POAH set to start construction next month on $44M mixed-use project (Chicago Business Journal, IL) - full text Chicago Business Journal [3/28/2025 4:07 PM, Wendell Hutson, 4715K, IL] The Preservation of Affordable Housing and KMW Communities LLC are expected to 29 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023832 break ground next month on a $44 million mixed-use development on the city's Northwest Side. The joint venture will develop The Ave., a four-story, 52-unit complex, at 3601-25 W. Chicago Ave., in Humboldt Park. The unit mix will include one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments targeting households earning 30% to 60% of the area median income. According to Census data, Humboldt Park has a household median income of $51,000, compared to $75,000 across the city of Chicago. The development will also include 6,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space anchored by the nonprofit Neighborhood Housing Services, which will occupy 5,000 square feet, said Bill Eager, POAH's senior vice president of real estate development for the Midwest region. He said the site currently has two buildings, which will be demolished before construction begins. The site used to contain a gas station, so some soil remediation underneath must be done, and an existing alley will be merged into the development as well, Eager added. The 31,000-square-foot site was donated from the city of Chicago and the NHS, according to Eager. Financing includes tax-exempt bonds from the Chicago Department Housing, 4% Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, $18 million in tax-increment financing and a $4.2 million Chicago Recovery Grant. Delivery is expected in late 2026. The project's general contractors are Leopardo and Ujamaa Construction. While POAH prepares to start construction on the Humboldt Park development, Eager said the nonprofit is waiting to see if it will still receive a $5.5 million federal grant to make upgrades to a West Side senior building. In 2023, an administrator with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development visited Chicago and presented a check to Eager to help POAH make energy-efficient upgrades at the 94-unit Corcoran Place Apartments, at 325 and 345 N. Austin Blvd., in the Austin neighborhood. "HUD told us that grant was put on hold while it reviews all grant allocations," Eager told the Chicago Business Journal. "So, we are in a `wait and see' position right now. However, I do know if it we do not get this grant, we will not be able to make any planned upgrades to that property." Kimberly Danna, HUD's Illinois field office director, was unavailable for comment. [IN] Homeless Indy residents will lose access to emergency HUD and IHA vouchers (WFYI Indianapolis' Public Radio, IN) - full text WFYI Indianapolis' Public Radio [3/28/2025 11:02 AM, Staff, 115K, IN] Changes to two housing programs spell the same thing for Indianapolis: Fewer resources to house people experiencing homelessness. Officials for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development informed housing agencies this month that the agency would be sunsetting a pandemic-era program that provided emergency housing vouchers to tenants. At the same time, the Indianapolis Housing Agency will no longer issue homeless preference vouchers, a small pool of Section 8 vouchers doled out monthly that allowed tenants in dire situations to quickly receive housing assistance. In both cases, the vouchers were aimed at people currently or at-risk of becoming homeless, or who were fleeing domestic violence. IHA had previously been distributing about 30 such vouchers every month. But that will stop in April, a temporary decision that IHA CEO Yvonda Bean said was necessary to ensure the agency had enough 30 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023833 funding to continue the program in the future. The decision to pause the program surprised service providers, who received a short letter this month noting the change, according to two people who work to connect people with vouchers. They spoke to Mirror Indy on condition that they not be identified publicly because they were not authorized to speak to journalists. In a city like Indianapolis, where nearly 1,500 evictions have been filed in the past month, the small number of homeless preference vouchers did little to address the large number of residents searching for affordable housing. But the service providers said it was one of the few tools at their disposal to quickly house individuals and families that may otherwise be left without housing at all. "The vouchers were so important to us, they provided a pathway when everything else was impossible," said one service provider, who said she was working with clients to get them vouchers in April. Those vouchers will no longer be given out. Another provider said the announcement left her in despair. "I cried for a while when I found out," she said. "There is a housing crisis in the city." Meanwhile, the long-term future of the emergency housing voucher program is unclear. HUD officials sent a letter to housing authorities this month that said it was sunsetting the emergency housing voucher program because it is running out of money. The federal program was initially created with a $5 billion pot of money that was available to be spent by 2030, according to Sonya Acosta, senior policy analyst at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. But that funding is already running out, in no small part due to unexpected increases in rent after the program was created, she said. Most agencies are set to run out of funding by the end of 2026, according to the HUD letter. Although the program was always intended to be temporary, Acosta said there are lessons that can be applied to the traditional Section 8 housing choice voucher program. For example, the emergency voucher program provided additional resources such as landlord incentives and flexibility for families to move into a home before the housing authority inspects the unit. That last bit has been a challenge in Indianapolis, according to service providers who have spoken to Mirror Indy. For example, Mirror Indy reported in November that in at least two recent cases, people who were staying in an Indianapolis homeless shelter had found landlords to take their vouchers but lost their housing because of IHA delays. "We should absolutely take lessons about how this program was administered and apply them more broadly," Acosta said, adding that HUD could continue issuing emergency vouchers if Congress decided to fund them. In Indianapolis, the decision to pause the homeless preference vouchers comes nearly a year after federal officials took over IHA in April 2024. An investigation by Mirror Indy published last year revealed decades of mismanagement of the housing choice voucher program, which pays private landlords to house low-income tenants. Bean joined IHA in February with a mandate to repair the broken agency. IHA will continue to fund vouchers that have already been issued, Bean said. But after March, no new homeless preference vouchers will be distributed. Bean said the agency anticipates it will resume issuing the vouchers, but not until after at least a couple of months. This temporary pause "is in no way a demonstration of our lack of commitment to housing families," Bean said. "We are committed, and we want to thank our homeless providers 31 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023834 and our partners, who we value tremendously, for being patient with us." Bean said the review of the homeless preference vouchers is part of a larger effort by IHA to reconcile accounts following two cyberattacks. At this time, she said the agency is also not issuing new housing choice vouchers, the primary housing program that pays landlords to house low-income tenants. According to the HUD's housing choice voucher dashboard, IHA has only issued a handful of new vouchers since January 2024. While uncertainty grows at the federal level -- from threats to slash HUD staff to the disruption of distributing HUD grants - Bean said IHA is operating normally until decisions are final. "The goal, of course, is to maintain as much as we can, because we have thousands of families that are relying on the assistance that this organization provides," she said. [WA] Seattle homelessness, housing workers fear federal cuts are coming (Seattle Times, WA) - full text Seattle Times [3/28/2025 12:26 PM. Greg Kim, 4826K, WA] More than 100 people gathered Friday morning in front of the Henry M. Jackson Federal Building in downtown Seattle to protest potential cuts to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Since President Donald Trump entered office, the Department of Government Efficiency led by billionaire Elon Musk has been slashing swaths of federal funding and workers. Many at Friday's gathering were concerned about the severity of potential cuts to the department that funds the majority of low-income housing and homelessness programs in the country. One of them, Ashley Kenny, who works in family homeless services, held a sign that read "Hands off HUD." "Anything less than the HUD we have now is going to leave millions of children outside, and that breaks my heart," Kenny said. HUD provides money to subsidize housing for tens of thousands of people in King County. The department also provides about $67 million for homelessness services in King County. The Regional Homelessness Authority said it is not experiencing any problems receiving federal funds. However, rumors and internal memos are circling among HUD employees that suggest large cuts are coming, including the closing of the department's Seattle office, which has sparked anxiety among the staff there. "We are here to say, 'No, keep our HUD offices open, release our funds and let us do the work of housing our community,' " said Alison Eisinger, executive director of the Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness, a speaker at the gathering. Troy Christensen, executive director of Porchlight, a homeless services organization in Bellevue, said to the crowd that cuts to HUD could increase homelessness at a massive scale. "This task was difficult enough before," Christensen said. "To compound it in the way that they are suggesting is unacceptable." A coalition called Federal Building Fridays has met downtown every week since President Trump's inauguration to protest the DOGE cuts and to support federal workers. Each week, the group has protested cuts to different services and departments, including Social Security, Medicaid and Veterans Affairs. 32 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023835 "The majority of people support public schools, the majority of people support Social Security, the majority of people support health care. The majority of people support housing," said Beth Brunton, one of the organizers of the weekly event. "I know Republicans and Democrats disagree, but this is, like, over the top." [PR] Trump, Bad Bunny and Puerto Rico's Perennially Broken Power Grid (Politico) - full text Politico [3/30/2025 4:00 PM, Gloria Gonzalez] On a hot summer evening the lights in Old San Juan suddenly powered off, darkening the cobblestone streets of this historic neighborhood. Luckily this dog-friendly bar had its own generator so the power kicked back on, making it attractive to the tourists and residents wandering by. The friendly bartender came over and urged us to order another round before the crowd flooded in. For a visitor to this beautiful island, it was a bit disorienting to be plunged into darkness. The locals were unfazed. They're used to apagones -- blackouts in Spanish. Hurricane-induced outages are always a risk for islands in the Caribbean, but this was something else: Hardware and power line failures in the troubled energy system were to blame. About 350,000 of Puerto Rico's 1.5 million electricity customers were left without power for hours that night. Two even bigger power outages would follow over the next several months. Tropical storm Ernesto mostly passed north of the island but still managed to knock out the island's fragile electrical system. On New Year's Eve, an old cable failed, triggering a near-total blackout. Puerto Rico has the least reliable energy system of any place in the U.S. Puerto Ricans experience about 15 percent more service interruptions and about 21 percent longer outages than their fellow Americans on the mainland. Aside from the widespread New Year's Eve and storm-related blackouts, the island is prone to regional and local outages when equipment fails, as it did in early June in the southern part of Puerto Rico. The territory also suffers from frequent power losses due to shortfalls in available energy -- the grid manager reported supply shortages caused the power to be turned off to certain areas 115 times last year. These shutoffs are done to avoid a catastrophic failure of Puerto Rico's fragile system. But for Puerto Ricans living on the island, those constant power outages are the catastrophe. Puerto Rico's power failures affect every aspect of life for the 3.2 million American citizens living in the territory. It interrupts their ability to work and support their families. It disrupts their access to health care and education. It wreaks havoc on efforts to build more affordable housing and expand farming programs so Puerto Rico is less dependent on imported food. It's not supposed to be this way. After Hurricane Maria hit in 2017 -- the second deadliest in U.S. history -- Congress allocated billions to Puerto Rico's grid to repair energy plants and power lines damaged by the storm and upgrade aging equipment that failed. Then, in 2019, the territory launched an ambitious plan to overhaul its power system, with Puerto Rican lawmakers passing a law mandating 100-percent renewable energy by 2050. The Biden administration, along with local clean energy groups, sought to leverage Puerto Rico's sunny locale to meet these goals, focusing on rooftop solar and storage systems that can run independently from the grid when it fails. For many advocates and experts, the answer is not to repair the existing grid but to wean Puerto Ricans off the fragile energy system entirely. Transitioning to mostly solar energy, they argue, is the best way to ensure islanders have the power they need to continue with their daily lives. "The fact right now is that solar energy is the best way, the 33 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023836 easiest way and the cheapest way" to provide energy to Puerto Rican communities, said Jonathan Castillo Polanco, director of green energy for the Hispanic Federation in Puerto Rico. But so far, despite some success stories, that plan is falling far short of its goals, leaving Puerto Ricans in the dark. The territory is nowhere near the law's interim goal of 40 percent by 2025, with renewable energy generation still in the single digits. Most of the billions from Congress remain unspent, thanks to inaction and bureaucratic obstacles by the first Trump administration -- not to mention corruption among Puerto Rican officials. Former President Joe Biden pushed hard to start spending the stalled federal dollars, but he sometimes frustrated Puerto Ricans with a seemingly contradictory approach: One of his agencies focused on renewable energy while another spent money rebuilding a constantly failing fossil fuel-based system. That's a disconnect that clean energy advocates argue undermined Puerto Rico's renewable energy mandates. Meanwhile, LUMA Energy, the U.S.- and Canadian-owned private grid operator, has become a villain in the story -- native son Bad Bunny, a Grammy Award-winning reggaeton star, regularly lambasts LUMA for its inability to stop the power outages -- even though the system's problems started well before the company took over. The 2024 elections further complicated Puerto Rico's quest for a cleaner energy system. The new governor, Jenniffer Gonzalez-Col0n, a Trump ally critical of the Biden administration's focus on solar energy, is trying to delay or outright eliminate the territory's interim clean energy mandates -- and insists natural gas should play a critical role in providing reliable energy to Puerto Rico. The governor's approach reflects the position of those who want a reliable grid and are willing to continue Puerto Rico's dependence on fossil fuels to get it -- while others like Castillo Polanco argue Puerto Rico just needs to move to renewable energy, primarily solar and the batteries needed to store the power it generates, as quickly as possible. And now that Trump is back in the White House, Puerto Ricans fear the billions of dollars in unspent federal money will disappear, given his history of disparaging comments about the territory -- and the fact that island residents voted nearly 3-1 in favor of Kamala Harris. "That's what worries me, that some of those monies won't be forthcoming," said Andres C0rdova Phelps, a professor in Puerto Rico and chair of the Puerto Rico Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. "He could take it personally." The prospect of Trumpian vengeance doesn't concern Gonzalez-Col0n. Still, she said, "We cannot afford to lose that money. It means having the whole island shut down." As the right and the left fight over the U.S. energy system, Puerto Rico could be an example for clean energy for the rest of the country. But its troubles reflect the challenges of building a cleaner, more reliable energy system in a territory that ultimately has no control over its own destiny. Which means the power outages will likely continue. And Puerto Ricans will continue to suffer -- or leave the island in droves. Puerto Rico's energy problems have been decades in the making. And there's plenty of blame to cast around. For years, Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, the government-owned local utility, which locals call PREPA, ignored the dire need for repairs to its dilapidated power system that relies on plants and substations well past their prime -- leaving the territory's power system on life support. An equipment failure in one part of the aging system can cascade throughout, causing power losses to regions and residents far from the initial failure point. The public utility has also been caught up in corruption scandals that have plagued Puerto Rico for decades, leading to significant leadership turnover as 34 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023837 governors and other officials were charged with crimes or forced out of office. Congress probed allegations that PREPA officials received bribes to prioritize restoring power to certain businesses and areas after Maria. But the energy system's problems were also caused by local leaders just making bad financial decisions to plug budget holes and delaying necessary plant and grid maintenance. Decisions like these went well beyond the public utility and eventually bankrupted Puerto Rico. In response, Congress put control over the territory's finances -- including the bankrupt utility -- into the hands of an unelected oversight board in 2O16. On Sept. 6, 2017, Hurricane Irma slammed Puerto Rico, killing three and causing an estimated $1 billion in damages. Two weeks later, Hurricane Maria hit. The category four hurricane struck Puerto Rico head on, decimating its energy grid and triggering the longest blackouts in U.S. history -- lasting nearly a year in some areas. Nearly 3,000 Puerto Ricans lost their lives because of Maria and its aftermath, making it the nation's second deadliest hurricane. The memories of Hurricane Maria haunt Puerto Ricans: the months and months their grandmothers didn't have dialysis treatments or insulin and their kids couldn't get meals because the schools were closed and the grocery stores were empty. The energy, health care and educational infrastructure was decimated first by Maria, then by earthquakes, followed by a pandemic that left people living in remote areas feeling even more isolated. Ivonne Rodriguez-Wiewall, a lawyer who leads the nonprofit Direct Relief's efforts in Puerto Rico, said the aftermath of Maria was like waking up "on Sept. 20th of the 1950s. There was nothing, nothing." The one-two punch of Irma and Maria rendered the grid inoperable. The grid became so fragile that today, Puerto Ricans are constantly one power line, one bird, one tree branch and one iguana -- true story -- away from a blackout, according to Charlotte Gossett Navarro, chief director of the Hispanic Federation's Puerto Rico team, a nonprofit that was one of the first responders postMaria. Congress responded over the next five years by allocating billions of dollars to rebuild Puerto Rico's infrastructure, including about $2O billion for the energy system through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Energy Department. But spending those billions has been a painfully slow process. The Trump administration's inaction and administrative hurdles meant the vast majority of billions of dollars Congress earmarked for Hurricane Maria recovery in 2017 sat unused for years. "President Trump and his administration are working to unleash domestic energy production and reduce energy costs for all Americans," a spokesperson for the Energy Department said in a statement. Energy Secretary Chris Wright "met with Governor Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon to discuss opportunities to help strengthen Puerto Rico's energy infrastructure and increase grid reliability." By mid-2019, neither FEMA nor HUD had funded long-term grid recovery projects. That's partly because of unclear guidance from FEMA about which projects were eligible for funding and a lack of coordination among the different government agencies involved in grid recovery, according to a Government Accountability Office report. Bid en's FEMA, which was essentially starting from zero, began moving some of its $17 billion earmarked for the power system more quickly, partly by offering unheard-of flexibility to send money to post-disaster projects 35 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023838 that had not yet begun construction. Still, by the time Biden left office, FEMA had only disbursed about 19 percent of the hurricane recovery money earmarked for the energy system. And some critics, such as environmental nonprofit Earthjustice acting on behalf of local clean energy and community groups, sued the Biden administration arguing FEMA was using too much of the money it had to rebuild the failing fossil fuel-based power system. They wanted FEMA to take the same approach as Biden's Energy Department, which dedicated the $1 billion it had been given by Congress to bring 30,000 to 40,000 solar power and storage systems to low-income Puerto Ricans and those with disabilities. According to Chris Currie of the U.S. GAO, Puerto Rico's financial problems also meant that, unlike states that suffer disasters, the territory could not afford to front the money for recovery efforts after Maria -- leaving the island completely dependent on federal funding. Currie, who directs the GAO'S Homeland Security and Justice team, said Puerto Rico also did not initially have the government agency and personnel to accept a massive influx of funds. And PREPA's problems didn't help, given it wasn't in a good position to manage the system it had, let alone upgrade the entire grid, he said. "The blame can't be placed all on FEMA," Currie said. "PREPA has a role to play in this too." For her part, Gonzalez-Colon places the blame squarely on the federal permitting process, which she said has stalled energy projects in the island because it takes years to get approval from federal regulators. "Puerto Rico,' she said, "is constrained because of the federal permitting process." she said. After the devastation of Maria, Puerto Rican lawmakers devised a plan to create an energy system that would not fail as spectacularly as the existing power grid did under the weight of the historic storm. In 2019, they passed a law to convert a system that depended on fossil fuels for more than 95 percent of its power to a grid completely powered by renewable energy by mid-century -- an ambitious goal given that renewables made up such a minute share of the power mix. That law included firm mandates designed to ensure the effort didn't stall on the way to 2050, including ceasing all coal-fired energy generation by 2028. It also included interim goals for ramping up renewable energy generation. But the law left it up to the territory's independent energy regulator to decide how much of that mix should be met by renewable energy systems on individual homes and businesses -- and how much of that power should be provided by large wind and solar farms that would still be tied to a fragile grid. The plan took years to get off the ground to mixed results, with rooftop solar installations soaring. But none of the large-scale renewable energy projects approved by the energy regulator in 2020 had started operations by mid-2023. And the plan hasn't stopped the problems caused by the outages. Even when the power is mostly restored after a major outage, electricity disruptions can continue for days and weeks. That's the case for people living in the Santa Isabel, Coamo and Aibonito municipalities ever since the transformer failed in early June. The few exceptions: those lucky enough to have solar power systems on their homes, businesses or through community microgrids. On a drive through some of these hard-hit areas with Jorge Gaskins, board president of nonprofit Barrio Electric, we talked about his efforts to put solar and battery systems on hundreds of individual homes. He took me to the Coamo home of Jose Rivera Espada, a retired member of the Puerto Rican Army National Guard. After directing us where to 36 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023839 park on this narrow back country road, Rivera Espada talked about how grateful he was for the solar and battery system -- especially as his neighbors dealt with yet another power loss. With pride, he showed me the rectangular white system anchored against an orange wall, pointing to the blue and green lights that show it is up and running and the battery is charged. Solar panels and batteries such as these, Gaskins said, are critical to help ensure Puerto Ricans are not at the mercy of their weak grid, which he described as "a bottomless pit." The benefits of transitioning to clean energy becomes obvious on visits to nearby Santa Isabel, one of the municipalities hit hardest by a succession of disasters, which has a population of about 20,000 people and a median household income of $22,680. In 2022, a glancing blow by Hurricane Fiona dropped more than 30 inches of rain here, overwhelming the energy infrastructure and causing power losses that lasted nearly two weeks. "All of this was underwater," locals told me repeatedly on drives through the streets of Santa Isabel. Just a few minutes away from an I Heart SI (Santa Isabel) sculpture is a grey building with blue trim, white fencing and multiple crosses on its exterior walls. That's where I met Keila M. Torres Mendez, a pastor with the Iglesia Evangelica Unida de Puerto Congregaci0n Jauca Santa Isabel. This isn't just a church. It's become a refuge for residents of this small, poor and aging community as they contend with the frustrations of frequent power outages. On the night the transformer outage began in June, upset congregants crammed into the church, which has enough solar power to meet the needs of its congregants during an emergency. When the power goes out, Mendez is at the church handing out bottled water and coffee and cooking arroz con polio and salmon so people can have a hot meal. Congregants can store their insulin in the refrigerator and have a relatively cool place to sleep. "When someone comes in asking for help, they never leave empty handed," she said, sitting a few feet away from a table stacked with cans of beans ready to be cooked and another table scattered with shoes and books, waiting to be taken by whoever needs them. Another way to boost renewable energy is visible near the church entrance, where I could see the massive wind towers of Pattern Energy's Santa Isabel Wind Farm in the distance. It is an awe-inspiring -- and neck-craning -- sight. The towers share space with trees birthing plantains, bananas and a countless number of mangoes. Renewable energy farms could play a major role in helping Puerto Rico achieve its clean energy mandates if more of them can finally get off the ground. Aside from the Santa Isabel wind farm, the Punta de Lima Wind Farm damaged during Hurricane Maria was finally restored and is back to providing renewable power after being offline for more than six years. But these farms raise critical, and very controversial, questions about the energy transition: Can more megafarms be built without sacrificing the agricultural land needed for food security in a territory that imports more than 85 percent of its food? And should Puerto Rico even try to do that -- given that fragile power lines would still be needed to transport the power they generate to the more populated urban areas? Or should it instead focus more on putting rooftop solar and storage on homes so people are not dependent on the grid? Puerto Rico has seen significant growth in rooftop solar installations, quadrupling to providing almost 600 megawatts over a five-year period, thanks to an incentive program whose future is in doubt. Amid this debate, Puerto Rico's energy transition continues to creep along -- too slowly, 37 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023840 many would say. Meanwhile, Gonzalez-Colon, the new governor, and other leaders are moving legislation to delay or outright eliminate those interim requirements. Clean energy advocates worry the fossil fuel interests that have dominated Puerto Rico's energy sector will slow the transition by continuing to push for more natural gas in the mix instead of wind and solar. One big reason for the concern: much of Puerto Rico's energy infrastructure is now being managed by private companies. As I rode in an Uber on the highway in San Juan, I passed graffiti with a very clear message: "Fuck LUMA." Puerto Ricans may disagree on a wide range of issues, including whether Puerto Rico should be a U.S. state -- or not -- but on LUMA, the company responsible for disseminating Puerto Rico's electricity on behalf of grid owner PREPA, they are in agreement: They hate the power outages. And they hate their skyhigh electric bills. "This is an issue that has to be fixed," said Charles A. Rodriguez, former president of Puerto Rico's Senate and former chair of the territory's Democratic Party. "We are not happy with LUMA." When the lights went out in Old San Juan during my visit last summer, social media was rife with angry and frustrated tweets, including from one of the biggest musical stars in the world: Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, AKA Bad Bunny. In 2022, the rapper released a music video/mini documentary, El Apagon, or the Power Outage, lambasting the energy instability and gentrification Puerto Ricans face each day. And he hasn't let up. Seeing the pro-statehood party of power as part of the problem, he spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on a billboard campaign to convince fellow Puerto Ricans to oust them. (His campaign fell short, with the Trump-backed Gonzalez-Colon winning the governor's chair in a crowded race with 41 percent of the vote.). Then, right after the November election, Bad Bunny took to X, declaring, "LUMA HAS TO GO." And after the lights went out on New Year's Eve, he posted on his Instagram stories, "This is how you spend New Year's Eve in Puerto Rico, without electricity. Normal." LUMA officials say they understand the frustration. Alejandro Figueroa Ramirez, the company's chief regulatory officer, said their "heads are down and focused" on fixing the power grid. (As the operator of the power grid, LUMA will have a role to play in the 2050 clean-energy plan by continuing to ramp up renewable energy connections.). But, Figueroa said, the company inherited an old system with a lot of vulnerabilities and needs time to fix all of the weak spots. "You can't fix everything and get to where we all want to be in a small amount of time," he said. "But there is hope in the sense that we know what needs to get done." LUMA is warning Puerto Ricans could have a tough year ahead of them. Puerto Ricans experienced 34 days over a six-month period in 2024 where LUMA had to turn off power to certain areas of the island due to supply shortages. The company is now predicting there could be as many as 93 days over the same period this year where it will be forced to take that action to prevent widespread grid failure. That number could be worse if a major hurricane hits or power shortages are more severe than projected. LUMA has argued these particular outages are not its fault, blaming a lack of available supply to meet increasing demand. Responsibility for managing Puerto Rico's older power plants belongs to another private company called Genera, a subsidiary of natural gas company New Fortress Energy. Genera has been roundly criticized over fears that it will perpetuate the territory's dependence on fossil fuels by continuing to operate the existing 38 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023841 fossil fuel plants. Genera spokesperson Ivan Baez said the company is committed to shutting down the plants, but needs to keep them operating for the time being to ensure the stability of fuel supplies. Local leaders fare no better than these private companies when it comes to anger over the mess Puerto Rico's energy system is in right now. The anger is driven in large part by the corruption that has plagued Puerto Rico -- and which has been blamed for contributing to the delayed flow of federal funding following the disasters. Meanwhile, Gonzalez-Colon and her party, the pro-statehood Partido Nuevo Progresista (New Progressive Party), have been subject to public attacks over the power outages; they've also been accused of corruption. Two months into the job, she is trying to convey that she's taking charge of the unstable energy grid, appointing an energy czar and creating an energy committee. The unstable power system, she told POLITICO Magazine, "is my main challenge." She believes in an "all-of-the-above" energy strategy that includes hydroelectric, solar and wind power and storage -- although many of the specific projects she mentioned were natural gas projects. "My concern is there are going to be blackouts and brownouts because of the lack of [power] generation," she said. But Gonzalez-Colon does not have final say over financial matters for the territory. In 2016, Congress responded to Puerto Rico's $72 billion bankruptcy by handing control of the territory's finances to the Financial Oversight and Management Board of Puerto Rico, commonly referred to as La Junta. When I asked Robert Mujica Jr., executive director of the board, if La Junta has too much power, he called it "an interesting question." But he said the board supports Puerto Rico's renewable energy goals -- even though it is fighting to overturn a law extending solar incentives in the territory -- and is working hard to resolve the public utility's bankruptcy so the energy resilience effort can fully move forward. "If you want to grow the economy, you need to have an energy system that works," he said. In Puerto Rico, Trump is never too far away from the conversations. The image of him throwing paper towels into a crowd during his post-Maria visit is seared into the minds of Puerto Ricans, crystalizing what they see as his disdain for their homeland. In a symbolic exercise -- since their presidential votes are non binding given Puerto Rico's territory status -- 73 percent of Puerto Ricans voted in favor of Kamala Harris in November even as the pro-statehood, pro-Trump candidate for governor prevailed. (This reflects the complicated dynamics of Puerto Rico's politics, which do not align with the mainland U.S. Republican-Democratic breakdown.). Now comes the fear Trump will punish them for that pro-Harris vote by withholding the billions of dollars in unspent federal funds. When asked about potential retaliation from Trump, the governor said she's not concerned about a clawback so much as she's "very worried" that the money just hasn't been spent and she has directly conveyed the urgency of the energy situation in Puerto Rico to the president. Pablo Jose Hernandez Rivera, who replaced Gonzalez-Colon as Puerto Rico's representative in Congress and caucuses with Democrats in Congress, is among those hoping Gonzalez-Colon's ties to Trump come in handy. After all, Trump congratulated Gonzalez-Colon on her victory and she attended his inauguration. The governor has pledged to work with the Trump-Vance administration, touting her friendships with top Trump officials such as EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin. "Having a Republican governor 39 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023842 seriously reduces the possibility of [Trump] lashing out against Puerto Rico," said Hernandez, a member of Puerto Rico's pro-commonwealth Popular Democratic Party (Partido Popular Democratico) who opposes statehood. And unlike climate hawks in the Democratic Party, Hernandez doesn't see the upside of going to battle with a Trump administration hostile to clean energy. He supports adding more renewable energy into the mix, but is willing to tolerate the inclusion of "less desirable" fossil fuels - if it means stabilizing the grid and making power more affordable for Puerto Ricans. Before I left Puerto Rico, I visited La Biblioteca Comunitaria de Villa del Mar en Santa Isabel, a library run by director Jacklyne Ortiz Velez. Ortiz Velez has seen the fallout from Puerto Rico's energy challenges up close. She and a couple of volunteers have been doing their best to read to and educate the children and young adults, ages 5 to 21, who have lost too much school time, partly because their schools keep losing power. Sitting in front of rows and rows of books in the compact library, she tearfully talked about the kids she educates, who don't understand why their families are struggling with a lack of power and so many other problems. They are depressed, she said, some to the brink of suicide. And it's not just the kids. Adults come to her crying when they are overwhelmed, when the lack of power means they can't work and don't have money to pay for food or pay their bills. "That breaks my heart," she said. These kids will have many more power outages in their immediate future. As the island barrels toward yet another hurricane season, the number of days when power is cut off could quadruple starting in May -- leaving Puerto Ricans in the dark, once again. National Housing News Federal judge orders CFPB to reinstate terminated employees (HousingWire.com) - full text HousinoVVire.com [3/28/2025 6:38 PM, Neil Pierson, 354K] In the latest twist involving the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), a federal judge in Washington, D.C., on Friday ordered the reinstatement of all employees who were laid off last month by acting director Russell Vought. Judge Amy Berman Jackson of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued her ruling in conjunction with a lawsuit brought by the National Treasury Employees Union. Earlier this month, after hearing testimony from CFPB chief operating officer Adam Martinez, Jackson indicated that she was "leaning" toward a preliminary injunction in the case that would pause plans to wind down the bureau's operations. The judge issued several orders on Friday that pertain to CFPB leaders, including Vought, as well as the Elon Musk-helmed. U.S. DOGE Service. Central to the ruling was the reinstatement of "all probationary and term employees" who were let go since Feb. 10. The bureau is prohibited from terminating any employee for reasons unrelated to performance or conduct, nor can it issue a reduction-in-force notice to any employee. Jackson also ordered the CFPB to allow employees to "perform their statutorily mandated functions" by giving them either fully equipped office space or proper equipment to work remotely. Vought had shut down the bureau's Washington, D.C., office after taking over as acting director. The bureau will also be required to have a working consumer complaint portal and to respond to complaints filed there. Jackson 40 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023843 has given Vought a deadline of Friday, April 4, to file a report that confirms compliance with her orders. Actions to reduce the size and scope of the CFPB accelerated quickly after President Donald Trump's inauguration in January. Trump fired Biden-era appointee Rohit Chopra and temporarily replaced him with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. Vought, the architect behind the conservative policy playbook Project 2025, was given the title of acting director only days later. Since then, the Trump administration has nominated Jonathan McKernan to head the bureau. McKernan had a Senate confirmation hearing at the end of February but a vote to confirm him has yet to be scheduled. District Judge Blocks CFPB Firings (The Mortgage Point) - full text The Mortgage Point [3/28/2025 6:23 PM, Eric C. Peck, 8K] The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), frequently targeted of late by Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), avoided being shut down Friday as U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson denied actions by the Trump administration from firing Bureau employees, and ordered the reinstatement of workers who were previously terminated. In Civil Action No. 25-0381, National Treasury Employees Union v. Russell Vought (in his official capacity as Acting Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau), the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) and other groups sued Acting CFPB Director Vought in February over the dismantling of the Bureau, arguing the effort violates the separation of powers between the branches of government. NTEU represents more than 1,000 frontline employees. "The evidence presented in connection with the motion--the testimony of the agency's Chief Operating Officer and other witnesses, and the agency's own documents, produced by both sides-showed that Russell Vought, the Acting Director of the CFPB, ordered all employees to stop work on February 10, 2025," said U.S. District Judge Berman Jackson in her ruling. "As of that date, the defendants were fully engaged in a hurried effort to dismantle and disable the agency entirely--firing all probationary and term-limited employees without cause, cutting off funding, terminating contracts, closing all of the offices, and implementing a reduction in force (RIF) that would cover everyone else. These actions were taken in complete disregard for the decision Congress made 15 years ago, which was spurred by the devastating financial crisis of 2008 and embodied in the United States Code, that the agency must exist and that it must perform specific functions to protect the borrowing public. The elimination of the agency was interrupted only because plaintiffs sought and obtained the Court's intervention on the day the overwhelming majority of the employees were going to be fired." Established by Congress in response to the 2008 financial crisis, the CFPB oversees financial institutions and protects consumers from predatory practices. Since its inception, the agency has recovered billions of dollars for American citizens and helped create a fairer, more transparent financial marketplace. Congress exercised its constitutional authority to regulate commerce when it created the CFPB, ensuring that it operates independently to fulfill its mandate. "We will not stand by and let this administration destroy the agency that protects seniors, veterans, active-duty military and all American consumers," said NTEU National President Doreen Greenwald. "The employees of the CFPB are nonpartisan 41 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023844 professionals who swore an oath to uphold the Constitution, and they believe in the mission of their agency. Locking them out of their jobs or firing them is a gift to predatory lenders and unscrupulous actors who prey on consumers." Several internal emails found the Trump administration planned to eliminate nearly 1,200 workers of the agency's approximate staff of 1,700. And in a second phase of job cuts, The Hill reported that several CFPB employees said they were told the Bureau would be "wound down," eliminating all but five employees and moving its statutorily required functions elsewhere. "This a tragedy for American consumers, and it is lawless," said Deepak Gupta, Founding Principal of Gupta Wessler LLP, and Former Senior Counsel at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. "The Bureau was created by Congress to ensure a fair marketplace and protect the financial security of everyday Americans, helping them avoid fraud, predatory lending, and abusive financial practices. The President and his acting director lack the authority to suspend the agency's work, defund its operations, or halt enforcement of consumer protection laws. We seek an immediate order restoring the CFPB's operations and emergency relief to prevent further harm to consumers." Judge grants CFPB preliminary injunction, halts mass firings (National Mortgage News) - full text National Mortgage News [3/28/2025 5:21 PM, Kate Berry, 28K] A federal judge on Friday granted a preliminary injunction to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's union, stating that the court "must act" to block the Trump administration from dismantling the agency. U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson granted a preliminary injunction that maintains the agency's existence, reinstates and preserves the agency's contracts, work force, data, and operational capacity. The National Treasury Employees Union, which sued the CFPB in February, argued that they would be irreparably harmed if an injunction was not issued. Berman Jackson, of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, said the union is likely to succeed on the merits of their Administrative Procedure Act claims and that the injunction serves the public interest. "There is no act of Congress that empowers the President to shut down the CFPB in his discretion," Berman Jackson wrote in the 112-page order. "This is precisely the sort of situation preliminary injunctions were designed to address. If the defendants are not enjoined, they will eliminate the agency before the Court has the opportunity to decide whether the law permits them to do it, and as the defendants' own witness warned, the harm will be irreparable." The order is a yet another blow to the Trump administration's efforts to dismantle federal agencies and fire employees. The administration faces more than 100 lawsuits over its ongoing efforts to radically reduce the federal workforce. The CFPB's acting Director Russell Vought, the judge said, fully engaged in "a hurried effort to dismantle and disable the agency entirely" by firing all probationary and term-limited employees without cause, cutting off funding, terminating contracts, closing all of the offices, and implementing a reduction in force that would cover the entire agency." The CFPB's dismantling was interrupted only because the union sued Vought "and 42 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023845 obtained the Court's intervention on the day the overwhelming majority of the employees were going to be fired," Berman Jackson wrote. "These actions were taken in complete disregard for the decision Congress made 15 years ago, which was spurred by the devastating financial crisis of 2008 and embodied in the United States Code, that the agency must exist and that it must perform specific functions to protect the borrowing public," she wrote. Berman Jackson did not mince words in describing the actions of Vought and President Trump. "There is no mystery about what is going on as the President ... Elon Musk and Russell Vought have made their actions and intentions clear," she wrote. "Indeed, only two days after the agency's Legal Officer -- who like the police chief in Casablanca who was 'shocked, shocked' to find gambling going on -- professed to be surprised that some employees were not working, the White House posted a message on its 'Work for You Again' webpage boasting: 'President Trump ordered the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau -- the brainchild of Elizabeth Warren, which funneled cash to left-wing advocacy groups -- to halt operations.- A core dispute in court fight involved witness testimony and documents that showed Vought was engaged in an effort to implement a Presidential plan to shut down the agency quickly, with a planned, mass firing of 1,175 employees, with more firings to come. The Justice Department, in defending Vought's actions, tried to claim that a stopwork order did not constitute a final action by the agency and therefore could not be challenged under the APA, which governs the process by which federal agencies develop and issue regulations. But the judge wrote that court testimony and the chronology of events suggest the CFPB's leaders engaged in "a charade for the Court's benefit," by authorizing the resumption of some work and reactivating some contracts. She said that Vought's actions to dismantle and shut down the CFPB "are unconstitutional because they exceed the executive's authority and usurp the legislature's authority." "Absent an injunction freezing the status quo -- preserving the agency's data, its operational capacity, and its workforce -- there is a substantial risk that the defendants will complete the destruction of the agency completely in violation of law well before the Court can rule on the merits, and it will be impossible to rebuild," the judge wrote. Deepak Gupta, who represented the NTEU, said he was heartened by the decision and looks forward to continuing to press the union's case in court. "When we filed this lawsuit, the Trump Administration had paralyzed the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's work and was within hours of firing nearly its entire staff," said Gupta, the founding principal at Gupta Wessler LLP. "This victory blocks the unprecedented plan to dismantle the CFPB--an agency that Congress created to protect Americans' financial security. The ruling upholds the Constitution's separation of powers and preserves the Bureau's vital work." Cat Farman, president of the CFPB's union, said she was thrilled to see the judge "throw Russell Vought's Project 2025 playbook in the garbage where it belongs." Vought is one of the authors of Project 2025, a political initiative to reshape and consolidate executive power in favor of right-wing policies. The union was joined in its lawsuit by the National Consumer Law Center, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Virginia Poverty Law Center, Rev. Eva Steege, and the CFPB Employee Association. 43 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023846 "Today's ruling is an undeniable win-win for working people," Farman said. "CFPB workers are eager to get back to work serving the American people and protecting their hard-earned paychecks from Wall Street greed." The injunction will remain in effect even after Jonathan McKernan is expected to be confirmed as the CFPB's permanent director once the Senate votes on his nomination by the end of April. Under the preliminary injunction, the CFPB cannot issue any notice of a reduction-in-force or terminate any CFPB employee, except for cause related to performance or conduct. All probationary and term employees must be reinstated, including the Private Student Loan Ombudsman Julia Barnard, the order states. In addition, the CFPB must maintain records and not "delete, destroy, remove, or impair any data," covered by the Federal Records Act. The agency also is required to ensure that employees can perform their statutorily-mandated functions by providing them with either fully-equipped office space, or permission to work remotely. Contracts that were terminated have to be rescinded and the bureau cannot reinitiate a wholesale cancellation of contracts. The CFPB also is required to ensure that the Office of Consumer Response continues to maintain a toll-free telephone number, website, and database for consumer complaints. The order by Berman Jackson began by listing three quotations showing the intent of the Trump administration: Elon Musk's Feb. 7 post on X stating "CFPB RIP"; Vought's Feb. 8 post on X saying "the CFPB has been a woke and weaponized agency against disfavored industries and individuals for a long time. This must end."; and President Donald Trump's remarks about the CFPB, telling a reporter: "That was a very important thing to get rid of." The motion for preliminary injunction, Berman Jackson said, "boils down to one question: should the Court take action to preserve the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau now, before the case concerning its fate has been resolved? ... the answer is an overwhelming yes: the Court can and must act." The court "cannot look away or the CFPB will be dissolved and dismantled completely in approximately thirty days, well before this lawsuit has come to its conclusion," she wrote. The CFPB is the only federal agency authorized to supervise the nation's largest banks for compliance with consumer financial protection laws. It also supervises nonbanks of all sizes in certain markets including mortgage companies, payday lenders, larger nonbank participants, credit reporting agencies, digital payment apps and debt collectors. After Berman Jackson issued a consent order on Feb. 14, the CFPB's efforts to dismantle the agency "continued as if nothing had changed," she wrote. Employees remained on administrative leave, and were not performing their work duties. The bureau's home page was deleted at the request of Vought, and a reduction in force was still being planned. Moreover, on Feb. 19, in an interview with CBS News, President Trump said that his administration had "virtually shut down the out-of-control CFPB." Additional actions came at a rapid-fire pace, including moving the CFPB out of its headquarters in 3O days, cutting off travel cards and cancelling more contracts. The judge made further references in the order to attempt by the leadership to intimidate employees and obfuscate about the planned mass firings, while claiming employees were performing legally-required functions. "The evidence showed that emails purporting to get things up and running again could not be taken on face value, either, as the employees found out that being reactivated on paper did not mean they could actually do 44 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023847 the work," she wrote. While the judge stopped short of calling the CFPB's leaders liars, she noted that Adam Martinez, the bureau's chief operating officer and a key witness in the case, "appeared anguished by both the demise of the agency and by his being cast in the role of agency spokesman." In court testimony, Berman Jackson wrote that Martinez "had the demeanor of an abused wife brought to court by her husband to drop the charges." She also said that "Martinez's testimony established that he has no idea what the leadership of the agency is planning beyond firing all of the employees." The Justice Department claimed that an injunction wasn't needed because CFPB employees had been instructed to perform mandated duties. But Berman Jackson countered that Vought and the CFPB "overstepped their statutory and constitutional authority and usurped the power of the members of Congress, who were democratically elected by the people in every state in the union." Trump signs order ending union bargaining rights for wide swaths of federal employees (NPR) - full text NPR [3/28/2025 12:00 PM, Andrea Hsu, 29983K] AUDIO. President Trump has signed an executive order ending collective bargaining for wide swaths of federal employees, as part of his broader campaign to reshape the U.S. government's workforce. The largest federal employee union says the order affects over 1 million workers. In a fact sheet, the White House says the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 (CSRA) gives him the authority to halt collective bargaining at agencies with national security missions. This provision has traditionally applied to certain employees at agencies such as the CIA, the FBI or the National Security Agency. But Trump's order, signed late Thursday, is more far-reaching, and includes employees whose jobs touch on national defense, border security, foreign relations, energy security, pandemic preparedness, the economy, public safety and cybersecurity. It notably excludes law enforcement. "Police and firefighters will continue to collectively bargain," the White House fact sheet states. Unions are roundly condemning the move. "This administration's latest executive order is union busting, pure and simple," said Irma Westmoreland, a registered nurse at a veterans hospital in Augusta, Ga., who spoke in her capacity as chair of Veterans Affairs for National Nurses United. The union represents nurses caring for patients' physical and mental health at veterans facilities around the country. "We need to feel free as unionized nurses to speak up about patient safety issues," said Westmoreland. "Veterans deserve nurses who are free to advocate for their care without fear of discipline or losing our jobs." Trump had previously issued executive actions eroding employee rights under union contracts. For example, one directive sought to invalidate collectively bargained telework provisions, declaring that they were in conflict with management rights. He's also taken aim at the amount of time employees serving in union leadership positions could spend on collective bargaining and other union-related business. The administration had also already ended collective bargaining rights for Transportation Security Administration officers who run airport checkpoints. The executive order signed Thursday night covers all or some unionized employees at around 20 agencies, including the departments of Agriculture, Veterans Affairs, Health and Human Services, State, Justice, Energy, 45 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023848 Interior, Treasury, Defense and others. Unions point out that the CSRA granted federal workers collective bargaining rights in order to provide them a way to address workplace issues without disrupting government operations. "Labor organizations and collective bargaining in the civil service are in the public interest," the CSRA states. In its fact sheet, the White House made clear it thought unions were standing in its way. "Certain Federal unions have declared war on President Trump's agenda," the fact sheet states. "The CSRA enables hostile Federal unions to obstruct agency management." Federal employee unions have sued the Trump administration to block a number of its actions, including the mass firings of probationary employees, the dismantling of USAID and access to sensitive data. Unions have also pushed back on the administration's return-to-office demands, citing provisions in their contracts allowing for some telework, and were prepared to bargain over procedures related to upcoming reductions-in-force as their contracts allowed. Now, labor leaders are calling Trump's new executive order a "retaliatory attack." "President Trump's latest executive order is a disgraceful and retaliatory attack on the rights of hundreds of thousands of patriotic American civil servants--nearly one-third of whom are veterans - simply because they are members of a union that stands up to his harmful policies," wrote Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, in a statement. AFGE, which represents 800,000 civil servants, has vowed "immediate" legal action to fight it. "AFGE isn't going anywhere," wrote Kelley. "Our members have bravely served this nation, often putting themselves in harm's way, and they deserve far better than this blatant attempt at political punishment." Trump Order Could Cripple Federal Worker Unions Fighting DOGE Cuts (New York Times) - full text New York Times [3/29/2025 11:02 AM, Rebecca Davis O'Brien, 145325K] Federal worker unions have sought over the past two months to lead the resistance to President Trump and his Department of Government Efficiency, filing lawsuits, organizing protests and signing up new members by the thousands. This week, Mr. Trump struck back with a potentially crippling blow. In a sweeping executive order denouncing the unions as "hostile" to his agenda, the president cited national security concerns to remove some one million civil servants across more than a dozen agencies from the reach of organized labor, eliminating the unions' power to represent those workers at the bargaining table or in court. A lawsuit accompanying the executive order, filed by the administration in federal court in Texas, asks a judge to give the president permission to rescind collective bargaining agreements, citing national security interests and saying the agreements had "hamstrung" executive authority. Labor leaders vowed on Friday to challenge the Trump actions in court. But, barring a legal intervention, the moves could kneecap federal unions and protections for many civil service employees just as workers brace for a new round of job cuts across the government. "They are hobbling the union, ripping up collective bargaining agreements, and then they will come for the workers," said Brian Kelly, a Michigan-based employee of the Environmental Protection Agency who heads a local of the American Federation of Government Employees, the country's largest federal employee union. "So, it's a worst- 46 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023849 case scenario." The move added to the list of actions by Mr. Trump to use the levers of the presidency to weaken perceived enemies, in this case seeking to neutralize groups that represent civil servants who make up the "deep state" he is trying to dismantle. In issuing the order, Mr. Trump said he was using congressionally granted powers to designate certain sectors of the federal work force central to "national security missions," and exempt from collectivebargaining requirements. Employees of some agencies, like the F.B.I. and the C.I.A., are already excluded from collective bargaining for these reasons. But, with his order, Mr. Trump added exemptions for many workers in the Veterans Affairs, Treasury and Energy Departments as well as the E.P.A., among others. Huge portions of the Department of Health and Human Services were also designated as vital to national security, in addition to "most components" of the Justice Department. The order was clear in its purpose: to neutralize groups that have been able "to obstruct agency management." "The goal is to stop employees in certain security-related agencies from unionizing in ways that disrupt the president's agenda," said Harrison Fields, a White House spokesman. Since Mr. Trump returned to office in January and began imposing large-scale reductions in the government work force, federal employee unions, and particularly A.F.G.E., have taken on new visibility and a central role in challenging the Trump administration. The unions have scored some successes in court challenging cuts related to the efforts of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency. Labor leaders have emerged as vocal champions for federal workers -- and sharp critics of Mr. Trump and Mr. Musk. A.F.G.E. has seen a surge of tens of thousands of new dues-paying members since January, union officials said. Samuel R. Bagenstos, a University of Michigan law professor and former general counsel to the Department of Health and Human Services, said the executive order would be vulnerable to "very significant" legal challenges, calling it "a dramatic overreach of the president's authority" under laws governing the federal work force. The effort to justify the move under rules for national security employees is a stretch, Mr. Bagenstos said. "Here we have this incredibly broad effort to take away the power of any union to represent any employee," Mr. Bagenstos said. Union officials said on Friday they feared the president's actions could be catastrophic for their organizations on multiple fronts. They said the cancellation of collective bargaining agreements for many workers would have the immediate effect of ending collection of dues from those workers' paychecks. Leaders at A.F.G.E. estimated that 75 percent of their 300,000 dues-paying members use paycheck deductions. Now, the union will have to convince members to make direct payments online to the union, they said. What's more, union leaders said, the president's actions could deal a lethal blow to their most potent weapon so far against the Trump administration and its DOGE-led cuts, the federal court system. In the absence of a collective bargaining agreement, the unions would no longer be the representative of workers, which means a judge might find they no longer have legal standing to sue on their behalf, union leaders and lawyers said. Mr. Fields, the White House spokesman, said as much on Friday: "Because of this litigation, unions impacted 47 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023850 by the executive order would no longer be able to represent agency employees." Unions said they would fight back. Speaking on Friday at a news conference on Capitol Hill, the president of A.F.G.E., Everett Kelley, called the executive order "plainly retaliatory," and said: "The labor movement will not be silenced." Randy Erwin, the national president of the National Federation of Federal Employees -- another union affected by the order -- called it "the biggest assault on collective bargaining rights that we have ever seen in this country," and called it "blatantly illegal and unconstitutional." A.F.G.E.'s leadership held an emergency meeting late Thursday to discuss the order. While the union's leadership has braced for major assaults on the work force, some leaders did not see such a dramatic move coming, according to one person involved in the discussion. Other union officials have described preparing for such a moment, given Mr. Trump's efforts during his first administration to diminish the power of federal unions and to remove protections on civil service jobs. Federal law imposes restrictions on federal employees. Union membership cannot be mandated, for one, and federal employees cannot strike. Technically, A.F.G.E. represents 800,000 workers, but the majority of them do not pay dues. In the frenzy of new sign-ups and newly engaged members, union leaders said in interviews that they were often explaining to workers what exactly a union can do for them. Some workers have been frustrated by the limitations of the unions' power. The way forward, said Mr. Kelly, the A.F.G.E. local leader from Michigan, was clear: The union had to make its case known not only to federal workers but to Americans. "You are going to have no voice in your workplace. You need people to really see how dangerous this is." Trump administration sues to invalidate dozens of union contracts (Reuters) - full text Reuters [3/28/2025 11:12 AM, Daniel Wiessner, 41523K] The administration of President Donald Trump filed a lawsuit claiming that dozens of labor contracts between unions and federal agencies are invalid because they impede Trump's abilities to purge the federal workforce and protect national security. The departments of Defense, Justice, Homeland Security, Veterans Affairs and four other agencies sued in Waco, Texas, federal court late on Thursday seeking a ruling that an executive order, issued by Trump earlier in the day excluding certain agencies from collective bargaining requirements allows them to cancel existing contracts. The agencies sued the American Federation of Government Employees, the largest federal worker union with more than 800,000 members, and about three dozen of its local affiliates. The local unions represent thousands of workers employed by the eight agencies at military bases, veterans' hospitals and other government facilities, mainly in Texas. The agencies claim the administration of Democratic President Joe Biden entered into collective bargaining agreements with the AFGE in the months before Trump took office to block him from firing federal workers en masse and pursuing other priorities. "The President and his senior Executive Branch officials cannot afford to be obstructed by CBAs that micromanage oversight of the federal workforce and impede performance 48 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023851 accountability," the agencies said. Some of the contracts allow employees to continue working remotely, delegate decision-making "to unaccountable private arbitrators," and limit the power of the president and agency heads to promptly identify and address poor performance, the agencies said in the lawsuit. AFGE President Everett Kelley in a statement responding to Trump's executive order called it a disgraceful and retaliatory attack on the rights of hundreds of thousands of public employees based solely on their union membership. Kelley said the union "is preparing immediate legal action" in response to the order. "AFGE isn't going anywhere. Our members have bravely served this nation, often putting themselves in harm's way, and they deserve far better than this blatant attempt at political punishment," Kelley said. The union on Friday did not immediately have a comment on the lawsuit. AFGE has filed several lawsuits against the Trump administration, including challenges to the mass firings of recently-hired federal workers and the termination of collective bargaining rights for nearly 50,000 Transportation Security Administration officers. The Trump administration has terminated or attempted to fire tens of thousands of workers from the 2.3 million-member federal workforce, and has said that more mass layoffs are coming. But about 30% of federal workers are unionized, and bargaining agreements make it difficult to fire those people or change their working conditions. Unlike their private-sector counterparts, federal worker unions cannot bargain over wages, benefits, or the classification of employees, and federal employees are barred by law from going on strike. Agencies can disapprove collective bargaining agreements for a short period after they are ratified by unions, but that period has expired for the contracts at issue in the lawsuit. The agencies that sued say the CBAs they are targeting are no longer valid in light of Trump's executive order. The order exempts a number of agencies from collective bargaining that, Trump said, "have as a primary function of intelligence, counterintelligence, investigative, or national security work." The other agencies involved in the lawsuit include the Department of Agriculture, Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Social Security Administration. Trump Demolishes Federal Workers' Union Rights Ahead of Mass Firing (The New Republic Online) - full text The New Republic Online [3/28/2025 11:05 AM, Hafiz Rashid, 4129K] Donald Trump plans to ramp up his purge of the federal workforce and end union rights for many government employees at the same time. The Washington Post on Thursday obtained an internal White House document outlining plans for 22 federal agencies to cut between 8 and 50 percent of their employees. According to the Post's sources, the plan is a draft and doesn't contain final numbers. But it is a worrying sign that heavy cuts are on the horizon that will severely impact government services. For example, according to the document, the Department of Housing and Urban Development may cut half of its 8,300-person-odd staff, while the IRS could cut a third of its workforce, and the Interior Department could cut a quarter. This could affect the availability of affordable housing, tax refunds, and audits, and even National Park staffing. 49 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023852 Also on Thursday, Trump signed an executive order concerning government agencies, aimed at ending collective bargaining rights and placing limits on which federal employees can unionize. The memo cites a fact sheet from the White House arguing that the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, which allowed government workers to unionize, "enables hostile Federal unions to obstruct agency management." "President Trump is taking action to ensure that agencies vital to national security can execute their missions without delay and protect the American people," the document states. The memo states that 18 government departments and numerous agencies are covered in the executive order, and orders the agencies to terminate their collective bargaining agreements. The American Federation of Government Employees has already responded, accusing the Trump administration of "illegally strip[ping] collective bargaining rights from hundreds of thousands of federal workers," in an email to its members. "Let's be clear. National security is not the reason for this action. This is retaliation because our union is standing up for AFGE members--and a warning to every union: fall in line, or else," the email states. "AFGE is not going anywhere. We are fighting back. We are preparing legal action." Trump is already attempting to eliminate federal agencies such as the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Department of Education. By firing federal workers across the government and removing many of their unions, he is not only rendering the government less effective but tightening his control of it. Fed CIO Offices, 20-Plus Agencies Losing Union Bargaining Under New EO (MeriTalk) - full text MeriTalk [3/28/2025 12:56 PM, John Curran, 45K] An executive order signed by President Donald Trump and issued by the White House late Thursday aims to end collective bargaining with Federal government unions for vast swaths of the civilian workforce. This includes all cabinet-level Federal agency chief information officer (CIO) offices and substantial portions of 20 large agencies and component organizations. The March 27 order says that it is "using authority granted by the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 (CSRA) to end collective bargaining with Federal unions" at numerous agencies that perform "national security missions." "President Trump is taking action to ensure that agencies vital to national security can execute their missions without delay and protect the American people," the White House said, adding, "the President needs a responsive and accountable civil service to protect our national security." The White House also claimed that "certain Federal unions have declared war on President Trump's agenda," and that the "largest Federal union describes itself as 'fighting back' against Trump. It is widely filing grievances to block Trump policies." "President Trump supports constructive partnerships with unions who work with him; he will not tolerate mass obstruction that jeopardizes his ability to manage agencies with vital national security missions," the White House said. Among the agencies listed in whole as being covered by the order are: the departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs, State, Treasury, the National Science Foundation, and the General Services Administration; major components of the Department of Homeland Security, including the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency; and portions of 50 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023853 the Energy Department, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Environmental Protection Agency, and Justice Department. Specifically exempted from the order are police and fire fighting organizations. On the technology front, the order pays particular attention to the offices that run larger Federal agency IT systems. According to a fact sheet released by the White House -- and under the heading of "cybersecurity" -- the list of organizations for which collective bargaining with Federal unions is being ended includes the "Office of the Chief Information Officer in each cabinet-level department, as well as DHS's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and the General Services Administration (GSA)." GSA is being included on that list, the White House said, because the agency "provides cybersecurity related services to agencies and ensures they do not use compromised telecommunications products." The text of the order also appears to cover CIO offices at the Social Security Administration and the Office of Personnel Management. The cabinet-level agency CIO shops covered by the order are those defined in section 101 of title 5 of the United States Code. Those include the departments of State, Treasury, Defense, Justice, Interior, Agriculture, Commerce, Labor, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, Energy, Education, Veterans Affairs, and Homeland Security. In addition to CIO offices at those agencies, the order specifies that it applies to those agencies regarding "any other agency or subdivision that has information resources management duties as the agency or subdivision's primary duty." It's not immediately clear how many union-represented employees work in larger Federal CIO offices. One knowledgeable source reckoned that for some of those agencies the workforce may run into several hundred people -- with a few headcounts running much higher than that -- but that union membership may not equal a majority share of CIO office staffs, and in some cases not even close to that. Everett Kelley, who is president of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) that represents about 750,000 Federal employees, said the union is "preparing immediate legal action" in response to the executive order, and blasted the White House action in a statement issued today. "President Trump's latest executive order is a disgraceful and retaliatory attack on the rights of hundreds of thousands of patriotic American civil servants -- nearly one-third of whom are veterans - simply because they are members of a union that stands up to his harmful policies," Kelley said. "This administration's bullying tactics represent a clear threat not just to federal employees and their unions, but to every American who values democracy and the freedoms of speech and association," he said. "Trump's threat to unions and working people across America is clear: fall in line or else." Kelley emphasized, "These threats will not work. Americans will not be intimidated or silenced. AFGE isn't going anywhere. Our members have bravely served this nation, often putting themselves in harm's way, and they deserve far better than this blatant attempt at political punishment." Reps. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., ranking member of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, and Bobby Scott, D-Va., ranking member of the House Education and Workforce Committee, decried the executive order today. "This executive order is another example of the Trump-Musk Administration's war on 51 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023854 working people," the congressmen said. "These two billionaires busted unions in their day jobs and now they're bringing these same attacks to our government in the biggest presidential attack on unions in history." "Since the enactment of the National Labor Relations Act nearly 90 years ago, workers have been empowered to come together and form unions to win higher pay, better safety standards, and claim a voice in their workplaces as they protect workers from abuse and misuse by unscrupulous employers," they said. "President Trump's brazen attempt to strip the majority of federal employees of their union rights robs these workers of their hard-fought protections," the House member said. "This will only give Elon Musk more power to dismantle the people's government with as little resistance from dedicated civil servants as possible--further weakening the federal government's ability to serve the American people." Trump Admin Targets Key Policy for Closing Gaps in Access to Home Loans and More (Next City) - full text Next City [3/28/2025 9:46 AM, Oscar Perry Abello] The Trump administration is taking aim at a little-known but powerful provision that allows banks and other lenders to address historic disparities in access to credit due to race, gender or national origin. In an order dated March 25, the Federal Housing Finance Agency directs Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to terminate all purchases of residential mortgages made under special purpose credit programs. The National Association of Mortgage Brokers has called these programs "critical tools" for increasing access to homeownership. As government-sponsored enterprises, or GSEs, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac purchase residential mortgages from lenders on the secondary market, allowing lenders to scale up their operations and reach many more borrowers than they would if they had to wait up to 30 years for the loans to be repaid. Through their secondary purchasing, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac support 70% of all residential mortgage lending across the country. Under a special purpose credit program, banks and other private lenders can, for example, use more flexible underwriting criteria to approve loans for "economically disadvantaged" customers, like someone who might otherwise be denied a loan because they have a credit score reflecting historic racism or lacks any credit history because they just moved here from overseas. "Special purpose credit programs have been a proven tool to get capital to people who deserve it," says Brookings Institution senior fellow Andre Perry, whose forthcoming book "Black Power Scorecard" strongly recommends more special purpose credit programs. "They have met court muster and they provide loan products to people who are doing everything right, but simply need capital to jumpstart their American dreams," he says. "We know that many individuals have not received intergenerational wealth transfers that enable them to start businesses and purchase homes. Why not make loan products for them?" Special purpose credit programs are authorized under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 1974 and also governed by what's known as Regulation B from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The new order, posted on X by the agency's director, states that the Federal Housing Finance Agency believes support for these programs is "inappropriate." 52 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023855 For those who've spent years addressing historic and systemic racism, this is just the latest of many moves by the Trump administration that threaten to undermine their work. "A resource that has been set aside for those that have been most harmed by systematic racism is being eliminated," says Nikki Beasley, executive director of Richmond Neighborhood Housing Services. "It's gonna require banks to double down and be true to their commitment that -- even without the ability to sell their loans to the GSEs -- they're still going to be committed to making their wrongs, right." It's not clear how many lenders the March 25 order actually affects. There is no centralized monitoring of how many banks and other lenders have established special purpose credit programs, and until recently, very few lenders have been operating any type of special purpose credit program. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac only deal with residential mortgages, but some special purpose credit programs are for small business loans or commercial real estate. Lenders aren't required to have support from these government-sponsored enterprises to create special purpose credit programs for residential mortgage lending. "The concern is that this sends a strong signal that the administration is anti-special purpose credit programs," says Jesse Van Tol, CEO of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition. News of the order came out on the heels of the coalition's annual conference, which brings together more than 2,000 people working in fair housing, community development and banking across the country. Inclusive finance leaders say terminating Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's support for special purpose credit programs may slow down existing programs that rely on Fannie and Freddie. It could also stifle interest from lenders who are considering whether to create new special purpose credit programs that would have relied on Fannie and Freddie's secondary purchasing. "That means you now have to hold those loans in your portfolio and most banks aren't gonna want to hold a 30-year note," Beasley says. "There might be some pushback but there has to be compromise. Maybe you committed to $500 million, and now without Fannie and Freddie, I understand why that's no longer possible. But can you still do $100 million?" Van Tol says he's aware of at least 30 banks that have established special purpose credit programs, for everything from mortgage lending to small business, commercial real estate and community development. The majority of them -- including Chase, Bank of America, Citibank and Wells Fargo -- have emerged over the past five years. "It's been a huge boom," Van Tol says. "Most of them pre-date Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's support for special purpose credit programs." That growth has been due in part to organizations like the National Community Reinvestment Coalition working with policymakers and the banking industry to promote awareness of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act's provision for special purpose credit programs. "The reason it's legal, the reason why actually it's constitutional, is the fact that it's a form of remediation," Van Tol explains. "It allows a bank or mortgage companies to look at the lending data and say, hey, here's where we have gaps. And because we have gaps, we can develop an affirmative approach, a special approach, more flexible underwriting, other terms and conditions that may be different about the mortgage product, or affirmative marketing to a particular combination of groups." 53 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023856 In 2022, the Mortgage Bankers Association and National Fair Housing Alliance created a toolkit for mortgage lenders interested in developing Special Purpose Credit Programs. Regulators have even issued multiple advisory statements and other documentation clarifying their stance on the appropriateness of special purpose credit programs. "Our coalition has really prioritized special purpose credit programs in the last few years as we've come to understand more about them," says Kevin Stein, an NCRC board member and deputy director of California-based NCRC member Rise Economy. The Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 empowers federal banking regulators to evaluate banks' track records of meeting community needs when considering applications for mergers, branch openings or branch closings. NCRC members often leverage the Community Reinvestment Act as a platform to get banks to negotiate post-merger community benefit plans with commitments to finance first-time homeowners, affordable housing, small businesses or community development in low-income communities. More and more, those community benefit plans are starting to include the creation or expansion of special purpose credit programs. "When we're talking with financial institutions, we are always talking about special purpose creative programs amongst many other issues, but this is very important to our membership," Stein says. "Over the years, a number of institutions have been moving along the continuum, from thinking about it to having something at least in the early stages." Back in 1993, California-based Union Bank created its special purpose credit program for small business and commercial real estate lending. It's one of the longest-running examples of this type of program. To access Union Bank's special purpose credit program, prospective borrowers simply checked a box on the bank's standard small business loan application to self-identify that they are a business whose ownership and management are at least 51% women, people of color or veterans. The bank verifies the self-identification later. "We're able to approve more loans when a person of color, woman or veteran checks that box," Frank Robinson, who ran Union Bank's special purpose credit program for nearly 20 years, told Next City in 2022. "Sometimes that check is the difference between them having a loan and not." Robinson said as of 2022 about a third of Union Bank's small business loan portfolio fell under its special purpose credit program, and that those loans don't default at any higher rates than loans approved conventionally. Banks do not require regulatory approval to establish special purpose credit programs, but they are required to inform regulators when they establish them. It's really more of an informal process. The required documentation doesn't need to be extensive -- Union Bank's special purpose credit program plan was typically only seven to 10 pages long -- but there are three main requirements. First, the special purpose credit program plan must identify at least one category of borrowers facing discrimination because of race, gender, disability status or other federally recognized categories. Some banks have created special purpose credit programs to offer home mortgage loans to individuals using only Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers instead of social security numbers or permanent residency documents. Banks can use public data sources to show that certain borrowers still don't have the same access to credit as other borrowers. Second, the special purpose credit program plan must clearly outline the program design, including the proposed loan criteria or terms, a marketing plan, and a commitment to set 54 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023857 aside extra loan loss reserves. Third, the special purpose credit program plan must provide a timeline for reevaluating the program and whether there is still a need for it. Starting in 1993, Union Bank typically set a two-year reevaluation period, and sometimes adjusted underwriting criteria on an annual basis to make the program more or less flexible in response to overall economic conditions. Union Bank has since been acquired by U.S. Bank, which made a pledge as part of the acquisition approval process to continue the former Union Bank's special purpose credit program and even extend it across the bank's larger footprint across more than two dozen states. "Our sense in conversations with banks is that they really feel good about these, that they feel like they are meeting a need, that special purpose credit programs are helping them reach customers that they have for whatever reason been unable to reach effectively, that the products are performing well and people are repaying the loans," Stein says. "It's a win-win situation." Exclusive: All CDFI programs legally required, Treasury suggests (National Mortgage News) - full text National Mortgage News [3/28/2025 12:44 PM, Claire Williams, 28K] All 11 Community Development Financial Institutions Fund programs are required by law, the Treasury Department outlined to the Office of Management and Budget, according to a document obtained by American Banker. President Donald Trump earlier this month issued an executive order eliminating the "non-statutory" parts of a number of federal programs, including the CDFI Fund. The move set off worry within the industry, especially as the Trump administration looks to purge any federal spending associated with "diversity, equity and inclusion." Many programs in the CDFI Fund help CDFIs disburse money to groups that may fall under that umbrella, including Black-, women- or Native American-owned businesses. The order also left many in the industry struggling to understand its impact, as trade groups for the CDFI industry argued that most - if not all -- of the fund's programs are legally mandated. The Treasury Department appears to agree with them. In a report responding to the executive order directing the Treasury Department to submit to the OMB about the CDFI Fund, the Treasury Department said the fund "is performing its statutory functions as required by law." The Treasury in the report lists 11 programs or functions that the CDFI Fund runs, including the Native American CDFI Assistance Program, Small Dollar Loan Program and the CDFI Equitable Recovery Program. Each of these programs, the Treasury said in the report, is backed up by specific laws, which are listed next to the program. "Accordingly, the CDFI Fund is performing its statutory functions as required by law," the Treasury said in the report. "On an ongoing basis, the Treasury will evaluate the CDFI Fund to identify opportunities for improvement and enhance efficiencies." The White House in a statement to American Banker said that "no final decisions have been made" about the fate of the programs. "The Treasury Department is considering a number of measures to increase efficiency, including a roll back of wasteful Biden-era hiring surges. and consolidation of critical 55 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023858 support functions to improve both efficiency and quality of service," a spokesman said in an emailed statement. "No final decisions have yet been made, and any current reporting to the contrary is false." The Treasury did not respond to a request for comment. The president's executive order on the CDFI Fund saw some bipartisan pushback -- a rarity in Trump's Washington. Sens. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, and Mark Warner, D-Va., coheads of the CDFI caucus, led a letter to the Treasury Department asking Secretary Scott Bessent to preserve the programs. The caucus was formed in 2022. "The important work of the CDFI sector is strengthened by the CDFI Fund, which provides seed funding to new CDFIs, grows the capacity of existing CDFIs, and provides oversight to ensure federal dollars are spent appropriately," the lawmakers said in the letter to Bessent. "Elimination of key CDFI Fund functions would undermine this important progress, including for small businesses and homeowners." Other key lawmakers did not protest the executive order, however. Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee Tim Scott. R-S.C.. and House Financial Services Committee Chairman French Hill, R-Ark., did not sign on to the letter. In statements to American Banker, they did not say that they would contest the elimination of the CDFI Fund with the White House. Fannie Mae raises home-sales outlook while downgrading economic growth forecast (HousingWire.com) - full text Housingwire.com [3/28/2025 1:33 PM, Jeff Andrews, 354K] Housing market forecasters are adjusting their projections in the wake of President Donald Trump's fierce trade war, and Fannie Mae expects the economy to take a hit. The government-sponsored enterprise (GSE) updated its 2025 and 2026 expectations to account for the whirlwind of tariff threats. While it believes economic growth and inflation will trend in a negative direction, its outlook for existing-home sales is slightly higher, as is its forecast for single-family mortgage origination volume. "Measures of uncertainty and market volatility have risen meaningfully this quarter," according to Fannie's newest forecast released on Friday. "That greater uncertainty includes the likely path of fiscal, monetary and other policy developments, but also how firms and consumers respond to them and other financial market developments. There are plausible upside and downside risks to both growth and inflation measures over our forecast horizon, as well as to interest rates." Fannie's economic growth outlook for 2025 was revised to 1.7%, down from the previous figure of 2.2%. Inflation expectations rose from 2.8% to 3.2%. The GSE anticipates mortgage rates to end 2025 at 6.3% and 2026 at 6.2% -- both slight downward revisions. It's more of a mixed bag for the housing market. While Fannie's home-price appreciation forecast remains at 3.5% for 2025 and 1.7% for 2026, the updated outlook on existing-home sales is marginally higher than its original forecast. The same goes for its prediction on single-family mortgage originations, which ticked up to $1.94 trillion in 2025 and $2.28 trillion in 2026. Fannie Mae's update moves in a different direction than the one issued last week by the National Association of Realtors. NAR's existing-home 56 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023859 sales growth forecast for 2025 dropped to 6%, while its estimate for home-price appreciation rose to 3%. It also expects mortgage rates to end this year at 6.4%. Housing forecasts prior to the start of the year projected a muted outlook for the market. HousingWire's forecast, for example, called for existing-home sales to hit 4.2 million and home-price appreciation of 3.5%. Both numbers are generally in the middle of the range of forecasts from other organizations. NAR's existing-home sales report for February shows a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.26 million, which is a 1.2% year-over-year decline from the dismal 2024 market. The updated forecasts try to account for the uncertainty that Trump has created through volatile tariff threats: which seemingly change every day. Tariffs that have been implemented already include 20% on China, 25% on all steel and aluminum imports, and 25% on Canada and Mexico for goods not covered by the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). More tariffs are scheduled to take effect on April 2. These include 25% on goods covered by the USMCA, 25% on auto imports and global reciprocal tariffs, which would put a tariff on every country in the world that has a tariff on the U.S. Reciprocal tariffs would be the most disruptive type for the U.S. economy, but the Trump administration has not settled on an exact implementation for this policy. Officials previously scrapped an idea that would put every country into one of three tiers with varying tariff rates. Trump said this week that reciprocal tariffs may be smaller than originally planned. Economists universally agree that these tariffs will cause consumer prices to rise, which would hinder housing demand. But the president also warned automakers on Friday that they'd face unspecified punishments for raising prices in response to tariffs. Many industries have lobbied for exemptions to tariffs, including homebuilders. Ever the zerosum dealmaker, Trump may grant some of these in exchange for something he sees as beneficial to him. But the volatility alone makes it difficult to gauge the impacts, so other housing industry organizations may revise their outlooks to reflect the potential negative impacts on the economy that tariffs will have. Rates have room to come down as economy cools: Fannie Mae (Inman) - full text Inman [3/28/2025 3:37 PM, Matt Carter, 98K] The recent pullback in mortgage rates should provide a "small boost" to home sales this year, and there's room for mortgage rates to keep coming down into the low sixes this year, Fannie Mae economists said Friday. But that's in part because Fannie Mae forecasters now expect that tariffs implemented by the Trump administration will inflate prices and slow economic growth. "While our latest forecast calls for a period of modestly slower economic growth, historically, interest rates have been the most important driver of home sales," Fannie Mae Chief Economist Mark Palim said, in a statement. "We think mortgage rates will move even lower within the next quarter and ultimately close the year at approximately 6.3 percent, which could be low enough to generate some extra sales from any would-be buyers still waiting on the sidelines." In their March forecast, Fannie Mae economists said they now expect the U.S. economy will grow by 1.7 percent this year, down from February's forecast of 2.2 percent growth in 2025. Forecasters with Fannie Mae's Economic and Strategic Research (ESR) Group now expect inflation (as measured by the Consumer Price Index) to rise to 3.2 percent by the end of the year, compared to February's forecast of 2.8 percent. "While the 57 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023860 growth outlook has softened, we expect the upward pressure on price measures from tariff dynamics may lead to the Federal Reserve taking a wait-and-see approach as it seeks to balance its dual mandate for full employment and price stability," Fannie Mae economists said in commentary accompanying their forecast. Fannie Mae's latest forecast takes into account a 20 percent increase in tariffs on goods from China, and half of the 25 percent tariff on goods from Canada and Mexico, since about half of those goods are exempt under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). The forecast does not take into account plans to impose a 25 percent tariff on imported cars and car parts announced by the Trump administration on March 26 and set to take effect April 3. Major stock market indices tumbled and bond yields fell on Friday over renewed fears that tariffs will spark a trade war and economic slowdown. Canada, Mexico, Japan, South Korea and Germany are mulling retaliatory measures if negotiations fail and the tariffs are implemented. Rates on 10-year Treasury notes, a barometer for mortgage rates, fell 11 basis points Friday to 4.26 percent and are now down more than half a percentage point from a 2025 high of 4.81 percent registered on Jan. 14. Since hitting a 2025 peak of 7.05 percent on Jan. 15, rates on 30-year fixed-rate conforming mortgages have come down 40 basis points, averaging 6.65 percent as of Thursday, according to rate lock data tracked by Optimal Blue. The recent pullback in mortgage rates, coupled with the slower outlook for growth, means Fannie Mae forecasters now think mortgage rates will drop below 6.5 percent in the second half of this year, and average around 6.2 percent most of next year. That's a notably more optimistic outlook than February, when forecasters at Fannie Mae's ESR Group said they expected rates for 30-year fixed-rate loans would still be averaging 6.8 at the end of this year and 6.5 percent at the end of 2026. In a March 20 forecast, economists at the Mortgage Bankers Association said they don't expect rates to come down quite as quickly, and predicted rates will stay in the mid-sixes all of next year. Fannie Mae forecasters said they revised their mortgage rate forecast downward due to the recent drop in rates. "However, there is an unusually high degree of uncertainty regarding the path for growth and inflation during the rest of 2025, which adds risk to our interest rate forecasts," Fannie Mae economists said. Uncertainty includes "the likely path of fiscal, monetary and other policy developments, but also how firms and consumers respond to them and other financial market developments. There are plausible upside and downside risks to both growth and inflation measures over our forecast horizon, as well as to interest rates." While Fannie Mae economists now expect the economy to grow more slowly than they did a month ago, the prospect of lower mortgage rates prompted them to raise their outlook for 2025 home sales to 4.95 million in 2025, up slightly from 4.90 million in February. But recent declines in purchase applications and pending home sales highlight "the challenges that the housing market continues to face as affordability challenges and the lock-in effect remain persistent headwinds, even with some improvement in mortgage rates." New single-family home sales fell by 10.5 percent in January, to a seasonally adjusted 58 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023861 annual rate of 657,000. For new home sales, there's an added risk that tariffs on lumber and other building materials could push up prices and slow the pace of new home construction. Builders surveyed in March estimated that tariffs will add $9,200 in additional costs per home, on average, and that policy uncertainty "is also having a negative impact on home buyers and development decisions," National Association of Home Builders Chief Economist Robert Dietz said in commentary published March 21. But lower mortgage rates "would also give homebuilders some additional support by not having to offer as steep concessions and rate incentives to drive sales," Fannie Mae economists said. "As such, we have only made minor revisions to our new home sales and starts outlooks, largely reflecting incoming recent data." Although single-family housing starts declined in January, Fannie Mae economists said data on single-family permits is typically a better indicator of the underlying trend, and those numbers are in line with their Q1 forecast. Purchase mortgages projected to grow by 10% this year and next. If mortgage rates come down and home prices hold firm, Fannie Mae economists expect purchase mortgage origination volumes will grow by 10 percent this year, to $1.43 trillion, an upgrade of $12 billion from February's forecast. Purchase mortgage originations are projected to grow another 10 percent in 2026, to $1.58 trillion, a $16 billion upgrade from last month's forecast. Fannie Mae economists now expect lenders will refinance $502 billion in mortgages this year and $699 billion in 2026. Fannie Mae boosts mortgage origination, home sales forecasts (National Mortgage News) - full text National Mortgage News [3/28/2025 12:49 PM, Brad Finkelstein, 28K] Fannie Mae's latest mortgage and housing outlook brings promising news for the housing market, but lingering economic uncertainties complicate the picture. The government-sponsored enterprise now sees mortgage rates falling by the fourth quarter to 6.3% (with a full-year average of 6.5%) and slipping further to 6.2% by the end of 2026. As a result, home sales will now be better than expected. February's outlook had mortgage rates at 6.6% and 6.5%, respectively, and those were an increase over its January predictions of 6.5% and 6.3%. However, the economics team led by Mark Palim has cut its gross domestic product projections to 1.7% for 2025 and 2.1% for 2026. The February outlook put GDP at 2.2% for each year. "While our latest forecast calls for a period of modestly slower economic growth, historically, interest rates have been the most important driver of home sales," Palim said in a press release. "We think mortgage rates will move even lower within the next quarter and ultimately close the year at approximately 6.3%, which could be low enough to generate some extra sales from any would-be buyers still waiting on the sidelines." Freddie Mac's most recent Primary Mortgage Market Survey, whose data Fannie Mae uses in its outlooks, put the 30-year fixed at 6.65% as of March 27; it has been in a tight range of 6.6% and 6.7% since the start of the month. The Mortgage Bankers Association's latest forecast, issued on March 20, puts the 30-year at 6.5% for the fourth quarter and full year. For 2026, across all four quarters, it expects rates to remain at 6.4%. This was unchanged from February. 59 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023862 Both forecasts were compiled before this morning's personal consumption expenditure's announcement, which came in at 2.5% for February, in line with expectations but higher than the Federal Reserve's target. While the Federal Open Market Committee does not set long-term rates, investors price the 10-year Treasury, a benchmark for the 30-year fixed, based on its outlook. If inflation remains high, the FOMC is more likely to cut shortterm rates. Most people expect two cuts this year, although forecasts have ranged from one to as many as four. Palim is in the one cut camp, followed by two in 2026, although he admits upside and downside risk to this projection. Total home sales are now expected to rise this year by 4.2% over 2024; next year's annual gain is projected at 6.8%. If rates end the year where Palim expects, it "could be low enough to generate some extra sales from any would-be buyers still waiting on the sidelines." But the outlook is clouded by the unknown impact the Trump Administration's tariffs on building materials will have on new home construction, Fannie Mae noted. When it comes to volume, Fannie Mae increased its purchase origination forecast by $12 billion to $1.4 trillion for 2025, which represents a 10% growth rate year-over-year. Next year, purchase activity should increase another 10%, to $1.6 trillion. Its lower rate forecast will also result in increased refinance volume, to total $502 billion in 2025. That is $38 billion higher than last month's outlook. Refis are predicted to increase to just under $700 billion in 2026. This makes total volume for this year to approximately $1.94 trillion and $2.28 trillion in 2026. Fannie Mae's latest estimate for 2024 was $1.69 trillion, with $1.3 trillion of purchase and $302 billion of refinancings. The MBA's volume estimates for last year were $1.78 trillion, consisting of $1.29 trillion of purchase and $491 billion of refis. In the March forecast for this year, MBA is looking for $2.07 trillion of total activity, with $1.41 trillion coming from purchase and $663 billion from refinancings. It was slightly higher on a total basis from February, with total volume of $2.06 trillion, as a result of increasing refi expectations from $638 billion, but dropping the purchase volume from $1.42 trillion. The MBA's 2026 and 2027 forecasts were not changed from February, remaining at $2.37 trillion and $2.46 trillion. Barr welcomes regulatory rethink but Fed needs to supervise (National Mortgage News) - full text National Mortgage News [3/28/2025 2:25 PM, Kyle Campbell, 28K] The Federal Reserve's former top regulator welcomes the Trump administration's efforts to reform bank oversight -- as long as the central bank gets to keep its supervisory authorities. Fed Gov. Michael Barr -- who until last month served as the vice chair for supervision at the central bank -- said Friday afternoon that it is "good and healthy" to reexamine the structure of bank regulation, noting that he did so as part of the Obama administration and that George W. Bush's administration did its own explorations before that. "I don't think anybody would describe the U.S. regulatory system as a platonic ideal. There's certainly room for improvement in the regulatory architecture," Barr said. 60 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023863 noting that his efforts in the Obama Treasury Department resulted in the elimination of the Office of Thrift Supervision and the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. "There's always room for discussion about how to [regulate] in a better way." But, Barr added, past efforts to consolidate the three primary bank regulators -- the Fed, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency -- have proven to be politically unpopular. "The financial sector and the public, I think, like the arrangement that we have pretty well," he said. Barr also emphasized the importance of the Fed maintaining its ability to supervise banks. In addition to ensuring the safety and soundness of individual banks, he said the Fed's oversight helps it safeguard financial stability -- a crucial part of its role as lender of last resort for banks -- and understand the transmission of monetary policy. "It's really important to me that the financial stability and financial safety and soundness roles of the Federal Reserve not be removed from the connection we have to monetary policy," Barr said. "These things are inextricably linked." Barr's comments came during an onstage question-and-answer session at a bank policy conference hosted by the University of North Carolina School of Law. Barr was the Fed's vice chair for supervision from July 2022 until this February, when he quit the position out of fear of a potential legal fight with the administration over his removal. Before joining the Fed, he held key financial oversight roles under presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. Barr said that efforts by other central banks to separate monetary policy and financial stability oversight have played out poorly. He pointed to the Bank of England's efforts to do so, which he said led to the institution being "blindsided" during the global financial crisis in 2008. He said the information the Fed gleans from its supervisory work has been critical to establishing emergency lending facilities during times of stress, such as the Bank Term Funding Program launched in March 2023, after the failure of Silicon Valley Bank -- an outcome that was, itself, driven in part by the Fed's efforts to tighten monetary policy. "These are functions that require us to have knowledge and insight into the banking sector," he said. "So, I would worry if there were proposals that somehow got to the Fed's authority. I think that would be quite damaging to our economy." The idea of consolidating regulatory and supervisory functions of the Fed, FDIC and OCC -- or even combining the agencies outright -- have been bandied about within the Trump transition team for months. The idea fits neatly within the administration's push for regulatory downsizing and greater government efficiency. But Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who has emerged as the Trump administration's leading voice on financial policy, has dismissed the idea of formal consolidation. Instead, he has said he will play a more active role than past secretaries in coordinating activities between the three bank regulators, to ensure they are "singing in unison from the same song sheet." Still, some actions by the president would appear to give the administration greater control over agency policymaking. Last month, Trump signed an executive order requiring independent agencies to run their regulatory policies through the White House. While this directive carved out the Fed's monetary policy functions, some scholars and legal experts question whether the Fed can actually firewall its various functions from one another. 61 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023864 During the event, Barr discussed another hot topic in the world of banking oversight: reputation risk. Barr said the concept has not been cited as a significant factor in any enforcement action or application decision since he joined the board of governors in 2022. "Reputational risk might be listed as one of the things that examiners note, but I haven't seen it in an application or a supervisory matter or enforcement matter where reputation risk is the thing driving a decision," he said. "I won't say that it never happens, but I haven't seen it in my personal experience at the board, and so in that sense, it's probably overblown." Lawmakers, crypto proponents and venture capitalists have argued that regulators have used the blanket term of reputation risk to justify sweeping supervisory actions against allegedly unfavored industries. The discourse -- which has arisen as part of a broader discussion of so-called crypto "debanking" -- has led regulatory policymakers, including Fed Chair Jerome Powell, to de-emphasize reputation risk. Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., who chairs the Senate Banking Committee, has even introduced a bill that would prohibit examiners from considering reputational risks. Because of its limited use, Barr said he does not see the new policies emerging around reputation risk changing much in the bank regulatory landscape. "Getting rid of it wouldn't matter much in either direction," Barr said. "It wouldn't necessarily, for the Board, change our supervisory practice, open things up or close them down, or really matter that much one way or the other in terms of the work that our supervisors and regulators do on a regular basis." Uptick in goods inflation underscores Fed uncertainty (National Mortgage News) full text National Mortgage News [3/28/2025 8:54 AM, Kyle Campbell. 28K] A key inflation reading showed price growth leveling off slightly above the Federal Reserve's target, but details of the report underscore the central bank's reluctance to lower interest rates. The Bureau of Economic Analysis's latest personal consumption expenditure report, released Friday, shows inflation ran at 2.5% in February, above the Fed's 2% target. Core PCE, the Fed's preferred measure of inflation, came in at 2.8% last month, which topped the 2.6% registered in January. Both readings were in line with Wall Street expectations, though core PCE came in slightly above its projected 2.7%. Beneath the headline figures, goods inflation picked up during February, with that category rising 3.6% from the same point a year ago, continuing a monthslong trend of faster growth that bucks the long-running tendency of goods becoming cheaper over time. The uptick was offset somewhat by cooling services inflation, which declined 0.1% month to month and came in half a percentage point below the January reading. This includes the critical housing services category, which has been persistently high during the Fed's monetary tightening campaign. But for policymakers, the readings raise concerns that overall inflation could be deeply entrenched or even accelerating. Fed Gov. Adriana Kugler, in a speech on Tuesday, said high goods inflation not only affects the immediate outlook for pricing trends, it can also increase long-term 62 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023865 expectations, which, in turn, perpetuate further increases. "This development is unhelpful because goods inflation has often kept a lid on total inflation and also affects inflation expectations," Kugler said. "In addition to the increase in prices already captured in official data, surveys show that consumers are expecting further increases in the near term." Kugler, like other Fed officials, attributed elevated near-term inflation expectations to President Donald Trump's proposed and implemented tariff policies. She said she is watching this development closely, particularly as survey data indicates that longer-term expectations are on the rise, too. While price increases reflected in the February PCE number could include some anticipatory adjustments ahead of tariffs, it is too soon for the duties to have had an actual impact on import costs. Kugler endorsed keeping interest rates steady until there is a clearer view about the "cumulative" effect of the new administration's policies. Other Fed officials have already changed their monetary policy expectations in light of sticky inflation and mounting uncertainties. In an interview with Bloomberg TV's Michael McKee this week, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta President Raphael Bostic said he forecasted just one rate cut this year during the Federal Open Market Committee meeting earlier this month, down from the two he projected in December. "I moved to one mainly because I think we're going to see inflation be very bumpy and not move dramatically and in a clear way to the 2% target," Bostic said. Fed officials have signaled that tariffs will likely increase broad-based prices if implemented as advertised. The question they must answer is whether to treat that increase as a one-time jump in the level of prices -- also referred to as transitory inflation -- and simply "look through" it rather than adjust policy in response. But with inflation already above the Fed's target and possibly moving higher, that approach becomes difficult to justify. Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis President Alberto Musalem, in his own speech this week, warned about indirect effects of tariffs, which his staff's research suggests could drive prices up more than the direct impact. He said these second-order increases could be more persistent than the one-off increase of the new tariffs. "I would be wary of assuming that the impact of tariff increases on inflation will be entirely temporary, or that a full look-through' strategy will necessarily be appropriate," Musalem said. "With inflation already above 2% in a full-employment economy, the stakes are potentially higher than they would be if inflation were at or below target, and if consumers and businesses had not recently experienced high inflation, raising their sensitivity to it." Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond President Tom Barkin, who delivered prepared remarks at Washington and Lee University on Thursday, said tariffs are not the only point of evolving policy that Fed policymakers need to watch. He said significant changes are also in the works regarding immigration, energy and fiscal policies, all of which could have implications for monetary policy. Barkin equated trying to set policy in this environment to operating in a "dense fog." "It's 63 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023866 not an everyday `forecasting is hard' type of fog," he said. "It's a 'zero visibility, pull over and turn on your hazards' type of fog." Economic Fears Surge as Americans Brace for Uncertainty (The Mortgage Point) full text The Mortgage Point [3/28/2025 4:13 PM, Staff, 8K] A new report from Clever Real Estate reveals that 81% of Americans are concerned about tariffs and potential trade wars, while 70% fear a housing market crash. The survey of 1,000 Americans highlights growing financial anxieties, with 95% worried about rising prices in 2025. Only 26% feel financially better off than six months ago, and just 34% expect improvement in the next six months. Inflation remains a top concern, with 74% believing it will worsen and 70% more worried than they were in September 2024. Economic policies are also under scrutiny, as just 39% support President Trump's handling of inflation and 63% believe the government is taking the wrong approach. Concerns about tariffs are widespread, with 72% saying they will hurt the U.S. economy. Many Americans are adjusting their spending habits in response-58% are cutting nonessential purchases, and 32% have stockpiled resources like canned food or medical supplies. More than half (54%) say they would rather buy now to avoid future price hikes, yet 32% have delayed major purchases, including 22% who planned to buy a home and 13% who intended to sell. Beyond the housing market, 32% of Americans fear they won't be able to afford housing payments due to economic conditions. Government spending is another contentious issue--while 78% favor spending cuts, only 46% approve of the administration's current approach. Notably, fewer than half (44%) support Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Cuts to government programs could have widespread consequences, as 75% say reductions in assistance programs would affect them or their families, and 11% fear becoming homeless. The biggest government-related concern? Social Security, with 85% worried about potential benefit changes. Other anxieties include losing rights or equality (68%) and corporate policies, leading 39% of consumers to change their spending habits. Public opinion on the administration's financial impact is split-46% think Americans are underreacting, while 30% believe they are overreacting. With economic uncertainty rising, many Americans are bracing for financial challenges in 2025, adjusting their spending, and questioning government policies in the process. DOGE wants businesses to run government services `as much as possible' (Washington Post) - full text Washington Post [3/30/2025 8:05 AM, Elizabeth Dwoskin, et al., 31735K] Mail delivery. Real estate. Foreign aid grants. The Trump administration is moving to privatize a sweeping number of government functions and assets -- a long-standing Republican goal that's being catalyzed by billionaire Elon Musk. The slash-and-burn approach of Musk's U.S. DOGE Service is paving the way for a new shift to the private sector, reducing the size and power of the federal bureaucracy in a real-world test of the conservative theory -- a version of which is also widely popular in Silicon Valley -- that companies are better than government at saving money and responding to people's needs. Examples are popping up across Washington and in proposals from President Donald Trump's allies, though the plans are various stages of development and, in some cases, have already encountered resistance. 64 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023867 At the DOGE-allied General Services Administration, officials are quietly moving ahead with a push to sell hundreds of publicly owned buildings to private companies -- which can then lease them back to the government, theoretically saving maintenance and upkeep costs for taxpayers, according to two people briefed on internal deliberations who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss them publicly. At the Postal Service, whose leaders have tussled with DOGE representatives, a plan for full privatization appears to have lost steam after facing pushback and legal hurdles. But private firms are preparing for a piecemeal government effort to outsource mail and package handling and long-haul trucking routes, while offloading leases for unprofitable post offices, according to six industry executives. At the Interior Department, Secretary Doug Burgum has proposed allowing private developers to build on federal lands across the West. And in his first public address as treasury secretary, former hedge fund manager Scott Bessent vowed to "reprivatize the economy." Businesspeople and policymakers close to the administration are stepping up with additional proposals. A Wall Street investor nominated to run the International Development Finance Corporation, a little-known foreign investment agency that works to align the private sector with U.S. foreign policy goals, has suggested redirecting a large portion of the $40 billion budget of the shuttered U.S. Agency for International Development to investors, start-ups and companies that work in developing countries. The proposal, which was posted on X by the nominee, Ben Black, and tech investor Joe Lonsdale, is under consideration within the White House, according to a person familiar with it, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private deliberations. Bloomberg first reported that the initiative was under consideration. The military contractor Erik Prince has pushed to turn over defense and immigration enforcement functions to private security firms, at one point pitching U.S. officials on a plan to execute operations in Africa, according to three people with knowledge of the idea, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to reflect private conversations. CNN reported that Prince also has floated the use of private military contractors to carry out operations against Houthi rebels in Yemen. And the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025 strategy paper -- which was spearheaded by Trump adviser Russell Vought before he returned to the White House as budget director -- proposed to "fully commercialize" forecasting at the National Weather Service. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has said he does not agree with Project 2025's plan for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which oversees the weather service. But he's also said he hasn't ruled out significant changes to make the agency more efficient, and DOGE has pushed it to shed workers. "It's been clear from the first days of the administration that one of their main longer-term objectives is privatization of many government assets," said Joe Brusuelas, chief economist at RSM. "They've been very clear about their intent." Traditional Republicans have long argued that private companies can do a better job of managing government services than civil servants. But Musk and his Silicon Valley associates want to push the idea much further than the mainstream GOP. At a Morgan Stanley technology conference this month, Musk said the government should privatize "everything we possibly can." The tech crowd argues that entrenched corporations that historically have 65 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023868 benefited from government largesse are as much a problem as government itself. They say "scrappy builders" from the tech industry -- along with a leaner start-up mindset and superior technology -- can rework government processes wholesale, rather than merely outsourcing the same work. Large companies, including Oracle, Microsoft, IBM and ServiceNow hold billions of dollars in contracts to service software and programs DOGE is now axing. Those firms have seen share prices slide significantly, suggesting that the Trump administration's privatization efforts could be a double-edged sword, helping some companies while hurting others and adding to stock market volatility. "It's peak uncertainty right now," said an analyst familiar with private software companies who work with the government, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly. Public software companies "are trading way low because of the fear of exposure from DOGE -- that all these contracts could be rightsized or canceled if DOGE is as successful as it wants to be." People in Musk's orbit view companies that have historically done business with the government as "stagnant" and "monopolistic," said a person familiar with the thinking of the Silicon Valley leaders who have joined the Trump administration, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private conversations. The Silicon Valley way of embracing privatization, the person said, would be to first make information public -- as Musk has done by posting budget details on X -- and have a more rigorous open bidding process for contracts, which prioritizes technological innovation. "The Silicon Valley version of [privatization] is a technologized, transparent version -- let's compare everything out in the open -- radical meritocracy," the person said. Not all of the projects under consideration will be realized. But together, these efforts show that a new way of doing things is well underway, said Bob Hockett, a Cornell University law professor and senior counsel at investment firm Westwood Capital. "They are rapidly turning the government into something more like a shareholder-controlled corporation," he said. He added: "What people like Elon Musk and Donald Trump don't seem to realize is that the whole point of the public sector is to provide essential human goods without being constrained by shareholder profit demand." 'DOGE is sort of fundamentally libertarian' With his background in dealmaking, Trump has long praised the skills of business leaders, arguing that wealthy people are good for society. He has flaunted his relationships with some of the nation's richest and most powerful executives in a manner that has broken norms, calling Musk a "genius" and hosting a parade of CEOs at his Mar-a-Lago mansion. On the first day of his second term, Trump gave Musk's DOGE sweeping powers to change federal agencies, programs and staff. Trump personally announced major data center deals involving big technology companies and foreign players -- including an Emirati company that had previously done business with Trump. He floated the idea of turning a demolished Gaza over to private developers, wants access to minerals in Ukraine and orchestrated an infomercial for Musk's Tesla on the White House lawn. 66 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023869 Trump and Musk's efforts reflect a long-standing desire by GOP policymakers to privatize a greater share of government functions. In the 1980s, President Ronald Reagan launched a push to identify government programs and enterprises that should be shifted to the private sector. President George W. Bush proposed to privatize parts of the Social Security system, but abandoned it amid strenuous bipartisan opposition. Federal spending is up from roughly 21 percent of the nation's economy in the 1980s to roughly 23 percent today, according to government statistics. Meanwhile, Amtrak, the Postal Service, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have long been on privatization lists, with conservatives claiming private companies can provide better service at lower cost. Such efforts have largely failed in the United States in part because of opposition in Congress. But even some liberal economists say privatization is not inherently counterproductive. Most Western countries have privatized rail and postal services, leaving the United States as one of the few nations where both are publicly owned, said Ernie Tedeschi, director of economics at the budget lab at Yale University. "These are not categorically dumb ideas," said Tedeschi, who served as a senior economist for President Joe Biden. Tedeschi warned, however, that privatization could open the door to corruption and mismanagement. Other experts said it stands to enrich a handful of owners while hurting services that millions of Americans depend on. In many Western nations, policymakers have decided the market cannot be trusted to fulfill important public services, choosing to run utility companies, telecommunications networks, hospitals and even airlines as stateowned enterprises. The only way private entities save money is by "shedding the socialpurpose elements of those companies," said Matt Bruenig, founder of the People's Policy Project, a left-leaning think tank. While shifting some services to the private sector could improve efficiency, it would not necessarily produce big reductions in the overall cost of the U.S. government, which spends primarily on the military, health care and payments to individuals, such as Social Security. "In some cases, it might improve government efficiency; in some cases, it might weaken government efficiency." said Jason Furman, a Harvard professor who served as a top economist in the Obama administration. The difference, however, wouldn't do much to change either government spending or the growth of the economy, according to Furman. "But from a macroeconomic perspective, there's really nothing to see here. You take 50,000 government workers and you replace them with 50,000 private contractors, and it's mostly a rounding error that won't change much." Agencies where privatization is on the table might only shed some, not all, of their functions. Postal Service leaders, for instance, have signaled plans to make the agency leaner and inclined toward outsourcing. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy abruptly resigned Monday after a spat with DOGE representatives at the agency. But before that, he'd already asked Congress to off-load some activities, like a long-standing subsidy for freight and groceries to remote parts of Alaska, and free mail for the blind. He also asked DOGE representatives to review leases of nearly 31,000 retail post office locations. The administration is also laying the groundwork to sell potentially hundreds of federal buildings to private companies, who can then lease them back to the government. An initial list of buildings "not core to government operations" accounted for 80 million 67 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023870 square feet of office space nationwide -- and included sites like the D.C. headquarters of the Justice Department and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The list was later taken down amid confusion and backlash. But GSA political appointees are pushing leaseback plans as the best immediate method of disposing of federal real estate, according to two people briefed on internal deliberations, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. Obstacles include a 1990 law that requires that federal buildings put up for sale first be offered for use as homeless shelters. A White House accounting rule that has caused previous administrations to scrap similar plans could make leasebacks prohibitively expensive, too, unless Trump's budget office doesn't enforce it. The drive is taking aback some career staffers, the people said. Employees worry that political appointees are trying to circumvent rules that guide the sale of federal real estate and that government buildings may be sold to real estate companies owned by Trump allies or friends, the people said. Listing hundreds of federal spaces at once could flood the market so each building sells well below its true value, the people said. A GSA spokesperson said in a statement that "at no time has there been any consideration of selling properties at a discount or outside of GSA's normal process," and that any disposal strategies would follow the law. The push for privatization underpins much of DOGE's work, said the person familiar with the thinking of Silicon Valley leaders in the Trump administration. The group's immediate focus has been cutting -- and trying to remake -- government processes so they're more efficient and transparent. But the ultimate goal is to limit the scope of government and privatize what is left. "I think everyone -- and certainly the leadership of DOGE -- believes the private sector would do a more effective job," said the person. "DOGE is sort of fundamentally libertarian and free market. It's undeniable that this is the thrust of it." DOGE team defends government downsizing efforts (The National Desk) - full text The National Desk [3/28/2025 5:09 PM, Matthew Galka, 416K] The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) defended its mission to downsize the federal government, as the team, led by Elon Musk, has been working largely behind the scenes. They sat down with Fox News for a wide ranging interview on Thursday, laying out their vision. We really believe that the government can have an Apple store type experience. Beautifully designed, great user experience, modern systems." said Joe Gebbia, who is part of DOGE's Digital Retirement Project. Since President Donald Trump took office, DOGE has moved quickly to reduce programs and the workforce, resulting in more than 100,000 federal employees, mostly probationary, losing their jobs. An additional 75,000 accepted a federal buyout offer to leave their positions by September. "Basically, almost no one has gotten fired is what we're saying," Musk claimed. A Washington Post report, citing an internal White House document, revealed upcoming Reduction In Force plans, with agencies like Housing and Urban Development, the IRS, and the Treasury Department planning significant staff cuts. DOGE also defended its changes to the Social Security Administration, which has faced problems and delays this past month. What we're doing will help their benefits, legitimate people as a result of the work of DOGE, will receive more money, not less let the record show that I said this and 68 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023871 it will be proven out to be true," Musk said. Democrats have teed off on DOGE's impact on social security recipients and veterans, with cuts to the Department of Veterans Affairs call centers likely. "He's firing veterans. He's randomly firing government employees who did not deserve to get fired. He calls Social Security a Ponzi scheme," said Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Arizona. The courts have posed significant challenges to DOGE's efforts, with mass firings being contested and reversed. The Trump administration has requested the Supreme Court to weigh in on the matter. WashPost: Trump Cutting Up to 50 Percent in Federal Agencies (NewsMax.com) full text NewsMax.com [3/28/2025 8:16 AM, Charlie McCarthy, 4998K] The Trump administration plans to cut as much as half of federal agencies' workforces, it was reported. An internal White House memo obtained by The Washington Post showed federal officials are preparing for agencies to cut between 8% and 50% of their employees. The cuts were compiled after 22 agencies submitted plans to President Donald Trump. According to the memo, which was updated on Tuesday, the Department of Housing and Urban Development will reduce half of its roughly 8,300-person staff, the IRS would cut 33% of its employees, and the Interior Department would cut nearly 25%. Other departments' cuts included the Justice Department (8%), the National Science Foundation (28%), the Commerce Department (30%), and the Small Business Administration (43%), according to the Post. Sources stressed to the outlet that planning remains fluid and that the final numbers could differ from what the memo says. The federal bureaucracy currently relies on a 2.3-million-person workforce. "It's no secret the Trump Administration is dedicated to downsizing the federal bureaucracy and cutting waste, fraud, and abuse. This document is a pre-deliberative draft and does not accurately reflect final reduction in force plans," White House principal deputy press secretary Harrison Fields said in an email to the Post. "When President Trump's Cabinet Secretaries are ready to announce reduction in force plans, they will make those announcements to their respective workforces at the appropriate time." Trump, Elon Musk, and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have been focused on streamlining government and reducing fraud, waste, and corruption in federal spending. Reuters reported last week that White House officials were reviewing federal agencies downsizing plans, a move expected to result in the firing of thousands of government workers within the coming weeks. The president had given the agencies until March 13 to draw up plans for a second wave of layoffs as part of his rapid-fire effort to reshape and reduce the size of the federal government, which he has called bloated and inefficient. In a Feb. 11 executive order, Trump instructed the Office of Management and Budget and DOGE to shrink the workforce. While opponents have gone to the courts to try and stop many of Trump's orders, the reduction-in-force (RIF) process is more likely to survive legal challenges than the mass firings of probationary employees earlier this year. "The RIF process is the one that is established in law and regulation about how to 69 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023872 reduce workforces," said Robert Shea, a Republican who served in senior political roles at the White House budget office. Shea predicted that attempted cuts would draw additional litigation but added: "Because this is a well-established path, it's more likely to succeed than some of these other avenues." How U.S. Agencies are Handling Government Layoffs (The Mortgage Point) - full text The Mortgage Point [3/28/2025 6:51 PM, Demetria C. Lester, 8K] The image shows how agencies are attempting to fulfill Trump's directive to reduce government, even as officials emphasized that the figures were susceptible to change. According to an internal White House document obtained by The Washington Post, which includes closely held draft plans for restructuring the 2.3-million-person bureaucracy, federal officials are planning for agencies to lay off between 8 and 50 % of their workforce as part of a Trump administration push to reduce the size of the federal government. According to two people familiar with the paper who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to discuss it, the information is derived from plans that President Donald Trump asked agencies to submit. The figures, which have not been made public, hint to what may come next for Trump's initiatives that he claims will increase government accountability but that have also disrupted agency operations and led to judicial restraining orders. Information in certain categories is missing from the publication, which covers 22 agencies. Numerous individuals with knowledge of the paper emphasized that planning is still subject to change and that the figures may not accurately represent what agencies would finally reduce. However, it suggests that the extent of the government's activity will probably be significantly impacted by widespread workforce reductions. For instance, the report states that the IRS would slash almost one in three employees, the Interior Department would lay off almost one in four of its employees when Trump assumed office, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development would reduce half of its approximately 8.300 employees. The Trump Administration's commitment to reducing waste, fraud, and abuse as well as the size of the federal bureaucracy is well known. In an email, White House senior deputy press secretary Harrison Fields stated, "This document is a pre-deliberative draft and does not accurately reflect final reduction in force plans." "President Trump's Cabinet Secretaries will notify their respective workforces at the appropriate time when they are prepared to announce plans for force reductions." Trump and his billionaire advisor Elon Musk have stated time and time again that they want to reduce the size of government and reduce corruption, waste, and fraud, but they haven't been clear about how this may impact services. Trump has stated that, with a few exceptions, like the US Postal Service and White House employees, agencies should reduce their operations to the bare minimum mandated by law. Tuesday was the most recent update to the document that The Post was able to get. In an executive order issued on February 11, Trump directed the Office of Management and Budget to collaborate with Musk and the U.S. DOGE Service to reduce the staff. 70 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023873 Earlier this month, the budget office and the government's human resources division, the Office of Personnel Management, were expected to receive agency chiefs' plans for achieving this objective. By mid-April, plans for reorganization and additional personnel reductions must be finalized. GSE release likely to face significant hurdles (National Mortgage News) - full text National Mortgage News [3/28/2025 8:16 PM, Catherine Leffert, 28K] Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac would need to operate differently from how they did prior to the 2008 financial crisis if they were released from their government conservatorship, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta President Raphael Bostic said Friday at an industry conference. During a panel at the Atlanta Fed -- which Bostic moderated -- housing policy experts said the obstacles in the way of releasing Fannie and Freddie are significant and the solutions to clearing those obstacles are complicated. While Fannie and Freddie have changed in the 17 years they've been overseen by the Federal Housing Finance Agency, the participants said ending the conservatorship raises questions about the government-sponsored enterprises' balance sheets, stability and affordable housing mandates. Former FHFA Director Ed DeMarco said during the conference that he thinks the conservatorship -- which was implemented in 2008 when the federal government bailed out Fannie and Freddie amid the subprime mortgage crisis - shouldn't be permanent. "I was that federal conservator for four-and-a-half years," DeMarco said. "Making decisions about the business strategies and so forth of these entities, doing it through a government mechanism -- that's not who we are, right? Our economy is a private capital economy." But, he added, being in a conservatorship for as long as Freddie and Fannie have can weaken risk management and corporate governance capabilities. The GSEs, which back about half of the U.S. mortgage market, also still owe the Treasury some $340 billion, DeMarco said. DeMarco also said capital requirements for the GSEs should be roughly aligned with those of commercial banks. Scott Frame, senior vice president and deputy head of research at Bank Policy Institute, said it would be preferable for any conclusion of the government conservatorship to come at the direction of Congress, but there's little appetite among lawmakers to take up the thorny issue. Janneke Ratcliffe, vice president for the housing and communities division at the Urban Institute, said it seems that "something" could happen to the status of Fannie and Freddie in the current environment. Sunsetting the federal oversight of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could ease the cost of renewing President Trump's 2017 tax act, but doing so is an uphill battle. Some shareholders of the companies say they could see a major windfall in privatizing the entities again. Releasing the companies could also free up federal budget capacity to continue tax cuts that are important to the Trump administration. "GSEs of today, even if they were reprivatized, are quite different in the way they operate than pre-conservatorship," Ratcliffe said. "A difference in their capital structure, a difference in the way they make money, a difference in a much stronger regulatory infrastructure. And so reprivatization doesn't necessarily mean going back to 2007." Ratcliffe added, though, that the form of Fannie and Freddie shouldn't dominate over their designed functions. Fannie and Freddie are congressionally mandated to provide stability and assistance to the secondary mortgage market, including activities relating to 71 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023874 housing for low- to moderate-income households, she said. Still, government-sponsored entities' structure has gotten some attention from recent Trump appointees. Earlier this month, newly minted FHFA Director Bill Pulte said releasing the GSEs from conservatorship would have to proceed carefully to avoid a housing crisis. In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Pulte said Fannie and Freddie have been underperforming "compared to where they should be" but said the government would "fix it." Last month, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that the end of the conservatorship would depend on the potential outcomes for mortgage rates. Bessent had said during his Senate confirmation hearing in January that "no conservatorship should be indefinite.". Home Price Growth Remains Drama-Free (MortgageNewsDaily) - full text MortgageNewsDaily [3/28/2025 3:29 PM, Matthew Graham, 523K] There are two dominant home price indices released each month in the U.S. The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) is responsible for the most all-inclusive tally of home prices via its Home Price Index (HPI). S&P Case Shiller provides the private sector's largest HPI, which tends to capture more volatility than FHFA. Both indices have been remarkably close to one another in annual terms for more than a year now. This is not uncommon during times of stable price appreciation. The chart below shows that each index is suggesting year-over-year price growth of just under 5% on average. A chart of price changes in percent terms can underrepresent the reality of home price growth at times like this. After all, a flat line around 5% means that home prices are greatly outpacing inflation (reported at 2.5% year over year just this morning). If we instead focus on the outright level of one of these price indices, the actual trend is obvious. In other words, for any drama that might exist in the housing market these days (elevated rates, lower sales, etc.) home price growth remains relatively drama-free. As always, keep in mind that these indices represent averages and that geographical variations can be pronounced. The following table shows the monthly and yearly percent change for the individual metro areas in the Case Shiller data. The fastest-appreciating metros were north of 6% annually, while the slower areas were under 2%. US Housing Payments Hit Record High (Newsweek) - full text Newsweek [3/28/2025 6:35 AM. Giulia Carbonaro, 52220K] American homeowners' monthly mortgage payments reached an all-time high of $2,807 in the four weeks ending March 23, up 5.3 percent from a year earlier, according to a new study by Redfin. It is bad news for those who were hoping that recent declines in mortgage rates would bring in much-needed affordability to the largely frozen U.S. housing market. Mortgage rates, which had remained relatively low during the pandemic, skyrocketed in 2022 as a result of the Federal Reserve's aggressive rate-hiking campaign to combat inflation. Between 2020 and 2024, the typical monthly mortgage payment climbed from $1,100 to $2,207, according to Bankrate. While the central bank has since lowered its key rates and is likely to implement two more cuts this year, mortgage rates are expected to remain between 6 percent and 7 percent throughout 2025 and 2026. 72 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023875 exacerbating the U.S. ongoing affordability crunch. As of March 27. the latest data made available by the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, better known as Freddie Mac, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage was 6.65 percent, down 0.02 percentage point from a week earlier and 0.14 from a year earlier. It is near the lowest Americans have seen since December. While mortgage rates have been coming down in recent weeks, they are still more than double what they used to be during the pandemic. Home prices have also continued rising as the country still faces a historic lack of inventory: in the four weeks ending March 3, the median sale price of a typical U.S. home was $383,750, up 3 percent from a year earlier, according to Redfin. The median asking price was $424,985, up 6.3 percent year-over-year. The high cost of housing is "putting a lid" on home sales, researchers at the real estate brokerage said. Pending home sales were down 4.6 percent year-over-year last month, following a downward trend in the last few months as affordability issues dampen demand. While buyers hesitate, sellers seem tired of waiting for better times. New listings of homes for sale were up 7.5 percent year-over-year in February, the biggest increase so far this year. A combination of new listings and declining mortgage rates could spell good news for buyers, even as home prices and monthly payments remain higher than they would wish for. Greg McBride, chief financial analyst for Bankrate, said in a statement: "Today's homebuyer is financing $100,000 more than the buyer five years ago and doing so at a rate of 7 percent instead of 3 percent. In the absence of continually lower mortgage rates, home prices cannot rise faster than homebuyer incomes in perpetuity. After the outsized home price appreciation exiting the pandemic, most markets are likely looking at a very tepid pace of home price appreciation in the next few years as incomes, and the buying power of households, closes some of that gap." Kimberly Freutel, a Redfin Premier agent in Sammamish, Washington, said in a statement: "Buyers are cautious because they're worried about the economy and potential layoffs, and they're wondering if mortgage rates will come down later this year. But because other buyers are cautious too, some house hunters are getting homes for under asking price. If you love a home and you see yourself living there for at least four or five years, make an offer you're comfortable with, even if it's a little below list. Don't assume it will escalate out of your price range, because the seller might actually take it. I'm asking my clients, `Would you be sad if this home ends up selling for less than asking price to someone else?" Even with home prices still climbing and mortgage rates remaining historically high. buyers are perking up for spring buying season--usually the busiest time of the year. While experts told Newsweekthat this is "the best time to be a buyer" in years, rising housing costs--including homeowner insurance premiums, property taxes, and homeowner association (HOA) fees--are still squeezing many aspiring buyers on the sidelines of the market. Purchase Applications Improve; Refinancing Ebbs (MortgageNewsDaily) - full text MortqacieNewsDaily [3/28/2025 4:19 PM, Matthew Graham, 523K] This week's update on refinance application demand accurately reflects the fact that 73 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023876 rates came into the week near their recent highs, but managed to fall in line with recent lows several days later. The net effect for the Mortgage Bankers Associations (MBA) Refinance Index was a modest drop from last week while remaining elevated relative to the trend seen between November and late February. MBA's purchase index is far less concerned with short term rate fluctuations, and managed to move up to the best levels since early February. In addition, purchase activity is holding in the upper portion of the range that's been intact for nearly 2 years. "Purchase applications saw the strongest weekly pace in almost two months and were 7 percent higher than a year ago. Last week's purchase activity was driven primarily by a 6 percent increase in FHA applications, as the combination of loosening housing inventory and slowly declining mortgage rates have presented this segment of buyers with more opportunities," said Joel Kan, MBA's Vice President and Deputy Chief Economist. "Additionally, VA purchase applications saw a modest increase over the week. Overall applications declined, however, as refinance applications were down 5 percent to its lowest level in a month." Mortgage Rates Move Lower Even Though They Weren't Supposed To (MortgageNewsDaily) - full text MortgageNewsDaily [3/28/2025 5:34 PM, Matthew Graham, 523K] First thing's first before anyone gets too excited: yes, rates fell on Friday, but not significantly. The average lender is still a bit closer to the higher end of the recent range. In addition, the recent range is quite narrow with average top tier 30yr fixed rates never straying too far from 6.75 since late February. What made today interesting was the fact that rates moved lower at all. As we often discuss, rates take lots of guidance from key economic reports such as this morning's PCE price index (a key inflation report). PCE arguably had more potential than any other economic data this week to cause a reaction in rates. Conventional wisdom is clear on the reaction function: If inflation comes in higher than expected, rates are more likely to move up, all other things being equal. In today's case, rates dropped even though inflation rose. What's up with that? One mitigating factor is the fact that the unrounded PCE numbers were much closer to what the market was expecting. In other words, inflation looked like it rose more than it actually did due to the custom of rounding the numbers to the nearest tenth of a percent. Beyond that, it's also plain to see that the stock market fell significantly today--something that's recently been very likely to correlate with interest rates moving lower. Last but not least, there are some advanced considerations that have to do with month and quarter end trading practices. A detailed explanation is beyond the scope of our coverage, but the gist is that month/quarter end can create rate movement in either direction without any motivation from economic data. With Monday being the last day of the month/quarter, we're certainly seeing some influence from this type of trading. [DC] Reimagining D.C.'s controversial concrete landmarks (Washington Business Journal, DC) - full text Washington Business Journal [3/28/2025 6:00 AM, Carolyn M. Proctor, 4715K, DC] You may have heard that there's about to be a lot of commercial real estate opportunity here in D.C. At least that's one optimistic way to describe the General Services 74 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023877 Administration's plan to offload as many federal buildings as possible -- some to be redeveloped, some emptied and some sold. The J. Edgar Hoover Building. The James V. Forrestal Building. The Robert C. Weaver Federal Building. What stands out about many of these massive buildings that the Trump administration now wants to dispose of is their architectural style: Brutalism. The style is an extension of the Modernist movement popular in the mid-20th Century and is best known for its minimalist designs, exposed concrete and deeply recessed windows. The name comes from the French phrase "beton brut," meaning raw concrete. Brutalist design, which flourished here in the 1960s and '70s, is in the White House's crosshairs. President Donald Trump has voiced his dislike on several occasions, going so far as to issue two executive orders -- one late in his first term and one on the very first day of his second term -- directing the GSA to "respect regional, traditional and classical architectural heritage in order to uplift and beautify public spaces and ennoble the United States and our system of self-government." The focus of Trump's ire is often the Hoover building, home to the FBI (at least for now). "It's one of the Brutalist-type buildings, you know, Brutalist architecture. Honestly, I think it's one of the ugliest buildings in the city," he reportedly said in 2018 to an Axios source, calling the FBI building itself "terrible" and needing a "total revamp." But is it really that bad? Brutalism in D.C., the subject of a current National Building Museum exhibit, isn't restricted to goliath federal buildings. It's everywhere, from museums to the Metro system. Like any architectural style, there are stunning examples of it, and stunningly awful examples, too. We asked architects in the region what they really thought about Brutalism, which D.C. structures they liked, and what should be done with those on the chopping block. Of the nine who responded, even those expressing a personal dislike of the style -- like Chris Landis, co-founder and chairman of Landis Architects and Builders - still wanted to see at least some examples preserved. Landis, who served on the Historic Preservation Review Board for two years, said he's not a fan of Brutalism, noting many of the buildings today are in need of serious updates, for example to increase energy-efficiency. "I think it would be a case by case situation," he said of which buildings should be preserved and which replaced. "Sometimes, by preserving it, it will become a sort of a dinosaur and not be able to be used that much." Alana Lopez, principal and studio director at OTJ Architects, said that while the best examples of these buildings "maximize the aesthetic value of unadorned raw concrete" through their geometric design, sometimes they fail to relate to the human scale. "However, I believe architects alongside owners can and should both preserve and reimagine these buildings," she said. "The beauty of Brutalism is its predictability and exposedness so that with creativity and interventions such as recladding, seemingly outdated structures can be made relevant for the 21st century." Speaking of housing, our architects suggested, in several cases, multifamily conversions for D.C.'s Brutalist buildings, though Landis pointed out it may not always be feasible, depending on a building's floor plate and other factors. "Repurposing potentially vacant federal office buildings as housing seems like the obvious new use for many of these Brutalist buildings," especially in light of the current 75 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023878 housing crisis, said Ben Kasdan, a principal with KTGY. He liked the idea of adapting the Weaver building at 451 Seventh St. SW in L'Enfant Plaza, home to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, where the street-facing concrete skin remains but the building center is opened up to more natural light. That is the vision of Los Angelesbased architecture firm Brooks + Scarpa, as seen in the "Capital Brutalism" exhibit at the National Building Museum. OTJ, meanwhile, recently studied the "potential of reimagining 950 L'Enfant Plaza from office space to a multifamily development complete with a retail base," Lopez said. The study concluded the property would work well as residential, "thanks to its desirable siting, favorable elevator/core location, and rectangular floorplate complete with fenestration on all sides of the structure." "Brutalist buildings, with their rhythmic and consistent structural bays, ample daylight, and slender floorplates, often make great candidates for conversion from one use to another," Lopez said. Taking the opposite tack, Robert Holzbach, principal and director of commercial office for Hickok Cole, said Brutalist buildings can pose challenges for adaptive reuse, "because their faade and structure are sometimes integrated," making it harder to replace only a few components. The low floor-to-floor heights and deep floor plates, along with less natural lighting and often thick waffle-slab floors, can turn a conversion into a feat of engineering and creativity. "This inherent rigidity and inefficiency can limit their flexibility in today's real estate market, rendering some buildings candidates for replacement or repositioning rather than reuse," Holzbach said. But that's no reason to give up. Gene Weissman, vice president of Architecture Inc., said his firm has renovated several Brutalist structures, including the East Building of L'Enfant Plaza, which was converted to a mixed-use property combining office and a hotel, part of the Hilton National Mall project. He'd like to see more renovations in that area, and the infusion of street-level retail, to bring it to life. Shalom Baranes, principal of Shalom Baranes Associates, was even more protective of the polarizing architectural style. "Advocating for the demolition of major structures on the basis of stylistic preferences strikes me as callously irresponsible," Baranes said. Indeed, Baranes argued in favor of renovation as a more environmentally responsible solution to the Brutalism challenge. "They are in fact in better condition," he said, "than many of the Neo-Classical early 20th Century office buildings we routinely lavishly renovate." "I think preservation plays an important role in defining cultural, political, and technological moments in our history. Identifying key examples for preservation is an important method to catalog these moments, just as a museum catalogs its works," said Gene Weissman, vice president of Architecture Inc. In that spirit, here's a sample of the structures our architects chose as the best examples of Brutalism in D.C. The Hirshhorn Museum: "The design is an open cylinder raised up on four legs, allowing people, views and breezes to flow under the structure. The clear and strong diagram of the building, with galleries circling the open courtyard, is reinforced by the detailing of the exposed concrete cladding. While this building is Brutalist, it feels dynamic and light with its use of space." -- Roger Schwabacher, HOK. 76 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023879 The Washington Metro: "I find the Metro system's stations one of the most unique examples of Brutalist architecture in D.C., as it conquered brutalism's biggest critiques -- its unforgiving and often uncomfortable form. By utilizing this style of architecture for tunnels and below-grade transit stations, the so-called cold forms of concrete and rigid geometries suit the function and use of the Metro perfectly and even serve to gracefully soften and lighten what is essentially a dank, dark tunnel." -- Gene Weissman, Architecture Inc. "The iconic vaulted transit halls from the original D.C. Metro Stations, designed by architect Harry Weese from 1976, are my favorite example of Brutalist D.C. architecture. The consistent architectural language throughout the D.C. underground creates a uniquely unified experience for riders that evokes feelings of importance, efficiency, grandeur, and optimism about the future, befitting of the ideals that define our nation's Capital." -- Ben Kasdan, KTGY. ...and a controversial pick: The J. Edgar Hoover Building: "While it is often criticized for its fortress-like appearance and the void it creates in the otherwise vibrant Penn Quarter, I find it architecturally compelling. The building's interlocked massing, overhangs, and concrete forms create a powerful visual statement." -- Robert Holzbach, Hickok Cole. . . .and one with a suggested renovation: Robert C. Weaver Federal Building: "The building is both muscular and sculptural. I believe the landscape could be more layered and planted to create outdoor spaces that would activate the ground plane. I would reimagine this building as a student think tank and internship center where our country's best and brightest come together for a year to live and share ideas in the heart of the nation's capital." -- David Jameson, David Jameson Architect. 55% of nonresidential U.S. building stock was built between 1960 and 1980, comprising about 36 billion square feet. 242 -- That's the number of office buildings built in D.C. between 1959 and 1970. To put another way, office space increased by four times, from 5.75 million square feet to 27.4 million square feet in that time period, when Brutalism abounded. [ID] Idaho passes new law to curb use of mortgage trigger leads (HousingWire.com) - full text HousingWire.com [3/28/2025 1:59 PM, Sarah Wolak, 354K] Amid industrywide conversations and proposed legislation to address consumer privacy and protection regarding trigger leads, Idaho has stepped up to the plate. Idaho Gov. Brad Little (R) signed H.B. 149 into law last week. The bill introduces a new section called "Consumer Privacy in Mortgage Applications" to the Idaho Residential Mortgage Practices Act. The new provisions, which take effect July 1, regulate the use of consumer information linked to mortgage credit inquiries and define who has access to it. The bill defines a 77 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023880 "mortgage trigger lead" as "a consumer report obtained pursuant to section 604(c)(1)(B) of the fair credit reporting act, U.S.C. 1681b, where the issuance of the report is triggered by an inquiry made with a consumer reporting agency in response to an application for credit." The new rules require companies that use trigger leads to disclose their lack of affiliation with the original lender or broker. They also must inform consumers that their data was purchased without the lender's knowledge or consent. The law also mandates compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) prescreening rules, including firm credit offers, and it prohibits soliciting those who have opted out or are on do-not-call lists. Idaho joins several other states in governing the use of residential mortgage trigger leads over the years. Texas was the most recent to address the issue. The announcement comes as mortgage trade groups -- including the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), the National Association of Mortgage Brokers (NAMB) and the Community Home Lenders of America (CHLA) -- have openly advocated for legislation to restrict credit reporting agencies from sharing borrower information without consent. Exemptions would be given to companies that originate or service the subject mortgage, or those that have an establishing banking relationship with the consumer. After failing to pass the House of Representatives in December 2024 -- despite garnering the Senate's approval -- a national trigger leads bill has been labeled as a key issue that trade groups are pushing for in 2025. An MBA spokesperson said that "MBA's advocacy continues to stop the abusive use of mortgage trigger leads while preserving their use in appropriately limited circumstances during a real estate transaction. We have been working in the early months of the 119th Congress with a bipartisan set of House and Senate lawmakers to get companion bills re-introduced as soon as possible." NAMB did not immediately respond to HousingWire's request for an update. [ID] Idaho passes trigger lead bill as national ban is brewing (National Mortgage News) - full text National Mortgage News [3/28/2025 1:22 PM, Andrew Martinez, 28K] The governor of Idaho has signed into law a bill enforcing trigger lead transparency, cementing the efforts of a local loan officer who introduced the bill. State Rep. Chris Bruce, a first-term Republican representing Idaho's District 23, introduced the bill in February. State Sen. Brian Lenny, a Republican representing District 13, was the sponsor in the state senate. According to Bruce, the bill, which requires trigger lead solicitors to give disclosures to consumers, quickly moved through the state legislature before being signed into law last week. Idaho-based loan officers this week applauded the move, echoing widespread industry concerns over privacy and spammy behavior. While the Idaho bill's specifics fall short of an outright trigger lead ban, the bill's sponsor, also an LO with Premier Mortgage Resources, said he's received calls from lawmakers in other states mulling similar moves. "With the Fair Credit Reporting Act, we can't ban it at the state level," said Bruce. "But what we can require is for (solicitors) to disclose who they are. When it all comes down to it, it's just to protect the consumer." The bill's passage was first reported by MPAMag. Idaho House Bill No. 149 states callers must clearly disclose their lack of affiliation with the mortgage originator whom a customer originally applied with. Callers must also tell consumers that their personal 78 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023881 information was purchased from a credit reporting agency without the original lender or broker's knowledge or permission. Industry advocacy groups recently sought an amendment to the federal FCRA, which would have limited trigger leads to lenders with closer relationships with consumers. According to the Broker Action Coalition, that effort very narrowly missed passage in a December continuing resolution. Local originators shared anecdotes of customers getting slammed with trigger leads, which creates confusion and other unwanted outcomes. "If you get to a soft (credit) pull at the end, you find out they've applied for mortgages in other places," said Bruce. "Depending on whether it hurts their score or not, that can actually kill a deal." The new law which goes into effect July 1 still allows a consumer to engage with the solicitor, provided they share required disclosures. Violators would run afoul of the state's consumer protection act, according to the text, and Bruce said the state attorney general would determine punishments. Joseph Pattee, a branch manager at Guild Mortgage and president of the Idaho Mortgage Lenders Association, said the state bill will help "demystify" what's happening from the consumer's point of view. He believes the bill will decrease the amount of trigger lead calls, but doesn't believe it'll eradicate them. "I think they'll probably deliver some scripts to be able to comply with the law," said Pattee. Gerald Robinson, a broker and owner at 1st Choice Mortgage Company in Meridian, Idaho, suggested it would take consumer complaints to start piling up for the state regulator to "get some teeth into this." Texas passed a similar trigger lead disclosure law in December, and more states are mulling similar actions, LOs said. Robinson said the current political climate could drive further action. "We're seeing less and less government with the current administration," he said. "So it may take the states to start enforcing and protecting consumers more so than they have in the past." Last year's Homebuyer Privacy Protection Act passed in the Senate unanimously before failing at the last minute in the U.S. House of Representatives, members of the Broker Action Coalition, including Robinson, the group's Federal Government Affairs Leadership Chair, said. Of 130 bipartisan cosponsors of the bill, 123 were reelected, said Brendan McKay, chief advocacy officer & co-founder of BAC and owner and senior loan officer of Maryland-based McKay Mortgage. BAC said it's spoken to new members of Congress' financial committees, and cites strong support from House Financial Services Committee Chair French Hill, R-Ark. McKay said he anticipates Rep. Ritchie Torres, R-N.Y., and Rep. John Rose, R-Tenn., cosponsoring the next iteration of the trigger lead bill. The BAC previously blamed credit bureaus for killing the last bill, and McKay on Tuesday cited past public opposition by the Consumer Data Industry Association. "Frankly trigger leads are not the problem, they're a symptom of the problem," said McKay. "The problem is that credit bureaus are allowed to sell consumer data without their permission, and that's wrong." The CDIA didn't respond to a request for comment Tuesday. McKay meanwhile cheered state efforts to promote solicitor disclosures, stating many callers use deceptive tactics to avoid disclosing who they are. "I think we should come up with a federal solution," said McKay. "But I love attacking the problem from as many angles as humanely possible." 79 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023882 [CA] California Best Title to pay $150K in incentives settlement (HousingWire.com) - full text Housingwirescom [3/28/2025 4:24 PM, Jonathan Delozier, 354K] California Best Title Co. Inc. has agreed to pay $150,000 to the California Department of Insurance (CDI) to settle allegations that two of its employees violated state law that prohibits conflicts of interest in real estate transactions. The payment from California Best Title is comprised of a $100,000 penalty and $50,000 to cover CDI's investigative costs. State investigators found that marketing representatives Jonathan Golden and Joshua Meador provided incentives to real estate agents to steer business to the company -- a practice known as illegal inducement, according to an announcement from CDI. Golden allegedly offered free photography and drone videography services, while Meador provided marketing advice for real estate sales. "Title insurance protects property buyers and lenders against potential financial losses from title defects or unexpected claims," CDI stated. "While consumers technically have the right to choose the title company in a real estate transaction, real estate agents almost always make this choice for consumers. Therefore, under California law, title companies or their representatives may not offer illegal perks or incentives to real estate agents in exchange for business referrals." Although California Best Title denied wrongdoing, it signed the settlement agreement and agreed to implement a formal employee training program on anti-inducement laws within 90 days. Additionally, the settlement requires Golden to admit to violating state regulations and to surrender his certificate of registration as a title marketing representative, effective March 20. He is also barred from seeking any insurance license for the next three years. Meador denied the allegations but accepted restrictions on his registration. He will pay $10,000 in penalties and costs, CDI reported. Broadcast (TV and Radio) HUD Sec. Scott Turner speaks with Greg Kelly on illegal migrants and more (NEWSMX-TV) NEWSMX-TV [3/30/2025 5:28 PM, Staff, 125,252] reports HUD Secretary Scott Turner joins Greg Kelly This Week. He speaks about illegal migrants in public housing and more. HUD workers face blows as they're fired then rehired without back pay (WTOP-FM CBS DC) WTOP-FM CBS DC [3/29/2025 2:05 AM, Staff, 134,623] reports that fired probationary workers at HUD say they feel whipsawed by the decisions about their status. One worker says the initial firing was stunning after she'd only gotten positive reviews. It was a fresh blow to receive news the workers were being brought back, ony without back pay. [MA] Springfield families with vouchers struggle to find affordable housing (WGGB-TV Fox Springfield, MA) WGGB-TV Fox Springfield [3/29/2025 9:33 AM, Staff, 10,049] reports as Springfield residents with housing vouchers learn of potential budget cuts, one woman says she and her son have been without a place to call home for a year and a half. They and other 80 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023883 families were evicted from where they were living because of rent increases when new management came in. [CT] Developer considers turning mall into apartments to address inventory issue (WVIT-TV NBC Hartford, CT) WVIT-TV NBC Hartford & New Haven [3/28/2025 11:03 AM, Staff, 19,624] reports a development chain is considering turning the Simsbury Commons Mall into 300 apartments in order to address the housing inventory issue. Developers think building apartments where there is already utility access could be better than starting from scratch. [NY] Residents in Albany speak out against conditions at housing project (WGDJAM Albany, NY) WGDJ-AM Albany [3/29/2025 11:07 AM, Staff, 10,041] reports several residents of a housing project in Albany's Arbor Hill held a rally at the Albany Housing Authority on Friday because of what they say are unsafe and unclean conditions. The residents of Ida Yarbrough Apartments brought their list of concerns, which include rodent infestation, an overabundance of bugs, mold and more. [NY] Florida woman scams NYC into paying her rent (WNYC-FM NPR New York, NY) WNYC-FM NPR New York [3/29/2025 9:06 AM, Staff, 272,021] reports New York City's Department of Investigations says a woman scammed the city into paying her rent. She collected thousands of dollars from tenants of her Bronx apartment while living for years in Miami. She had told the housing authority she was unemployed in order to receive rental assistance for her unit. [PA] HUD Sec. Scott Turner visits Philadelphia Housing Authority (WCAU-TV NBC Philadelphia, PA) WCAU-TV NBC Philadelphia [3/30/2025 11:48 AM, Staff, 51,363] reports HUD Secretary Scott Turner visited the Philadelphia Housing Authority in North Philadelphia this week. It comes as Mayor Cherelle Parker is making housing a huge priority. Turner says he is urging mayors around the country to look at the regulatory environment and its effect on the ability to build affordable housing. [PA] Philadelphia Housing Authority will have more affordable housing in Germantown (WPVI-TV ABC Philadelphia, PA) WPVI-TV ABC Philadelphia [3/29/2025 9:36 AM, Staff, 157,824] reports the Philadelphia Housing Authority will now have more affordable housing available to those in need. It comes after an acquisition of the Green Manor Apartment Group. The purchase includes four apartment complexes in Germantown. [PA] Pittsburgh mayor signs order to protect against housing discrimination and displacement (WTAE-TV ABC Pittsburgh, PA) WTAE-TV ABC Pittsburgh [3/28/2025 5:10 PM, Staff, 82,294] reports Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey signed executive orders on Friday that protect residents from housing discrimination and displacement. This comes after the Trump Administration rolled back protections that were in place through a federal rule. 81 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023884 [PA] Pittsburgh woman receives new home through HEARTH nonprofit (WPXI-TV NBC Pittsburgh, PA) WPXI-TV NBC Pittsburgh [3/30/2025 6:17 PM, Staff, 117,151] reports a Pittsburgh woman was presented a new home through the work of HEARTH, a nonprofit that provides housing services for mothers and children experiencing homelessness or domestic violence. HEARTH works with the Allegheny County Housing Authority to help find homes for families. [FL] Tallahassee Housing Authority to look for new leadership after director announces retirement (WCTV-TV CBS Tallahassee, FL) WCTV-TV CBS Tallahassee [3/28/2025 5:03 PM, Staff, 16,220] reports the Tallahassee Housing Authority will be looking for new leadership. Executive Director Brenda Williams announced her plans for retirement on Friday. The THA will start searching for a replacement in the coming months. [FL] Youth drop-in center opens in Pine Hills thanks to HUD funding (CFLN-TV Spectrum News Orlando, FL) CFLN-TV Spectrum News Orlando [3/28/2025 6:07 PM, Staff, 12,245] reports a new youth drop-in center has opened its doors in Pine Hills. SALT Outreach opened the facility Friday morning. It's made possible by more than $8 million from HUD. [AR] Springdale mayor says most of Community Block Grant funding will go to city's housing rehab program (KFSM-TV CBS Ft. Smith, AR) KFSM-TV CBS Ft. Smith [3/28/2025 1:10 PM, Staff, 17,694] reports Springdale Mayor Doug Sprouse has spoken about Community Block Grants in the coming year. The mayor says the vast majority of the funding from HUD will go to the city's Housing Rehabilitation Program. [MO] Tenants at a Lee's Summit Housing Authority complex still asking for changes (KSHB-TV NBC Kansas City, MO) KSHB-TV NBC Kansas City [3/29/2025 6:07 PM, Staff, 44,815] reports that after dealing with mass resignations and federal investigations, tenants living in public housing overseen by the Lee's Summit Housing Authority are still asking for changes. The Office of Inspector General is investigating fraud that potentially involves previous staff there. [MO] Red Cross and HUD still offering help for Cloverleaf residents after property deemed unsafe (KMBC-TV ABC Kansas City, MO) KMBC-TV ABC Kansas City [3/28/2025 6:05 PM, Staff, 84,525] reports it's been a month since residents at Kansas City's Cloverleaf Apartments were forced to leave because of safety hazards. The Red Cross and HUD are helping families find temporary or permanent housing. [OH] Toledo's Fair Housing Center faces challenges amid DOGE cuts (WTOL-TV CBS Toledo, OH) WTOL-TV CBS Toledo [3/29/2025 6:15 PM, Staff, 38,742] reports efforts by DOGE to scale back the size of government have come at the expense of many nonprofits, including Toledo's Fair Housing Center. Some grants for the center totaling about $175,000 were 82 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023885 pulled. Yet, a federal court this past week issued an order requiring HUD to reinstate the grants, finding the cancellations illegal. [TX] After-school learning complex opens at San Antonio's Westway Apartments (KABB-TV Fox San Antonio, TX) KABB-TV Fox San Antonio [3/28/2025 11:38 PM, Staff, 10,360] reports a new after-school learning center has opened at a public housing complex in San Antonio. Located at the Westway Apartments, the center will give students the extra educational resources they need to succeed in school and beyond. [NV] Nevada Rural Housing Authority opens wait list for unhoused in Carson City (KRNV-TV NBC Reno, NV) KRNV-TV NBC Reno [3/30/2025 8:07 PM, Staff, 53,322] reports the Nevada Rural Housing Authority is accepting applications for the Richards Crossing Project-Based Voucher wait list. It is for people experiencing homelessness in Carson City. Housing Supply How Cities Are Turning Empty Offices Into Housing--and What It Really Takes to Make It Work (propmodo) - full text propmodo [3/30/2025 2:31 PM. Travis Barrington, 16K] As U.S. cities confront a post-pandemic reality, some the office buildings that once anchored downtown economies are struggling to attract tenants. With remote and hybrid work now deeply entrenched in white-collar life, office vacancies have remained persistently high. The average office vacancy rate in major cities remains well above prepandemic levels, with some markets seeing 30 percent or more of their space sit unused. That's a lot of square footage collecting dust. At the same time, an acute housing shortage continues to plague urban areas. Rents are high, affordable housing is scarce, and construction is expensive. Converting vacant offices into homes--once a niche strategy mostly relegated to historic building reuse-is now being seen as a potential way out of two simultaneous urban crises. That's the premise behind a sweeping new report released by Brookings, in partnership with Gensler, HR&A Advisors, and Eckholm Studios. Funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the research dives into office-to-residential conversion efforts in six U.S. cities: St. Louis, Houston, Pittsburgh, Stamford, Los Angeles, and Winston-Salem. Each of these places has a unique mix of economic forces, policy tools, and market demand, and together they offer a window into what's working--and what's holding cities back. The report frames office conversions not as a silver bullet, but as a complex and promising strategy--one that can help cities adapt to a changing economic model. "In the same way mill buildings drove the Industrial Revolution, office buildings shaped the postwar economy," the authors write. Now that those buildings are aging out of usefulness, cities have a choice: let them decay or reinvent them. But conversions are not simple. They depend on a mix of factors: demand for housing, the physical characteristics of the buildings, local zoning and permitting regulations, and financial feasibility. The Brookings team even created an algorithm with Gensler to measure how close any given office building is to being "conversion ready." The results? 83 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023886 Most aren't there yet--but many could be, with the right mix of incentives and reforms. In downtown St. Louis, office buildings aren't just empty--they're dragging the local economy down with them. This is what Brookings refers to as the "urban doom loop," where office vacancies shrink the tax base, which reduces funding for city services, which then makes downtown even less attractive to tenants and residents. But the bones are there. Brookings estimates that over 6 million square feet of vacant office space in St. Louis could yield more than 5,000 housing units. The city has seen some early success with conversion projects like the Monogram Building, but larger-scale change will require breaking down bureaucratic and financial barriers. Outdated zoning laws still separate office and residential uses, and financing remains tricky without targeted subsidies. The opportunity is huge-but so is the lift. Houston's downtown is a different beast. It's decentralized, car-dependent, and famously unregulated by zoning laws. That gives it flexibility, but it also makes housing conversions harder to scale. While some downtown offices have been converted to hotels, residential conversions face a physical design challenge: most buildings lack inbuilding parking, which Houston residents expect. That makes many buildings financially unviable for housing use. Still, the city has potential. The report highlights how better alignment between public investment and private demand could unlock new conversion opportunities. With market interest growing and flexible regulations in place, Houston might not need to change much--just nudge the right projects forward. Pittsburgh has tried to lead with policy. The city passed by-right zoning for downtown conversions, offered enhanced tax abatements, and made discretionary public grants available for select projects. That's a full toolbox. But so far, the market has been slow to respond. The reason? A classic feasibility gap. Even with incentives, the cost of conversion often outweighs the projected value of the finished units, especially in a city with relatively low market-rate rents. Still, Brookings identifies many structurally sound buildings and sees potential--particularly if more financial support comes from local or state governments to push borderline projects across the finish line. In Stamford, Connecticut, the story is different. Developers aren't waiting for incentives-- they're building. High demand and tight housing supply have made conversions viable on market conditions alone. Several office buildings have already been transformed into apartments, even though the city lacks generous tax breaks or dedicated funding for conversions. What Stamford shows is that, in hot markets, conversions can happen organically. But there's a catch: without public intervention, these projects rarely address affordability. Policymakers may need to step in--not to spark development, but to steer it toward broader equity goals. Few cities have as much to gain--or as many barriers-as Los Angeles. The city has a staggering amount of vacant office space and one of the most severe housing shortages in the nation. Brookings' feasibility modeling found that many buildings in LA's urban core are well-suited for conversion. But zoning, permitting, and code issues have created a maze of red tape. Recent reforms like the adaptive reuse ordinance have helped, but more streamlining is needed. LA's success will depend on its ability to align incentives, simplify approvals, and focus investments where they can do the most good. The potential to add thousands of units is real--but it's locked behind layers of bureaucracy. 84 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023887 Winston-Salem might be the most quietly successful case study. With a compact downtown and a history of historic preservation, the city has already turned multiple former office buildings into housing. Projects like Plant 64 and the Nissen Building have helped redefine the area's identity, attracting residents and spurring local retail growth. The lesson? Even small markets can lead on creating more housing our of unused office spaces-especially when civic leaders, local institutions, and private developers are on the same page. Brookings calls Winston-Salem a model for how smaller cities can use conversions to anchor broader revitalization efforts. While design and construction are major factors, Brookings argues that policy will make or break office to residential success. Cities need to make three key choices: Ease conversion processes - Streamline zoning, permitting, and code compliance. Shape demand and value -- Invest in downtown amenities, transit, and public space to make residential living attractive. Close feasibility gaps -- Use tax credits, grants, or low-cost financing to make projects pencil. The federal government has a role to play too, particularly through the use of historic tax credits and project-based housing vouchers. But so far, uptake of federal tools has been limited. The White House has issued a guidebook on available funding streams, but few projects are tapping them effectively. Finally, equity is a central concern. Many downtowns were built--and maintained-- through exclusionary practices. Office-to-residential conversions offer a chance to reverse that history by including affordable housing, fostering mixed-income neighborhoods, and connecting more residents to jobs and transit. Brookings urges local leaders to treat conversions not just as economic development tools, but as vehicles for advancing fair housing. That means tying incentives to affordability, accessibility, and community benefit--not just new market-rate units. Converting offices into housing is not a silver bullet--but it's a valuable piece of the puzzle. As cities look to avoid long-term decline, conversions offers a way to adapt underused assets, revitalize downtowns, and expand housing supply. The challenge lies in making the math work and the process easier, without losing sight of who benefits. The Brookings report doesn't pretend that conversions are easy. But it shows that they're possible--and that in many cases, they're already underway. With the right mix of political will, market insight, and financial tools, cities can turn yesterday's office towers into tomorrow's homes. New Home Sales Should Come With a Warning (MortgageNewsDaily) - full text MortgageNewsDaily [3/28/2025 3:52 PM, Matthew Graham, 523K] It's not uncommon for certain medications to come with warnings about avoiding certain activities like driving or operating heavy machinery due to the risk of drowsiness. But medications aren't the only causes of such sleepiness. Just ask the latest New Home Sales report from Census Bureau! There are several ways to establish the soporific nature of this data. First off, the market is always most interested in data when it falls far from the consensus among economic forecasters. At an annual pace of 676k homes versus a median forecast of 680k, this one was about as close as they come. Perhaps more importantly, the sales count hasn't been more than 70k higher or lower than that for the past 2 years. 70k might sound like a lot, but consider that it only took a 85 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023888 few months to see sales jump more than 400k in 2020, or that the peak to trough move during the financial crisis was over 1 million homes per year. In other words, sales may be exhibiting some month to month volatility, but they've been almost perfectly sideways, on average, for just over 2 years now. In regional terms, The Midwest and the South did all of the heavy lifting, adding 13k and 27k homes respectively. The Northeast brought the national tally down by 6k and the West did the most damage at 22k. Pending Home Sales Crack Half-Hearted Smile Amid Longer Term Depression (MortgageNewsDaily) - full text MortgageNewsDaily [3/28/2025 5:16 PM, Matthew Graham, 523K] The National Association of Realtors' Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI) tracks purchase contract signings that have not yet turned into Existing Home Sales. Things haven't been going well for either sales metric for more than 2 years now--a problem that can be blamed on a combination of factors led by it's proximity to the sharpest interest rate spike in decades. The good news is that things actually haven't gotten markedly worse after the initial swan dive in 2022. This, of course, means that the sales index is free to experience some ups and downs inside the broadly sideways, severely depressed range. The most recent installment amounts to a half smile on an otherwise perpetually sad face. Well, maybe a quarter smile. According to NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun, "Despite the modest monthly increase, contract signings remain well below historical levels. A meaningful decline in mortgage rates would help both demand and supply--demand by boosting affordability, and supply by lessening the power of the mortgage rate lock-in effect." Here's a regional breakdown showing the percent change in Pending Sales from the previous month: Northeast: -0.9%, Midwest: +0.7%, South: +6.2%, and West: -3.0%. And now the percent change from the previous year: Northeast: -2.5%, Midwest: -4.7%, South: -3.4%, and West: -3.5%. [WA] Legislature is leading WA's housing policy. That isn't sitting right in Seattle (Seattle Times, WA) - full text Seattle Times [3/29/2025 8:00 AM, David Kroman, 210K, WA] When it comes to housing, Seattle City Councilmember Cathy Moore thinks of herself as an "old-fashioned Democrat." To her, that means government should take the lead on funding affordable homes for its residents. She has been the member of the council most vocally questioning Mayor Bruce Harrell's proposed comprehensive plan, which would bring the city in line with state housing mandates -- and add a little more density in some areas. Moore at times struggles to understand the push from some of her fellow Democrats in the Washington state Legislature toward empowering private developers as the path toward cheaper housing - by way of zoning reforms, changes to parking rules and added state oversight. "Suddenly, now Democrats are big fans of developers, and that was really never the case," she said. "And I remain puzzled by that." It's that kind of mentality that mobilized Jessica Bateman, a Democrat from Olympia, 86 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023889 who has successfully led the Legislature in housing policy that for years had been driven by local government. She's one of the chief architects of the 2023 law requiring jurisdictions to allow fourplexes or sixplexes throughout their city and this year is championing policies to roll back parking requirements, allow for more development near transit and give the state stronger oversight of local housing policies. Where the state for many years had relinquished its authority to drive housing policy, "we've since taken that back in a number of situations," Bateman said. It's a shift born of widespread housing shortages and frustration with the pace of action at the local level, as data continues to show housing costs rising where supply has lagged and plateauing or even falling where supply has increased. Compared with even five years ago, the housing center of gravity in Washington has shifted to Olympia, where bipartisan momentum for more and faster development has accelerated. For state lawmakers like Bateman, it's a needed redirection of a process that's been bogged down by the crush of feedback that follows -- and sometimes kills -- any new housing conversation. For local elected officials like Moore, the new dynamic is a tightrope walk between the demands of her constituents and the requirements of the state. She supports new density, she said, and understands that the state has a role to play in housing policy. But as she bears the wave of backlash that may not always reach state legislators, Moore has warned of policies that could be "shoved down our throat" by the state. In 2015, then-Mayor Ed Murray briefly proposed changing Seattle's zoning laws to allow for at least duplexes and triplexes in every neighborhood. The proposal, unveiled right before a City Council election, ran into intense opposition and was quickly dropped. Prodensity advocates noted the swift defeat of what they saw as a modest change and began shifting their strategy. The Sightline Institute, among the most well-recognized pro-housing development organizations, largely gave up on lobbying at the local level and instead focused on the state. "The politics at the local level make it difficult to do land use changes," said Dan Bertolet, housing researcher for Sightline. "People come to City Hall and yell at you if you're an elected official who wants to do that." In the years since, the need for more housing has become even clearer. Seattle needs an estimated 112,000 homes in the next 20 years just to keep pace. As housing costs continued to climb, pressure -- both nationally and locally -- to build more has heightened. But as Seattle charts its housing path, city leaders continue to encounter much of the same opposition as they did in 2015. Since Harrell released his more detailed plan, public pushback has grown. The bulk of the plan is based on bringing Seattle into compliance with state law by allowing up to six units on lots within residential neighborhoods. Harrell's major addition to the state plan was to propose 30 "neighborhood centers" where low-rise apartment buildings would be allowed near commercial areas, such as Maple Leaf or Madison Park. Residents of neighborhoods like Montlake and Greenwood have written petitions seeking to strike their nearest neighborhood centers from the plan. Several groups have filed formal appeals to how the city studied the possible impacts of such development. On the campaign trail, Moore came out in favor of the highest-density option for the city's growth plan. She also said she supported a Bateman bill allowing more housing in 87 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023890 formerly single-family neighborhoods. Now, as Moore hears strong opposition from some of her constituents to some parts of the plan, particularly regarding the neighborhood center in Maple Leaf, she's taken a more skeptical posture. She's receptive to her constituents' concerns and wishes local representatives in the Legislature heard more of what she heard. "They don't necessarily have the same pressures, they don't necessarily have the same facts on the ground," she said. Moore spent 36 years as a renter before she and her husband bought a home in the north end of the city. A former judge, she said she'd given little thought to housing policy. "I'd never really thought about land use or housing," she said. "I just thought, 'Well, it's nice to be able to have a house that we can sort of afford and raise our kids.' " She repeatedly says she's not opposed to new development, but says local officials are misleading people when they argue it'll mean more affordability. Studies have shown that cities that build more housing have seen slower rent growth than those that have built less. In Austin, Texas, rents have fallen more than 20% from their 2021 peak after the city added 50,000 new rental units in 2023 and 2024 - more than twice what Seattle added. Moore allowed that more supply can ease some cost pressures, but believes only the government will be able to provide truly cheap housing. "I have not bought into the underlying premise that the private market is going to build us into affordability," she said. In 2023, Lt. Gov. Denny Heck declared it the "year of housing," and the Legislature passed its broad rezone of neighborhoods across the state, authored by Bateman and Rep. Andrew Barkis, a Republican from Olympia, among other housing bills. While a member of the Olympia City Council, Bateman watched with frustration as housing discussions were met with opposition and repeated complaints about poor engagement process - despite what she said was extensive outreach. "There's typically been the same refrain for a long time, which is, 'The process wasn't extensive enough,' You didn't stakeholder this,' You didn't get enough feedback,- she said. To her thinking, that largely served to bog down progress: the state needs 1 million more homes in 20 years and government can't shoulder the $200 billion it would take to build enough housing on its own. "I'm not surprised that we're seeing these conversations happen with the Seattle City Council currently," she said. "I'm disappointed, and it also reaffirms that we have to continue taking the statewide action." Jennifer Anderson, government affairs director for the Master Builders Association, said regulating housing at the state level makes the most sense because it's a regional issue. Allowing cities to take full control creates a patchwork system - if one city underbuilds, its neighbor is likely to bear the brunt. "Our housing supply crisis and the lack of local responsiveness is really what has driven the Legislature to take the bold actions that they have taken in the last two years," Anderson said. Carl Schroeder, deputy director of government relations for the Association of Washington Cities, is skeptical of the state's larger role in housing policy. He said the strategy was explicit: move policymaking to where lawmakers are more insulated from their constituents. "The people who might be responsive or particularly responsive to individual community needs don't have the capacity to do anything about it," he said. At the same time, Schroeder acknowledged a certain level of defeat: "Generally speaking, 88 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023891 the folks who want more direction and state engagement oversight are having more success." Polling has consistently shown the majority of Seattleites support more density, even when it's in their neighborhood. Housing providers as well as high-powered business groups, like the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, have backed Harrell's plan and occasionally urged him to go further. Still, frustration at Harrell's plan, particularly toward the neighborhood centers, has found a toehold in City Hall, as members demand more engagement by the city's planning department with neighborhoods. Moore allows that finding the government funding needed to create a more affordable housing landscape in Seattle would be significant. It explains her interest in a capital gains tax in the city, which she said could be used to help people become homeowners and keep people housed. "I'm not necessarily opposed to changing zoning or opening up zoning, but the comp plan that's been put before us, I think has missed a lot of opportunities to upzone where it makes the most sense to upzone," she said. For Bateman, though, the data is clear: More housing equals lighter cost burden, regardless of who builds it. State-level support for building more development is high and she doesn't anticipate the state ever going back to ceding housing policy to local governments. "That ship has sailed," she said. [WA] Seattle council's plan for housing in Sodo carries rewards and risks (Seattle Times, WA) - full text Seattle Times [3/28/2025 1:00 PM, Jon Talton, 4826K, WA] Like almost every city and metropolitan area in the United States, Seattle needs more housing. Last year, my colleagues Heidi Groover and Anna Patrick reported that Washington will need more than a million new dwellings in the next 20 years, including those for people with lower incomes. Whether the recent approval by the Seattle City Council of fewer than 1,000 new apartments in the Sodo industrial district south of downtown, amid enormous controversy, will help is yet to be determined. Half of the apartments are to be "workforce" housing, which means they will be below market rates. The measure, led by council President Sara Nelson, passed 6-3. Nelson, a smallbusiness owner, ran successfully in the 2021 backlash against the far-left council dominated by Kshama Sawant and her allies. Nelson championed public safety, housing and more pragmatic leadership: she was unanimously named council president two years later. As to the Sodo move. it's supported by housing advocates, neighborhood groups, some businesses in the area and building-trade unions. The Port of Seattle issued a statement saying it was "disappointed in the Seattle City Council's decision to move forward rushed legislation that will directly harm our city's maritime and industrial operations, threaten thousands of union jobs, and negatively impact our region's economic competitiveness in trade." The Port condemned the measure as "slippery slope" of intrusion on industrial property. "This spot rezone was inappropriately advanced outside the comprehensive planning process," the Port statement argued. "More importantly, this decision directly undermines the hard-won 2023 compromise between the Port and City Council that protects maritime and industrial lands and allows appropriate development in Sodo." 89 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023892 That agreement two years ago between Mayor Bruce Harrell and the council was against significant new housing near the stadiums. "The mayor remained neutral on Councilmember Nelson's legislation to add housing to the stadium district because he believes the 2023 adopted legislation is sound," Deputy Mayor Tim Burgess told me. "That 2023 bill the mayor proposed strengthened industrial land protections and allowed hotels, restaurants, bars and other entertainment venues in the stadium district." In exchange for the Port's support of that bill, Harrell withdrew housing from the district. Burgess continued: "That was justified because the Port had strongly opposed 16 years of efforts by several mayors to address industrial lands. All those efforts collapsed. Mayor Harrell told me to get it done and we did." As part of the Northwest Seaport Alliance, the Port of Seattle represents one of the most important import-export locations on the West Coast, fighting to regain market share and represents more than 21,000 mostly well-paid blue-collar jobs. Port officials worry increased traffic in the area will interfere with its operations. No wonder they were joined by the longshore union, as well as shippers, in opposing Nelson's plan. The area is home to considerable numbers of other jobs, from blue-collar positions and employees at startups to those working at Starbucks' headquarters. Looking at the central core's booming residential growth during the past 10-plus years (up 74% since 2010, now a record 108,488 people), this might seem like a logical move toward ensuring a range of housing options in the heart of the city. Also, in a city that prohibits multifamily housing in many single-family zones and in industrial areas and is filling up the remaining buildable lots in downtown, pressure to build residences was substantial. That Nelson, who is up for reelection in November, led the change in Sodo brings risks and potential rewards. One clear winner is hedge-fund manager Chris Hansen, who hoped to turn the properties now zoned for apartments into a basketball arena and entertainment district in 2017. This proposal was ultimately halted by the city, the Port and the opening of Climate Pledge Arena at Seattle Center for the Seattle Storm of the WNBA, the Kraken of the NHL and a potential resurrection of the NBA's SuperSonics. Even so, Hansen still owns much of the land. Housing is receiving little help from the new administration of President Donald Trump. For example, Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (which I wrote about last Sunday), is halting funds for the Green and Resilient Retrofit Program, passed by Congress in 2022 and signed into law by former President Joe Biden. It's funding energy-efficiency improvements in affordable housing. Trump's tariffs on Canada and Mexico will hurt housing, too. They will raise the prices on lumber from our northern neighbor as well as on gypsum, used for drywall, from our southern neighbor, as Victor Whitman recently wrote in The Times. Noah Smith, a blogger and commentator with a doctorate in economics from the University of Michigan, recently wrote a provocative essay entitled "Blue states don't build. Red ones do." Smith argues that red states, especially Texas, are better at building housing and attracting population. The exception on population loss from a socalled blue state is Washington. Even so, Washington and metropolitan Seattle remain far behind on housing. 90 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023893 With a population of 755,078, Seattle only saw 44.2% of its residents in owner-occupied housing from 2019 to 2023, versus a national average of 65%, according to the Census Bureau. The median value of owner-occupied houses was $912,100, compared with $303,400 nationally. The housing inventory in King County was up 41% year over year in February, versus 174% in December 2022. Seattle is the seventh-least-affordable housing market, behind San Jose, Calif.; New York City; Boston; San Francisco; Los Angeles; and San Diego. At first glance, San Francisco built housing near the stadiums and industrial area, creating lively neighborhoods with bars, markets and access to light rail. San Francisco also created the University of California, San Francisco Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and medical school in the redeveloped area of Mission Bay. Many employees live nearby. In Los Angeles, a developer is building apartments atop a Costco. I support Nelson and the centrists on the council, especially their emphasis on public safety, but this is a gamble. [WA] Seattle used to have affordable housing. What happened to it? (Seattle Times, WA) - full text Seattle Times [3/30/2025 9:00 AM, Greg Kim, 210K, WA] In 2014, new owners purchased Panorama House, an 18-story building on First Hill. and to renovate the decades-old apartments, they kicked out 200 tenants, many of them elderly and retired. Explicitly or not, they were making room for a deluge of younger renters moving to a city unequipped to fit newcomers. Many transplants had an advantage over Panorama's old tenants: They could pay more. After adding high-speed internet, a fitness center and a tiki-themed lounge, Panorama's owners reopened the building with rents nearly doubled. What happened to Panorama was happening around the city. The price of what used to be affordable housing was skyrocketing out of range for people working minimum wage jobs, surviving on fixed incomes or dealing with physical disabilities or addiction. During the 2010s, Seattle lost more than 14,000 rental units considered affordable for the lowest income households. That was a major driver -- perhaps the biggest reason -- of why the number of people living on the streets doubled in this period, experts say. "It's just pitting people with limited resources against one another for not enough housing," said Gregg Colburn. a housing and homelessness researcher at the University of Washington. "And ultimately, there are going to be folks who lose." Those who lost shelled out more than they reasonably could for rent. When they couldn't, some turned to friends and family who were also struggling to make ends meet. When those fragile arrangements fell apart, they ended up outside. In the past few years, a record number of newly built apartments have slowed rent hikes, showing that building enough is key to affordability. But the construction boom is already slowing down, and the conditions that escalated Seattle's homelessness problem into a crisis could be coming back. Panorama House is what most of Seattle's affordable housing is -- old. Built in 1962, the concrete structure is beige and boxy. Until a decade ago, the inside was filled with outdated light fixtures and appliances and aging electrical and plumbing systems. The trade-off was cheap rent. As buildings deteriorate, landlords have no choice but to rent them out at lower prices that poor and working class people can afford without help from the government. Affordable means tenants don't have to 91 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023894 pay more than 30% of their income on housing. In 2010, more than 70% of Seattle's rentals that were affordable to very low-income people were like Panorama, priced low because the market determined it less desirable. But in the decade that followed, old stopped meaning cheap. Up until the renovations, a two-bedroom unit at Panorama cost about $1,500 per month. The next year, it cost $2,800. The new owners didn't necessarily need luxury features to charge luxury prices either. Around the same time, tenants in decades-old Seattle apartments saw rents jacked up by as much as $1,000 at once, without major renovations, and in dilapidated units with peeling paint, pest infestations and holes in the walls. Across the city, rents in old buildings built before 1980, much of which used to be affordable, increased by twothirds in the 2010s -- twice as fast as in the previous decade. In this way, affordable housing didn't physically disappear. But to low-income renters, it might as well have. The soaring rents of the 2010s were driven by one factor: a shortage. Seattle was one of the fastest growing major cities in the U.S. during the 2010s, adding about 13,000 people per year, more than double the rate of increase in the previous two decades. The city's tech boom drove its growth, with Amazon hiring about 5,000 employees at its Seattle headquarters each year between 2010 and 2017. Many came with six-figure salaries that were previously rare in the city. But rather than ramping up, housing production had stalled. After the financial crisis of 2008, housing prices tanked and unemployment soared. Banks were reeling from the crash and resistant to lend. The pullback in construction exacerbated a local and nationwide housing shortage. For every five households that Seattle added between 2010 and 2015, fewer than four housing units were added, according to census estimates. Developers spent the rest of the decade digging out of that hole. Quickly, it became a challenge to find any apartment in Seattle, let alone an affordable one. Rental vacancies dipped below 4% in 2012 and stayed there until 2019 -- with a low of 1.2% in 2014. Whenever there's a shortage, there's a bidding war. And in Seattle, the highest bidders could bid very high. Some landlords used "rent bidding" websites where prospective tenants could offer more than the listed price. Often, they could just increase the rent every year knowing someone would likely pay it. Other owners said they had to increase prices to keep up with rising property values and taxes. But the underlying cause in any case was a scarcity of units. Government officials and housing providers tried to offset the loss by adding subsidized housing. But around two-thirds of those units added in the 2010s were for people with more than 50% of the area median income. For people living on less, subsidized rentals replaced less than a quarter of the units that became unaffordable to them through market forces. In one decade, Seattle became a vastly riskier place to live for poor people. Especially for those surviving on fixed incomes, such as disability payments, it became nearly impossible to afford even the cheapest market-rate housing. Many were priced out of the city. And those who stayed often fell into lower income brackets as the city's average income rose, driven by an influx of high-earning tech workers. Colburn, at the University of Washington, said that resulted in more people spending an unsustainably large share of their income on rent or packing into overcrowded units to split costs. "The issue with 92 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023895 both of those circumstances is you are very precarious," Colburn said. By 2021, 53% of very low-income people -- someone living on less than $40,500 -- were paying more than half their income toward rent. An unexpected medical bill or a lost job could be enough to cost them their apartment. Or if people moved in with friends and family, they were often moving in with people who were also impoverished, said Margot Kushel, director of the Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative at the University of California, San Francisco. "They're causing this really already stressed household further stress," Kushel said. "They get into a big fight and it just falls apart." It did not take long for things to fall apart for Andrew Constantino. Between 2010 and 2013, Constantino, 49, was living in Ballard and working cash registers at convenience stores and smoke shops. In just three years, rents in his neighborhood increased 30% while minimum wage went from $8.55 per hour to $9.19, a 7% increase. He said he and his girlfriend put all of their earnings and then some toward rent, going without electricity some weeks because they couldn't pay it. In 2013, the couple stared down a note saying the rent for their studio apartment was increasing for the third straight year. His girlfriend, through tears, told him she had to move in with her mom. Constantino was out of options. He had stayed housed through a decade of heroin addiction, often living with friends or in single-room occupancy hotels -- tiny rooms with shared bathrooms -- which he paid $80 per week for. Now. he was clean, but the cheap housing and friends he'd relied on as a last resort were gone. "I didn't get the memo in the early 2000s that we were all moving, and I ended up staying, and life got exceptionally difficult," Constantino said. So, Constantino set up a tent outside in Ballard, becoming one of the many people priced out of Seattle's rental market and onto the street. Between 2010 and 2020, the number of people living outside in Seattle and King County doubled, from about 2,800 to 5,600. In the past few years, Seattle was finally building housing at a rate to start returning affordability to some renters. But the construction boom is already slowing down before people most at risk of homelessness benefit. From the mid-2010s, Seattle developers kicked off an apartment building bonanza, reaching a record 14,000 housing units built in 2024. At the same time, the city's population growth shrunk during the pandemic to half of what it was in the 2010s as many jobs went remote and the tech sector shed thousands of jobs in a recalibration. That meant a lot more apartments were empty. Rental vacancies reached 8.4% in 2023, according to the U.S. census. Economists generally consider vacancy levels between 5% and 10% to be healthy, preventing rapid rent increases. Even with average incomes rising quickly since 2020, Seattle's rents have hardly changed. Research shows that new housing, even though it's usually expensive, can draw higher earners out of older apartments, opening up cheaper units for lower earners too. That increased the number of affordable units by more than half for households with incomes between 50% and 80% of the area median income between 2019 and 2022. But affordability has been trickling down to poorer people at a slower pace. For households living on less than half of the area median income, the number of units affordable to them is still down about 26% compared with 2010. The loss of affordable housing isn't just making more people homeless for the first time. It's keeping them stuck there. 93 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023896 With market-rate housing out of reach, homeless people are staying in shelters for months, sometimes years, waiting for scarce subsidized housing units to open up, leaving shelters clogged and more people on the street. There were a record 16,868 homeless people in King County on a given night in 2024. And the glimmers of rental affordability seen in the past few years are likely to reverse soon. The price to build skyrocketed during the pandemic. Construction costs in Seattle are 78% higher than they were a decade ago. Tariffs and trade wars could drive those higher. And interest rates for apartment loans spiked from around 3% to more than 6% in 2022. Enthusiasm for building has dwindled. Seattle issued permits to build 6,170 units in 2024 -- about half of those permitted in 2021 and a low since 2011. And the most recent estimates from the U.S. census show people are coming to King County in droves again after a lull during the pandemic. If those trends hold, Seattle renters could resume their competition for not enough housing, driving the poorest onto the streets. [CA] Marin approves $9.39M more for rural housing project (Marin Independent Journal, CA) - full text Marin Independent Journal [3/29/2025 6:41 PM, Richard Halstead, 229K, CA] Marin County supervisors have allocated another $9.39 million to help convert a former Coast Guard property in Point Reyes Station into 54 affordable homes. The allotment increases the amount of money the county has contributed to about $14.68 million. The county, which purchased the property from the federal government in 2018 for $4.3 million, is selling it to the developers, the Community Land Trust Association of West Marin and Eden Housing, for $1. It previously allocated over $900,000 to the project to pay for predevelopment costs and environmental review. "This is a community driven solution to a long-term crisis in West Marin," said Jarrod Russell, director of the Community Land Trust Association. "Families living in substandard insecure housing on ranches is an example of the broader challenge we face. We need more housing." In April, the association and Eden Housing intend to apply for a $6.7 million grant from the state's Joe Serna Jr. Farmworker Housing Grant Program. The program helps fund housing for agricultural workers. "This is only a once-a-year funding source," said Sarah Allen, a project developer with Eden Housing. "If we miss it this time, we would have to wait essentially another year." Allen said the developers also hope to receive $30 million in low-income housing tax credits. Developers generally sell the credits to private investors to obtain funding. The county's latest allocation is coming from two sources: the county's housing trust and proceeds from Measure W, which increased the transient occupancy tax that visitors to West Marin must pay. Half of the revenue from the Measure W tax increase is earmarked for enhanced fire and emergency services in West Marin, while the other half is reserved to support long-term community housing in the area. Nearly $5 million of the new allocation will come from Measure W proceeds. The Measure W fund balance, however, only amounts to $2.1 million. "What we are proposing to you for this project," said Leelee Thomas, deputy director of the Marin County Community Development Agency, "is that we front the dollars with the housing trust dollars and then pay the housing trust back over the next five years." Other financial contributions include an $850,000 federal earmark secured by Rep. Jared 94 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023897 Huffman in 2023 and a $1 million grant commitment from the Marin Community Foundation. Supervisor Stephanie Moulton-Peters noted that the project has been in the works for nearly a decade and asked why it is taking so long to complete. Thomas said the federal government built the Coast Guard site without a wastewater treatment facility. "So that has been a significant cost to the project and something that has taken a long time," she said. In addition, Thomas said there are wells on the site that the larger community uses for drinking water. "So we really need to ensure that whatever happens with the wastewater facility doesn't impact the water for the rest of the community," she said. Sarah Jones, director of the Marin County Community Development Agency, said time and money were saved by not doing a full environmental impact report on the project. Something known as a "mitigated negative declaration," a shorter process with fewer requirements, was done instead. Public support for the allocation was not lacking. Supervisors received more than 90 messages, many of them formulaic emails, urging them to approve the funding, and a number of people made statements of support during the meeting. "These are the types of urgent projects that need and deserve to be supported with the extreme housing crisis in West Marin presently," said Ashley Harriman of Point Reyes. Harriman highlighted the fact that some 40 people, a majority of them Latino residents, are living on the Martinelli ranch near Point Reyes Station in substandard conditions, and an additional 90 people, also mostly Latino residents, will soon be evicted from ranches and dairies in the Point Reyes National Seashore. The operations are closing as part of a settlement with environmental organizations. Harriman also noted that 60 Latino workers had been living in substandard conditions on the Tacherra ranch for years before the Bolinas Community Land Trust secured 27 recreational vehicles to temporarily house them in 2023. Jasmine Bravo, a representative of Voices of Las Familias Afectadas de Rancho de Point Reyes National Seashore, said, "This would help many people, mostly Latino people, to stay in West Marin. It would help the workforce continue." Contacted after the meeting, Allen said 15 of the dwellings could be reserved for agricultural workers if the project is awarded a Serna housing grant. She added, however, that families in West Marin couldn't be given special preference. She said federal fair housing laws require that all of the residences be awarded by lottery. Nevertheless, Thomas said she expected that the overwhelming majority of the 54 residences, which contain a total of 134 bedrooms, would go to people already living in the area. "The developers will conduct what's called affirmative marketing," Thomas said, "meaning they will reach out to those who are least likely to apply for this housing and have historically faced housing discrimination." "In addition to affirmative marketing, the developer will also be doing targeted marketing," she said. "That means that you reach out to local residents and workforce who are income eligible and make sure they are aware of the housing and encouraged to apply." The plan is to make the rental homes affordable to people earning between 30% and 60% of the area median income. That equates to a household income between $58,740 95 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023898 and $117,480 for a household of four. Thomas said those rent levels might have to be increased if some assumed funding sources fail to pan out. Supervisor Eric Lucan said, "If we can pull this one off, I think we could do just about anything when it comes to housing." Homeownership Home Buyers Start to Come Off Sidelines Even as Rates, Prices Stay Stuck (Wall Street Journal) - full text Wall Street Journal [3/29/2025 9:00 PM, Nicole Friedman] Prospective home buyers are starting to move off the sidelines because life is moving on, even if mortgage rates and prices are stuck. People who are having babies, retiring and getting new jobs are shopping for homes, according to real-estate agents and buyers. Home tours and mortgage applications are up--early signals that demand is rising as the spring selling season gets under way. The housing market is still unaffordable to many would-be buyers, and it is too early to predict how the spring market will develop. But some buyers said they are done waiting for mortgage rates to go back to 3%. They are going ahead with purchases because they are increasingly accepting that mortgage rates are likely to stay around current levels in the coming months, if not longer, real-estate agents said. Aisha Jamil and Nathan Bhatti, who have been off and on trying to buy their first home since 2020, finally took the plunge recently and purchased a five-bedroom residence in Pineville, N.C. They had been frustrated with rising prices and mortgage rates that are more than double where they stood a few years ago. But they decided this year to move ahead anyway. "Compared to my siblings and all of our friends who are homeowners, it was not the best time" to buy, Jamil said. But "I think the best time to buy is when you can afford it," she added. Mortgage rates have held between 6% and 7% for most of the past year. They ticked down recently to 6.65%, according to Freddie Mac. Mortgage purchase applications in the week ended March 21 rose 7% from a year earlier, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. Real-estate showings in the week ended March 27 were up 38% from early in the year, according to ShowingTime, a subsidiary of Zillow Group. That compares with last year, when showings rose 26% in the same period. Some first-time buyers eager to get into the market are moving farther from city centers to find something they can afford, said Kelli Kaspar, a real-estate agent in Durham, N.C. "Prices haven't come down in any meaningful way that they had thought that they might, and interest rates have stayed inflated," she said. But "if it makes sense to them and their budget and their lifestyle, they are doing it," she added. Sung Ji decided to buy a house in Seattle after he got a job offer that meant he would be staying in the city long term. He and his wife had an offer accepted recently on a threebedroom house with a backyard. "I'm sure, looking back, there could have been a better time--or alternately, there could have been a worse time" to buy, Ji said. "The question was, is there something we find that we think is worthwhile to take that leap of faith?" Home-buying activity is still historically slow, as high home prices and current rates are 96 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023899 making purchases expensive. The typical monthly payment for a buyer purchasing a median-priced home with a 20% down payment was $2,807 in the four weeks ended March 23, a record high, according to the real-estate brokerage Redfin. Consumer sentiment, meanwhile, has declined owing to concern about government layoffs, tariffs, funding cuts and immigration restrictions, all of which could deter some home buyers. Existing-home sales plummeted in 2022 and 2023 as higher mortgage rates pushed many potential buyers to the sidelines, and they have held at low levels since then. U.S. existing-home sales fell in 2024 to the lowest level since 1995. Sales of existing homes rose 4.2% in February from the prior month, far better than economists' expectations, though they were still down from February 2024. If sales are stronger this spring, the broader economy could reap the benefits. Business would improve for real-estate brokerages and mortgage lenders, as well as stores that sell furniture and appliances. Pete and Taylor Thomason sold their house last year when they were under contract to buy a different home, but their purchase fell through. They rented an apartment and continued to look for a home with more outdoor space for their two children. They hoped the delay might make their purchase more affordable. "People were thinking, maybe the Fed will cut and we'll start to see some lower mortgage rates," Pete Thomason said. The Federal Reserve cut short-term interest rates three times last year, but those moves didn't translate to lower mortgage rates, and economists aren't forecasting a big drop in mortgage rates this year. "Then it's like, OK, we probably ought to not wait on that," he said. The Thomasons are now under contract to buy a house with 5 acres in Bessemer, Ala. An increase in the number of homes for sale is giving buyers more options to choose from. Location matters a lot--buyers in the Southeast and Southwest have more negotiating leverage than those in the Northeast and Midwest, where inventory is still low. "The market is normalizing around these current mortgage rates," said Mark Fleming, chief economist at First American Financial. Jennifer Newcomer and her husband wanted to buy a house after getting married in 2023, but they decided to wait to see if mortgage rates would decline. This year, they started shopping anyway. Their two-bedroom apartment was getting too small for them, and they didn't want to keep renting. "You can't pause your life for what rates are going to do," Newcomer said. The couple had an offer accepted recently for a three-bedroom home in the Philadelphia suburbs that needs some renovations. They are planning to use a shorter-term mortgage so they can build equity faster. "It's exciting that we'll have something that will be ours," she said. Homeownership is `an investment,' Maryland governor says. High prices mean fewer young adults can benefit (CNBC) - full text CNBC [3/30/2025 10:00 AM, Lorie Konish, 35355K] When Maryland Governor Wes Moore was 8 years old, his mother told him she wanted to send him to military school to correct his behavior. Yet it wasn't until he was 13 that she finally did send him to a military school in Pennsylvania. He ran away five times in the first four days. "That place ended up really helping me change my life," said Moore while speaking about retirement security at a BlackRock conference in Washington, D.C., on March 12. One obstacle -- the tuition costs -- prevented his mother from 97 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023900 sending him sooner, he said. Moore was able to attend the school thanks to help from his grandparents, who borrowed against the home they bought when they immigrated to the U.S., to help pay for the first year's tuition. "They ended up sacrificing part of their American dream so I could achieve my own," Moore said. "That's what housing helps provide," Moore said. "It's not just shelter. It's security; it's an investment. It's a chance you can tap into something if an emergency happens. It's a chance that you now have an asset that you can hold onto, and you can pass off to future generations." After retirement funds, housing generally represents the second-most-valuable asset people have, Moore said. Yet achieving that homeownership status can feel unattainable to prospective first-time buyers in today's economy. Around 30% of young Maryland residents are thinking of leaving the state because of high housing costs, Moore said. Both renters and homeowners across the U.S. are struggling with high housing costs, according to a 2024 report from the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University. The number of cost-burdened renters -- meaning those who spend more than 30% of their income on rent and utilities -- climbed to an all-time high in 2022. At the same time, millions of prospective homebuyers have been priced out by high home prices and interest rates. Many hopeful first-time home buyers may feel that it was easier for their parents and grandparents' generations to reach home ownership status. Research shows those feelings are justified. Since 1980, median home prices have increased much faster than median household incomes, according to recent research from the Urban Institute. Across the country, today's 35- to 44-years olds -- who are in their critical homebuying years -- are less likely to be homeowners than in 1980, according to the research. For that age cohort, the homeownership rate has dropped by more than 10% compared to 45 years ago, the Urban Institute found. Because today's 35- to 44-year-olds are also forming households at a lower rate, that number is likely understated, according to the research. Ultimately, that can have lasting impacts on their ability to build wealth, said Jun Zhu, a non-resident fellow at the Urban Institute's Housing Finance Policy Center. "When you have a house, when the house appreciates, you're going to earn home equity," Zhu said. "Earning home equity is actually a very important way to earn wealth." Those 35- to 44-year-olds who are in lower income quartiles have seen the biggest declines in homeownership compared to their peers. That is driven in part by the fact that people who are married are more likely to be homeowners, while lower-income individuals are less likely to be married. Education is also a factor in widening the homeownership gap, according to the Urban Institute, as a smaller share of heads of households who have the lowest incomes are getting college degrees. Separate research from the National Association of Realtors also points to a racial divide with regard to housing affordability. In 2023, the latest data available, the Black homeownership rate of 44.7% saw the greatest year-over-year increase among racial groups but was still well behind the white homeownership rate of 72.4%. Other groups fell in between, with Asians having a 63.4% and Hispanics having a 51% 98 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023901 homeownership rate. Strong wage growth and younger generations reaching prime home buying age contributed to the increase in Black homeownership in 2023, said Nadia Evangelou, senior economist and director of real estate research at the National Association of Realtors. Yet the Black homeownership rate has stayed below 50% over the past decade, Evangelou said, which means most continue to rent instead of owning. That ultimately limits their ability to grow their net worth and accumulate wealth. Policy changes could make it easier for Americans to buy their first home. That could include providing educational opportunities for low-income households, offering down payment assistance and encouraging housing production by reducing zoning restrictions or other regulatory barriers, according to the Urban Institute. Home Equity Lending Increases by 10.8% in 2024 (Inside Mortgage Finance) Inside Mortgage Finance [3/28/2025 11:59 AM, Brandon Ivey, 5K] Originations of home equity loans increased by 10.8% on an annual basis in 2024, according to a new ranking and analysis by Inside Mortgage Finance. Some $226.0 billion of closed-end second liens and new home equity line of credit commitments were originated during the year, fueled by built-up equity and limited utility for cash-out refinances. "It's still the best interest rate product compared to all other lending products," Scott Peyree, president and chief operating officer of LendingTree, said of home equity loans. While a number of large nonbank lenders have jumped into the closed-end second-lien space in recent years, the bulk of home equity lending remains in HELOCs by banks. How home equity platforms can use Al to reach consumers (National Mortgage News) - full text National Mortgage News [3/28/2025 5:37 PM, Spencer Lee, 28K] Artificial intelligence is equipping consumers with the knowledge to make better informed borrowing decisions, but traditional online marketing tools still play an important educational role, mortgage and home equity leaders said at an industry conference. Providers of home equity products, whether they be loans or shared appreciation contracts, said they encounter opinions or views that have prevented consumers from considering them. "I think it's a little bit of what's been ingrained in a lot of people's brains for years and years, in terms of thinking about home equity as sort of this nest egg that you never touch; it's this equivalent of a 401K and you're it's just supposed to be there," said Rachel Keohan, chief marketing officer at Hometap. Reverse mortgage lenders also still need to overcome their products' reputation as a "loan of last resort," when talking about them to senior citizens and their financial advisors. "A lot of folks don't realize that our products have been re-regulated three times since the financial crisis because it needed to be, quite frankly," said Dennis Loxton, vice president of sales -- reverse mortgage at New American Funding, at the Information Management Network's HEI and Home Equity Capital Markets Conference on Friday. To the benefit of product providers, though, the speed at which artificial intelligence has evolved in the past two years means consumers and the partners they work with today can quickly study the nuances of loans and home equity products. Knowledge gaps 99 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023902 remain, though, and still require ongoing communication to prevent customers from unpleasant surprises, panelists said. "[An] informed market is a better performing market," noted Hemanthkumar Jambulingam, director of product management at Tavant. When presented with options, the range of choices can easily lead a potential borrower to stick with the familiar rather than considering what else might make more financial sense, according to Gaurav Nagla, manager, product management at Blend. "We're telling people, 'Here's a mortgage, here's a home equity, or any of the other loans out there.' But from a customer perspective, the customer is not thinking of any other products. It's just noise in the market," he said. Al ability to quickly pull data and present consumers with comparisons of various product types make it a valuable asset, but its tools also provide consistency in messaging to all the parties, including Realtors and lenders, that need to remain in the know. "What we try to do is basically start the process more from a need based [perspective]." Nagla said. "If you came through that process, then at the end of the day, what you can do is suggest to the customer what is the right product." Beyond the initial marketing, the ability of Al to deliver the consistent messaging and "relative context" provides clarity down the line throughout the origination process. "People are taking applications, or performing financial transactions on the move. So how do you have consistent messaging across all the platforms and keep everyone informed and aware of the impact? That's where technology plays a critical role in bringing transparency into the process," Jambulingam said. In addition to artificial intelligence, companies involved in home equity funding also see online tools, including social media, continuing to play an important role in reaching and serving borrowers effectively. "We have FAQs pinned at the top of our Instagram page," Keohan said. On Instagram, a Hometap executive walks viewers through common questions. The company also partners with personal finance sites through affiliate programs, which reviews its products. "We know that thousands of homeowners are reading these articles before they come to Hometap. They are at least educated and have a general sense of how our product works." A robust online presence can also serve as an essential resource for reverse mortgage borrowers, Loxton said. "We had to set up a marketing portal of 90 different pieces that we've aggregated over the last two years that educates both customers and external partners with everything from using it for remodeling, aging in place, using it to buy the next home, condos and the like," he said. No, homeowner delinquency rates aren't elevated (HousingWire.com) - full text HousingWire.com [3/30/2025 6:04 PM, Logan Mohtashami, 354K] Homeowner delinquency rates are rising from record low levels but aren't even back to pre-COVID-19 levels yet. This weekend, there has been a lot of discussion on social media surrounding homeowners' delinquency data. This situation has prompted me to 100 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023903 write this article and bring some reality into this discussion because the narrative being pushed is simply not true. It's not even a clever lie. The discussion began with a social media post featuring the first chart below, leading many to believe that homeowners are under significant stress. However, the data references Freddie Mac's Serious Delinquency levels on multifamily loans. These loans pertain to multifamily mortgages, which are used for commercial properties with five or more units, such as apartment buildings. As always, you have to examine the data closely before concluding anything on the internet. Notably, the rate of multifamily delinquencies currently stands at under 1%, but it is at levels above the 2008 recession. However, there is a big difference between apartment lending and homeowners who have a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage. Some people are trying to imply that we have major stress in homeowner data. But as we can see in the chart below, the data clearly identifies these as multifamily loans. For data on homeowners and their delinquency rates, let's look at the most recent data from ICE, which shows that we aren't even back to pre-COVID-19 levels yet. From their First Look report on March 21: "The national delinquency rate edged up 5 basis points (bps) to 3.53% in February; that's up 19 bps from a year ago but still 32 bps below where it was entering the pandemic. "FHA mortgages accounted for 90% of the 131K year-over-year rise in the number of delinquencies, despite making up less than 15% of all active mortgages. "4,100 homeowners in Los Angeles are now past due as a result of the wildfires, up from 700 in January, with daily performance data suggesting that number could edge higher in March." I prefer not to dwell on this misunderstanding, but I want to highlight the importance of reading: the chart that was used to start this confusion specifically references multifamily data. It's notable that total credit stress data for loans listed as severe derogatory has not yet recovered to even pre-COVID-19 levels. Also, the foreclosure and bankruptcy data isn't even back to pre-COVID-19 levels. I sincerely appreciate everyone coming to me with questions regarding this topic -- there can be a lot of confusing and misleading information circulating, and it's clear that many individuals share similar concerns. Feel free to contact me on social media or at Logan@hwmedia.com if you want further clarification on the data. Your inquiries are important to me, and I'm here to help. Congress must stop Biden's VA mortgage bailout -- before it's too late (The Hill) full text The Hill [3/29/2025 11:00 AM, Tobias Peter, 12829K] We are now witnessing an outcry from Democrats, loan servicers and the media over the prospect of Congress scaling back the Department of Veterans Affairs's new mortgage bailout program, the Veterans Affairs Servicing Purchase program. If the program is curtailed as proposed by Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wisc.), they warn, tens of thousands of veterans -- perhaps as many as 80,000 -- will lose their homes. But the reality is quite different and far more dangerous. Left unchecked, the program risks 101 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023904 turning veteran homeownership into a costly, unsustainable entitlement for which taxpayers will be left holding the bag. No one wants to see the nation's heroes lose their homes. But a housing finance system that eliminates the possibility of foreclosure is inherently unsustainable, and that is exactly what the Veterans Affairs Servicing Purchase program does. Launched under the Biden administration, the program upends the traditional balance by having the VA buy troubled loans, hold them on its books, and absorb all future losses while servicers walk away whole. Even more troubling, the program's overly generous terms invite strategic default. Veterans with 6 percent or 7 percent mortgages have a strong incentive to stop paying, just to qualify for a government refinance at 2.5 percent. Naturally, servicers love this. Under the traditional VA program, they shared up to 25 percent of losses; now the Veterans Affairs Servicing Purchase program makes them whole, giving them every reason to push borrowers into the program. It privatizes gains and socializes losses. This isn't a safety net -- it's a moral hazard factory that risks destabilizing the VA loan program and exposing taxpayers to massive losses. The sheer scale of this program is already alarming. Since its inception in May 2024, more than 15,000 loans have moved into the pipeline, and the VA budgeted for 40,000. Prior to VASP, private servicers shared the risk and had a clear incentive to work with borrowers to avoid foreclosure. This system provided veterans with affordable, no-down-payment loans while containing taxpayer exposure. Today, those same workouts are harder to achieve due to higher interest rates. For most delinquent borrowers, the solution is straightforward: sell the home. AEI Housing Center analysis shows that roughly 84 percent could sell, cover their mortgage, arrears and closing costs and still walk away with an average of $128,000, thanks to a 50 percent jump in home values over the past five years. Instead of encouraging this dignified exit, however, VASP fosters dependency and shifts financial risk to taxpayers. While selling is not an option for all delinquent veterans, this points to a deeper problem: many of these loans were made to borrowers with high debt loads, poor credit and little savings. That's a failure of underwriting, not a justification for permanent bailouts. This program is just the tip of the iceberg of programs implemented under the Biden administration. Other agencies, including FHA, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, offer partial claims, modifications and deferral programs that allow missed payments to be tacked on to the end of loans -- often combined with substantial payment reductions. These programs can let borrowers live virtually mortgage-free for years, fostering expectations of eventual forgiveness. In many cases, it's a better deal than renting -- with the added bonus of keeping any home price appreciation. Supporters argue that these loss-mitigation programs save money long-term, since they avoid costly foreclosures, but we heard the same thing when the federalization of student loans helped fund Obamacare. We know how that ended: ballooning balances, widespread defaults and political demands for massive taxpayer bailouts. In fact, the parallels between the Veterans Affairs Servicing Purchase program and the student loan debacle are striking. The 2010 Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act put student loans on the federal balance sheet. Then income-driven repayment and forgiveness schemes shifted the burden to taxpayers, while pause after pause encouraged 102 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023905 borrowers not to pay, creating an enormous moral hazard. How this may end should frighten every veteran and American, as it threatens the stability of the VA's loan guarantee program. What we need is not another massive bailout but more prudent underwriting upfront, so borrowers are set up to succeed, not fail. Otherwise, like every other government "rescue," this will start small and swell into an unsustainable, permanent fixture. Congress needs to act now, before the dangerous Veterans Affairs Servicing Purchase program becomes too entrenched and impossible to unwind. [NY] From homeless and sleeping on the floor to living in a new house (WBFO, Buffalo, NY) - full text WBFO [3/28/2025 4:49 PM, Jim Fink, 44K, NY] AUDIO. For Habitat for Humanity, Yaritza Vazquez's story is the definition of their mission of helping people get on their financial feet and into a new home. Vazquez came to Buffalo in 2011 from her native Puerto Rico to help her daughter. She had no home, no job, and barely understood the English language. Yet fast forward 14 years and Vazquez, a 45-year-old single mother, works for the Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority and is the proud owner of a three-bedroom, 1,500-square-foot house on Zenner Street. Joy doesn't begin to describe Vazquez's emotions as she and Habitat for Humanity officials marked the official opening of her new house. "For those single moms who think they can't go through this process, I just let them know that there are a lot of resources. Never give up, and you're going to make your dream come true. This is my house," Vazquez said. Since its inception 40 years ago, Habitat for Humanity has built 377 homes in Buffalo all on vacant lots. Jim Montour, Habitat Director of Development and Communications, says the organization is on pace to have its 400th house built by mid-fall. While the homes are built -- typically during an 18-month period -- with a small army of volunteers, the new homeowner is expected to put in at least 400 hours of "sweat equity" during the construction period. Montour said the big payoff is emotional. Habitat has six more houses under construction. The organization builds between 10 and 15 houses each year. Each has its own "feel-good" story. "Each and every one of them is unique. Each family has their own story, their own triumphs, and we've been along with them through this entire ride, so it means a lot to us as well," Montour said. But, to Vazquez, the house means so very much, more than words can describe, she said. "You just have to keep with faith and a little resilience to keep moving forward," Vazquez said. [NY] `This is my house': Habitat Buffalo dedicates new home for Vazquez family (Buffalo News, NY) - full text Buffalo News [3/28/2025 2:11 PM, Deidre Williams, 502K, NY] Last year, Zenner Street in Buffalo was the site of a shocking crime that united a community in grief and fear. On Friday, Zenner Street was in the spotlight again. This time though, the community was able to focus on the positive contributions of Habitat for Humanity, and the benefit it will bring to one family and to the neighborhood, as well. The Vazquez family received the keys to their brand new, two-story, three-bedroom home they helped build on Zenner Street, between East Ferry and Scajaquada streets. "This is my home. This is the home I've fought so hard to give my children," said Yaritza 103 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023906 Vazquez, 45, a first-time homeowner. "This is a dream when you have nothing and then you become something," she said, as she considered the new chapter in her family's lives. Habitat for Humanity Buffalo, a local affiliate of the global, nonprofit housing organization, held a dedication ceremony Friday for the Vazquez home, the 377th house that Habitat Buffalo has constructed in nearly 40 years, said Jim Montour, director of development and communications for Habitat Buffalo. The organization plans to build its 400th house this year on its 40th anniversary. Vazquez's journey began in 2011, when she left Puerto Rico for Buffalo seeking medical treatment for her daughter, Andrea, who had a stroke as a baby. Vazquez did not speak English when she arrived, which made her journey even more challenging. "It was a little hard at the beginning, getting through a lot," Vazquez said. "There's people who came to my life and helped me. I called them angels, but I moved forward. I didn't look back. Sleeping on the floors gave me the opportunity to learn what I had to be appreciated. It's not about what do you have. It's (where) you want to go in the future." Vazquez will live in the house with her 11-year-old son, Adam, and her now-25-year-old daughter, who plans to graduate from college in August. The house took about one and a half years to build on a vacant lot for about $250,000. Vazquez's 30-year mortgage is about $1,100 a month, Montour said. Habitat Buffalo subsidizes home costs through donations and volunteer labor. Families must be within the HUD standards for a family in need to qualify, and they have to go through financial counseling. Families also help build their homes with what the organization calls sweat equity, "which largely means that they're on the build site, swinging a hammer with volunteers, along with us," Montour said. The Vazquez family clocked about 400 hours of sweat equity. "Never give up, and you're going to make your dream come true," Vazquez said. "This is my house." Across the street from the new home is 148 Zenner St., where a horrific crime last year left Western New York's ethnic Bengali community in grief. Babul Meah, 58, and Abu Saleh Mohammod Yousuf, 38, were fatally shot around 12:30 p.m. April 27, 2024 on the front porch. Dale O. Cummings is scheduled to go to trial in less than two weeks, with jury selection to start March 3, the Erie County District Attorney's Office said. Meah and Yousuf had been contracted by a real estate agent to repair an exterior side door at 148 Zenner, a residence that was presumed vacant. When the men went onto the front porch, Dale 0. Cummings shot them using a TEC-9 rifle, a semi-automatic weapon with a detachable pistol grip magazine, police and prosecutors have said. Cummings was arrested by Buffalo police the next day near the intersection of East Delavan and Norfolk avenues. Dale 0. Cummings, 31, who does not have a permanent address, was arraigned before Erie County Court Judge Sheila A. DiTullio on charges of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, and second-degree and third-degree criminal possession of weapon, all felonies. At the time of Cummings' arrest, police found a rifle -- which had a collapsible stock -- inside a backpack. The firearm was loaded with 16 rounds, according to court records. Cummings' trial on murder charges is set to begin June 2. Erie County Judge Sheila DiTullio will preside. Meah is survived by his 104 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023907 wife and seven children. Yousufs wife was pregnant at the time he was killed. He also left behind two children. [MS] Judge denies Pennymac, Caliber motions to dismiss lawsuit (National Mortgage News) - full text National Mortgage News [3/28/2025 5:30 PM, Bonnie Sinnock, 28K] A federal court has denied motions to dismiss a lawsuit in which borrowers claim that loan servicers mismanaged insurance coverage that an originator had assured them would be sufficient--but ultimately was not. The case centers on wind damage to a home that occurred after loan origination. The plaintiffs allege that two successive servicers failed to notify them of inadequate insurance coverage, with one allegedly taking excessive actions to remedy the issue. The lawsuit seeks to hold servicers responsible for managing escrowed insurance payments at a time when homeowners' coverage is increasingly expensive, scarce, or subject to exclusions--highlighting potential risks for the mortgage servicing industry. Pennymac, which allegedly force-placed insurance on the home after it was "a total loss" and increased the plaintiffs' mortgage payment "beyond their means," had sought on a motion to dismiss due to its view the adequacy of coverage was the borrowers' responsibility. "The subject deed of trust specifically states it was the plaintiffs' obligation to secure property insurance," the company said in case. Pennymac also noted it "did not even begin servicing the loan until after the effective date of the insurance policy." Caliber had also filed a motion to dismiss "for lack of sufficient factual support" and based on its limited involvement with the loan. It serviced the loan between 2018 and 2019, before wind damage in 2020 and after origination. (New Residential bought Caliber in 2021.) Judge Henry Wingate of the Southern District of Mississippi allowed the case against both servicers to move forward, noting "Mississippi law recognizes claims for fraud, negligent misrepresentation, breach of contract, and bad faith in insurance disputes." He acknowledged Caliber was not involved in origination, the original policy or coverage during the period when there was wind damage, but said the company had a "good faith" duty under state law to plaintiffs who represented that they believed their home was adequately insured. Wingate said the court had subject matter jurisdiction over state law in the case because federal court involvement is warranted in legal disputes where parties are from disparate locations and the amount at stake exceeds $75,000. (Plaintiffs originally filed the case in state court. Pennymac had it moved to federal court. The homeowners have called for the lawsuit to be remanded back to state court. That request remains pending.) Wingate specifically referenced a case called Griffin v. HSBC in allowing the lawsuit against the servicers to proceed. "Courts have held that servicers may be held liable if they negligently manage escrow accounts, particularly when they continue to pay for inadequate insurance policies," the judge said in his order. "Plaintiffs have alleged sufficient facts to raise questions regarding whether Caliber had a duty to notify them of any deficiencies in the policy." Pennymac and the originator, Community Bank of Mississippi, did not immediately have 105 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023908 any additional responses to the latest developments in the lawsuit available at deadline. Rithm subsidiary Newrez does not comment on active litigation as a matter of policy. Court records indicate Community Bank of Mississippi's role in the case was terminated as of March 21. [MN] Tolkkinen: Greater Minnesota homeowners nervous about rising costs are taking on renters (Minneapolis Star Tribune, MN) - full text Minneapolis Star Tribune [3/29/2025 8:00 AM, Karen Tolkkinen, 3572K, MN] Things didn't go so well for Amanda Wilde of Taconite the last time she let strangers rent space in her house. That was about a year ago. They never paid rent, didn't work, and had two big dogs that terrified her young son. They stayed for months. But like others across greater Minnesota, Wilde is feeling financially pinched, so she's willing to consider renting out space in her house once again. This time, she's being picky. She has already rejected some applicants. This time, she specifically wants someone who is quiet and pays the rent, preferably another parent who can swap child care. "I could really use some more income to help with the bills," said Wilde, who lives on Social Security payments. "I'm concerned with what's going on in the political sphere, with possible cuts to Social Security." I don't know how many people across Minnesota are opening up their homes to renters. The idea is one that has been pitched by housing advocates to alleviate the housing crunch, but the homeowners I talked to aren't doing it out of sheer altruism. They're alarmed by how significantly inflation has eroded their ability to buy groceries and pay their bills, and are willing -- if not all that eager -- to take in strangers. Fanning their concerns is talk of federal spending cuts in programs that benefit low-income Minnesotans, as well as the tariffs that have ignited a trade war and threatened to increase costs for people here. "The Trump stuff made me a little nervous with tariffs and whatnot," said Pat Dillon of St. Cloud, who posted an ad online recently looking for someone to rent the downstairs section of his townhouse. He was especially worried earlier this month when Ontario Premier Doug Ford of Canada slapped 25% tariffs on electricity his province supplies to several U.S. states, including parts of Minnesota. The tariff, in retaliation for the tariffs President Donald Trump imposed on Canada, was short-lived, but it lent a feeling of instability to people who don't enjoy much cash cushion. Dillon voted for Trump, and says he still has confidence in Trump's efforts to use tariffs to force manufacturing back to the U.S. Dillon hates that companies run sweatshops overseas and would prefer to see them supply jobs and be more open to scrutiny within U.S. borders. But he also didn't like getting caught up as a pawn in the high-pressure game of tariffs. If he had a choice, he wouldn't have a roommate, he said. But costs and occasional work slowdowns leave him with little choice. Renting out a room in a house you own and live in generally doesn't require a permit in Minnesota, although some homeowners associations may set restrictions. Mankato is one of the locations that requires a rental permit. When retiree Judy Blume bought a home several years ago in Mankato, it came with a permit in place that she maintained just in case. That permit has come in handy lately. Like many others on a fixed income, she has had to look for ways to save. She's thinking about selling her second car. Last year she rented a room to a college senior who studied in the evenings and went home 106 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023909 most weekends. It worked out well, she said. When I talked to her, Blume had just gotten a letter saying that her property taxes and homeowners insurance were increasing $40 a month. "In most cases, that wouldn't sound like a whole lot," she said. "But it's like, OK, now, what does that affect? What am I going to have to maybe watch a little bit more?" Renting out rooms in one's own home is hardly new. In the mid-1990s, I rented a room from an artificial limb maker who was slowly building his fortune through real estate. In the late 1990s, I rented two rooms in a huge 1820s farmhouse in New Hampshire that was owned by a psychologist. Those landlords never spoke about financial stress. I honestly don't think they had any. Their motives were to get ahead financially and maybe to have some companionship while doing it. It's different for the homeowners I spoke to this month. People who have considered themselves middle class are feeling pinched. Looming layoffs in Thief River Falls and Hibbing will worsen the situation. It's something I think about as the Trump administration takes a chainsaw to the nation's bureaucracy, hurriedly cutting tens of thousands of federal jobs. The latest news is that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will eliminate 10,000 of its 81,000 jobs. Massive spending cuts, tariffs and more tax cuts will hurt Americans at the bottom. It's a massive gamble by a man elected by less than half the voting public. Will it work to restore wealth and prosperity to our country? Despite my doubts, I hope it does. For all our sakes, it better. [WA] Single mothers benefit from Tacoma Habitat for Humanity's housing initiative (King5.com, Seattle, WA) - full text King5.com [3/30/2025 8:00 PM, Connor Board, 1591K, WA] VIDEO. More than $17 million is going towards affordable housing projects in Pierce County. The funding is from the Maureen Howard Affordable Housing Sales Tax, which was approved in 2023. The $17 million awarded by Pierce County is going towards nine different projects across the county that serve renters and first-time homeowners. One of the organizations awarded funding was Tacoma/Pierce County Habitat for Humanity. The funding went toward a current project to renovate 80 homes to be purchased by first-time homeowners in the Spanaway and Parkland areas. Habitat for Humanity said that the Pierce County Housing Authority was divesting the homes, so they purchased them and are renovating them to keep them affordable. They said the Housing Authority used them as rentals, but Habitat for Humanity would be using them for first-time homeowners. The homes are three to four-bedroom and are going to be for families. "One thing we can do, is we can invest in getting a new person into homeownership and helping them on their path to sustainability, helping them with providing a safe, reliable, consistent place for their children to grow and thrive," said Sherrana Kildun, Tacoma/Pierce County Habitat for Humanity chief philanthropy officer. Kildun said the median home price in Pierce County is around $570,000. With high interest rates and down payments, many families are struggling to find a path to home ownership. The homes a part of this project will be around $300,000 and families will only have to pay a down payment of $1,000. She said the monthly mortgage would be around $1,600. "Many working-class families who used to be able to step into homeownership early on in their career when they're starting their families, just don't have that option anymore," Kildun said. "And it is important to have opportunities, at all income levels, for people to have safe, decent homes." Kildun said 75% of their home buyers are single 107 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023910 moms with children. She said this affordable home ownership can give them safety, reliability, and stability. They have had at least six families move into these homes and are looking for more families who qualify. Climate Resilience and Sustainability Climate disasters are on the rise. These states want to make oil companies pay. (Stateline) - full text Stateline [3/31/2025 5:00 AM, Alex Brown] For many California residents, the Los Angeles wildfires earlier this year were the latest and most searing example of the devastating effects of climate change. Some estimates have pegged the damages and economic losses from the fires at more than $250 billion. "We've had disaster after disaster after disaster," said Assemblymember Dawn Addis, a Democrat. "It's the taxpayers and the insurance ratepayers that are bearing the cost. It's not sustainable, it's not right and it's not ethical." Addis and Democratic lawmakers in nearly a dozen other states want to force the world's largest fossil fuel companies to help pay for the recovery costs of climate-related disasters. Last year, Vermont became the first state to pass a "climate Superfund" law, followed soon after by New York. This session, 10 states have seen similar proposals, several of which have advanced in key committees. Advocates point to legislation in Maryland that has drawn support in both chambers, as well as to strong grassroots support in California after the Los Angeles wildfires. Lawmakers say the rapidly increasing cost of climate disasters - from wildfires to floods to sea level rise -- is more than state budgets can bear. "Climate Superfund is the 'it girl' policy of the [2025] session," said Ava Gallo, climate and energy program manager with the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators, a forum for state lawmakers. "There's a lot of popularity in the idea of holding polluters responsible." The momentum for these "polluter pays" bills is tied to the maturation of attribution science. That new field of research can help calculate fossil fuel companies' contributions to historic emissions totals, as well as the role climate change played in causing or worsening natural disasters. Vermont's law was the first attempt to use that science to charge emitters for their role in causing devastating floods and other catastrophes. Fossil fuel companies and their allies have fought back hard. Late last year, the American Petroleum Institute and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce filed a lawsuit challenging Vermont's measure. The groups argue that emissions are governed by the federal Clean Air Act, precluding states from charging companies over global pollution. Neither group responded to a Stateline interview request. The Independent Petroleum Association of America also declined an interview request. A separate lawsuit, led by 22 Republican attorneys general, is challenging the New York law. And a conservative group has targeted Rachel Rothschild, an assistant professor of law at the University of Michigan Law School, who helped draft the legal justification for climate Superfund policy. The group, Government Accountability and Oversight, has sought to subject Rothschild to a deposition, The New York Times reported, a move that some experts view as an intimidation tactic. Meanwhile, oil and gas executives asked President Donald Trump during a White House meeting this month to direct the Justice 108 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023911 Department to join the legal fight against climate Superfund laws, The Wall Street Journal reported. Industry leaders are also pushing Congress to shield them from more than 30 lawsuits brought by state and local governments that aim to make them pay for some of the results of climate change. While experts expect a bruising legal battle over climate Superfund policies, the threat of lawsuits hasn't deterred more lawmakers from backing the concept. "States were a little bit wary; they wondered, `Is this some new radical plan?- said Cassidy DiPaola, communications director with the Make Polluters Pay campaign, a coalition of groups backing such bills. "Then one of the littlest states passed it and this powerhouse, New York, passed it. That really set the ball rolling." Fossil fuel companies have cast doubt on attribution science. They also note that their production of oil and other products was done legally under U.S. and international regulations. "Manufacturers will see this as a shakedown of any industry you don't like at some point in the future, even though in the past they were licensed and operated under government regulation," Brett Vassey, president and CEO of the Virginia Manufacturers Association, said during legislative testimony about a climate Superfund proposal in that state. "It will have a chilling effect on Virginia being able to grow its economy." Proponents of Superfund legislation point to legal settlements with large tobacco companies in the 1990s. Although those companies also sold their products legally, they were held responsible because they knew about the harmful effects of those products and deceived the public. Most climate Superfund proposals target companies for their emissions over the past 30 or so years, after leading experts had documented the dangers of greenhouse gases. "There's good documentation of how well the fossil fuel industry knew the probable long-term impacts of their product," said Oregon state Sen. Jeff Golden, a Democrat. "Should an industry that made such historic profits over a period of time and made so many representations that we had no problem not bear any of the costs?" Golden and other lawmakers say it's becoming impossible for taxpayers to cover the costs of recovery from wildfires and other catastrophes. In Rhode Island, sea level rise is causing massive damage for coastal communities, said Democratic state Rep. Jennifer Boylan, who has sponsored a climate Superfund bill to help the state adapt. Some advocates also note that Trump's return to the White House has cut off the possibility of federal climate relief. "All the states are affected by the disappearance of this federal funding," said Gallo, of the state lawmakers group. "States everywhere are going to be looking at some way to fill the gap." This session, climate Superfund bills have been introduced in California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Virginia. While the bills are structured differently, they all seek to target the largest polluters -- often covering companies that produced 1 billion metric tons of emissions over the last 30 or so years. Lawmakers say that applies to roughly 100 companies. The measures also take different approaches to assigning damages. Some direct state agencies to conduct complex studies to determine the costs of climate-caused disasters over a certain period, the approach pioneered by Vermont. Others set a fixed number that represents a conservative baseline for those damages. New York's law set that 109 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023912 figure at $75 billion over a 25-year period. Many of the bills also require that significant amounts of the funding be directed to the communities hit hardest by pollution. Advocates are particularly optimistic about the measures in California and Maryland. Lawmakers in Maryland modified their bills to commission a study about the financial impacts of climate change. Those measures passed both the House and Senate, and legislators are working to reconcile the versions from each chamber. Figures produced by the study would be the backbone of a climate Superfund policy in a future session. "From a legislative perspective, it's a shot in the dark as to what the costs are," said Democratic Del. David Fraser-Hidalgo, who sponsored one of the bills. "This will give us the factual data needed to make a more well-educated decision on policy." In New Jersey, an Assembly committee advanced a climate Superfund bill this month. State Sen. Bob Smith, a Democrat who chairs the Environment and Energy Committee and who sponsored the bill, said it will help to rebuild and fortify water treatment plants, schools and firehouses. He noted that Trump has called for the dismantling of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. "The end of the world is coming; it's kind of hard to ignore," Smith said. "FEMA has been the backstop to help communities recover from disasters. If the handwriting isn't on the wall to all the states that they've got to deal with this, shame on them." Lawmakers in many states have heard from mayors and other local government leaders that more climate recovery funding is essential. "Municipal officials are getting behind [climate Superfund policies]," said Massachusetts state Sen. Jamie Eldridge, a Democrat who has sponsored similar legislation. "They're facing the costs of flooding, of droughts, of heat waves, and really asking for relief." [CA] Laguna Beach awarded FEMA and state grant funding to mitigate wildfire hazards in two canyon areas (Los Angeles Times, CA) - full text Los Angeles Times [3/28/2025 9:43 PM, Staff, 13342K] Laguna Beach has received grant funding for hazard mitigation in connection with development projects for two of its designated fuel modification zones, where combustible vegetation is managed or replaced to mitigate wildfires. The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the California Office of Emergency Services awarded approximately $334,000 for the work. Robert Montaghami, the city's fire marshal, said the two fuel modification zones -- identified as No. 16 and No. 19 -- refer to Hobo and Diamond canyons, respectively and that he's hopeful the projects can get underway within a year. "The FEMA project approval and obligation of funds are contingent upon implementation of the fuel modification activities in the two fuel modification zones," Montaghami said. "Vegetation management activities include removing dead and dying fuels, thinning heavy brush, maintaining ember-resistant zones and trimming or removing trees," he said. Montaghami said the city had conducted its environmental studies related to the work. The Coastal Commission requested a restoration project report with submission of an application for the fuel modification project, said Montaghami. The city budgeted $445,470 in the wildfire mitigation and fire safety fund to account for the initial phase of the project, which includes biological studies, environmental design 110 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023913 and the entitlement process. No additional appropriation was needed to proceed. "I've obviously spent time in both of these fuel mod areas," Councilwoman Hallie Jones said. "There are sensitive environmental resources and huge fire risks. ... I'm really happy to see really sustainable fuel mod work happen in these canyons." Disaster Recovery [NC] Residents debate new performing arts center as Asheville prepares Helene recovery blueprint (WHQR, Wilmington, NC) - full text WHQR [3/28/2025 8:06 PM, Felicia Sonmez, 14K, NC] AUDIO. Asheville city staff are moving closer to presenting their disaster recovery plan to City Council after wrapping up their third and final listening session this week. The action plan provides a blueprint for how the city will spend $225 million in Hurricane Helene recovery funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The biggest category in the city's proposal is infrastructure, at $130 million. Then there are economic revitalization funds, which total about $50 million followed by housing at $29 million. One of the potential infrastructure projects discussed at the listening sessions is the construction of a new performing arts center for the city. Groups like ArtsAVL have noted the city's main venue, the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, is in a state of disrepair. "Due to these severe limitations, it is time to explore the feasibility of building a new multi-use arts facility -- especially if this investment provides the unique opportunity to leverage additional private partnerships," the group said in a call to action earlier this month. Michael Lusick, who works in commercial real estate, said at the final listening session this week that such a venue would have far-reaching benefits for the city. "It provides opportunity for our artists to have a place to perform, which is about our local community," Lusick said. "It provides the kind of jobs that people in housing assistance can get, that are good jobs, entry-level jobs, and quite a few of them, and support some businesses locally. But in the long term, something like that would provide the economic resiliency that we need so our small businesses next time won't have to suffer like they're suffering this time." Other local residents were more skeptical about investing in a performance space. David Greenson is a grassroots organizer who spoke at a listening session last week. "I'd like to hear more about the rationale for that within the context of recovery," Greenson said. "I'm a big fan of the performing arts, but ... I guess compared to all the other needs, I'm wondering why that would factor in." City staff said no final decision has been made and that language allowing investments in arts and cultural facilities was included at the urging of elected officials. James Shelton leads the community development division within the city's Community and Economic Development Department. In response to Greenson's question last week, he said the construction of any arts facility would have to meet strict federal guidelines. "The way that we would have to make that work is, under an infrastructure program, you have to ask the question of who benefits," Shelton said. "And within the context of this program, we have to answer that with, 'It has to be low-to-moderate income people, for the most 111 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023914 part.' Right? 70% required, so we can't fund a performing arts center without it fitting within this program's guidelines." City staff are expected to present their blueprint for the funds to City Council on April 8. The blueprint contains only general spending categories and will not include any specific projects. Residents can read the draft action plan and submit their thoughts on it online through April 3. The website is AshevilleRecovers.org. [SC] What has been learned and what's left to do six months after Helene (Aiken Standard, SC) - full text Aiken Standard [3/28/2025 6:00 AM, Carl Dawson, 1023K, SC] Six months after Hurricane Helene carved a path of destruction through western South Carolina, much has been accomplished in the wake of the storm, much is left to do and many lessons have been learned. The importance of preparation, communication and the neighborly bonds of community were common themes mentioned by local officials, power company executives and others as they looked back a half year after Helene. "The roadside debris collection along County roads is approximately 97% complete," said Aiken County Council chairman Gary Bunker. "Stump and root ball collections, which are processed separately, are about 50% complete." He said more than 235,000 cubic yards of debris have been collected in over 6,000 truckloads, and that the total cost "is not expected to exceed $25 million." Bunker said the county needs to complete the remaining roadside collections by the end of March and collection of stumps and root balls by the end of April, and to complete debris collection at Aiken County parks and in Public Service Authority sewer trunk line rights of way; the contractor hired by the county will complete the grinding of debris and disposal of the resulting mulch. City of Aiken horticulturist Aaron Campbell said nearly 138,000 cubic yards of debris have been removed from within the city limits by city crews and a contractor. "The bulk of the work has now been completed. We do still have a contractor grinding and hauling out the material at our debris management site. We will also be making landscaping repairs and enhancements for some time," Campbell said. Aiken City Manager Stuart Bedenbaugh estimated the total cost of debris removal will be at least $3 million. He praised the City Council's fiscal management. "We were able, unlike other communities, to pay as we went and to quickly address the cleanup by being able to hire contractors immediately begin paying them," Bedenbaugh said. Getting reimbursed for the cleanup by the Federal Emergency Management Agency is still on the city's and county's to-do list. "We are well into the process with FEMA. We are actively supplying them with the necessary documentation to accurately maximize the reimbursement due the City of Aiken. This is a long process, and no funds have been received to date," Bedenbaugh said. "FEMA has a rigorous process of validating reimbursable expenses from the cleanup effort," Bunker said. "Aiken County will complete the payment of contractor invoices and work with FEMA and the State of South Carolina on storm cleanup expense reimbursements." He said the county has hired Tera Tech to compile "the bills from our debris collection contractor Southern Disaster Recovery to ensure maximum cost recovery. Aiken County will likely start submitting invoices to the federal government in 112 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023915 April." "Debris removal collected through Feb. 7 is 100% reimbursable. Debris collected after Feb. 7 requires a 25% local match, and we are hopeful that the State of South Carolina will assist in that match. Other emergency expenses are 100% reimbursable if incurred within 90 days after the storm," Bunker said. Bedenbaugh said the city secured $850,000 from the South Carolina Housing Authority's Disaster Assistance Program to help rebuild owner-occupied residences. "That will assist folks from low- to moderate-income areas that are under-insured or don't have insurance with their housing rebuild or repairs." Roofs are still being replaced around the county. People needing new roofs began calling Hixon's Roofing of Beech Island the day after the storm, said sales manager T.C. Dorries. "I've seen stuff in the past six months that I'd never seen before. Literally houses split in half by trees. So, you've got to figure out how can we at least let people inhabit those houses by putting a board across the ridge and getting a tarp over to where at least they may be able to stay dry," he said. "We doubled our sales staff with people that had experience. We had six guys out on the road running about 9 to 10 appointments per day" Dorries said. Exploding demand made it hard to find materials. "So many homes got hit that you had to get it from different distributors and from their other facilities," Dorries said. He said it normally it takes three to four weeks from the signing of a contract to the completion of the roof, but "within the month of October our backlog went to about three months." Despite the backlog, they were unwilling to hire contractors they hadn't worked with before, he said. "We had a couple of larger crews that we split into smaller crews so we could get on more roofs at a time," Dorries said. "Now it's getting back to normal. I predict that we're going to be back at our normal pace of work in sales and production probably by the end of May," he said. Mary Katherine Philipp, executive director of Hitchcock Woods Foundation, said all the main arteries of the 70-mile trail system through the 2,100-acre forest have been opened, but areas of denser growth and secondary and tertiary trails are still being addressed. Hitchcock Woods is one of the largest urban forests in the nation. "It is really significant acreage that was impacted. We've kind of finished phase one and we're looking at the next phase, which is to focus on those harder hit areas," Philipp said. "It's a process, and we're trying to be methodical and careful, with visitor safety foremost in mind," she said. "The real expenses are coming, with tree work being done by professionals and there's got to be a lot of mulching. There's a lot yet to do," she said. Some hardwood trees and loblolly pines felled by the storm are being hauled away and milled into usable lumber which will be sold to help cover these costs, Phillip said. "We have some old growth longleaf that we are going to have milled for lumber, too. I'm not sure what we're going to do with it, but it's awfully special so we'll be keeping that for the foundation's use," she said. Phillip said the foundation's forest management plan will have to be updated as a result of the damage "so we can decide what the next steps should be." "Six months later, the magnitude of that storm still resonates deeply with all of us at Aiken Electric Cooperative," said Daniele Ligons, the cooperative's manager of marketing and strategic services. "Helene was unlike anything we've experienced in our 86-year history. It tested every aspect of our operations, but it also revealed the strength of our team and the power of our cooperative network," Ligons said. 113 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023916 "Thanks to our ongoing investments and planning, we were well-positioned to respond when Helene hit," said Gary Stooksbury, CEO of Aiken Electric Cooperative. "We've since reinforced key infrastructure and strengthened mutual aid partnerships -- ensuring we remain just as prepared, if not more, for whatever comes next." Ligons said ongoing infrastructure reinforcements and system upgrades are well underway. "Just as importantly, we continue supporting members who were personally affected through enhanced communication, service support, and strong community partnerships," she said. Keller Kissam, president of Dominion Energy South Carolina, said there are still outages occurring, caused by Helene months after the storm. "You have large branches that were impacted and they broke. But when they broke, they didn't fall to the ground. They were basically just hinged. They're waiting. They're eventually going to fall, and it's been an incredibly windy month," he said. "Our foresters have been up in the helicopters," he said, "We've increased our patrols of the system as a result of Helene. It's proactive for us to go out and try to grab them before they fall down and cause a customer outage." Kissam said they're also restocking the materials and supplies they'll need to restore power after the next disaster. "We've been working very hard to reestablish the supply chain to get our inventory back up to pre-Helene levels," he said. "I'm thankful to say that in spite of demand because of all the growth we have on our system, and in spite of tariffs that have been put on steel and other things along those lines affecting our suppliers, we are back to pre-storm levels on our inventory of supplies across our system, and that is a big thing that we had to work on post-storm. So, the next time something comes we'll be prepared in that regard. That includes poles and transformers and other materials," Kissam said. He said Dominion recently launched a new system for informing their 800,000 South Carolina customers by text when an outage has occurred, or is planned so work can be done on the system. "We've stepped up our game since Helene from a customer communication perspective," he said. Bedenbaugh said the storm proved the importance of preventative tree care and maintenance. "A lot of those trees that we did preventative care on, those trees did very well as Hurricane Helene came through Aiken," he said. "It illustrates how important the tree program is that we have in partnership with Aiken Streetscapes." "It was probably the worst weather event we've had to experience here at the City of Aiken, and we were able to pull through because of a lot of hard work and help from the community," Bedenbaugh said. Bunker said the storm "exposed areas for improvement in Aiken County's disaster response." The systems and procedures in place generally worked well, he said, but there was a need for "improved communications between the Emergency Operations Center and the public. Steps were put in place during the first week after the storm, and other improvements are ongoing." He also said contingency plans are being developed "for dealing with situations whenever support from assisting agencies fall through. Areas where single-point failures can occur need Plan Bs in place." "The overall performance of county staff and our disaster relief partners, however, was very good given the unique circumstances and the catastrophic amount of damage," Bunker said. 114 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023917 "We plan for things such as this 365 days a year," Kissam said. "We try to put things in practice that are going to keep our employees and our customer safer, and to preserve the reliability of our system and then have an effective and efficient response when we do get hit by major storm such as Helene." As an example, he pointed to this month's South Carolina Emergency Management Division's "All Out of Juice" event, a three-day exercise that brought together 650 local and state personnel from more than 46 agencies to ensure readiness and coordination in the event of a pipeline disruption during extreme cold. Kissam said the three days of scenario planning were invaluable. "If focused on communications. We came up with various narratives and a lot of the narratives were things we learned from Helene." he said. "It was an was extremely helpful exercise." He said they considered scenarios beyond what they encountered with Helene, such as the total loss of cell service over a wider geographic area. "So, then what do we do from a backup standpoint with our radio system and our radio towers around the state to be able to communicate with our crews in the field to be able to dispatch the orders? How does our service center monitor our system? How does our system control manage our transmission?" he asked. "This scenario planning is something we take very seriously, and we were able to add ingredients into this soup of this exercise based upon some of the experiences we had during Helene, but this take it even a step further," Kissam said. He said he's confident South Carolina is ready for the beginning of hurricane season in June. "When do we learn in life? When we absolutely get knocked down to our knees. And we got knocked down to our knees with Helene. All of these lessons learned are so important. The thing that gives me the greatest confidence going into hurricane is how team South Carolina has changed how they prepare, like this exercise we did a couple weeks ago. All those things bode well for us as we go forward," he said. "Experience is a valuable teacher," Kissam said. "This is the thing: as you communicate to the community effectively, the community will respond back and they will become a team with you moving forward. I can't say enough about that community over there in the western part of South Carolina." Western South Carolina treated the linemen who came in from all over the country like their neighbors, he said. "They said, `We're going to do everything we can to accommodate them, to assist them and give them a platform from which they can go up in the air and restore this system.' I'm just so humbled and grateful for everyone in that community." "I think that's the biggest lesson I learned through the whole process. Lean on the good people of South Carolina and communicate with them. Communication is the key. They will respond." [CA] In Altadena, RV dwellers live next to their homes, straddling burn zone and normalcy (Los Angeles Times) - full text Los Angeles Times [3/28/2025 6:00 AM, Hailey Branson-Potts, 13342K] To stand in Greg Gill's frontyard in Altadena is to straddle two worlds: The Eaton fire burn zone. And normality -- or, at least, the appearance of it. Look to the east down Crosby Street, and there's his neighbor Tina Kardos' house. Still standing. As are houses all down the block. Across the street, there's Mariya Mazarati's place. Intact. Look west, though, and Gill's neighbor's house lies in ruins. So do half a dozen next to that one. Although their houses survived the flames, Gill, Kardos and Mazarati can't live 115 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023918 in them yet. The smoke, soot and heat on Jan. 7 did too much damage. So, like a growing number of fire victims weary of bouncing among hotel rooms and vacation rentals, they are staying in recreational vehicles parked beside their homes. The RVs are a far cry from the formaldehyde-laden FEMA trailers that sickened victims of Hurricane Katrina two decades ago. One was hauled in by a Tesla Cybertruck. Some are plush. All are cramped. And they're part of how this trauma-bonded neighborhood on the fire zone perimeter in western Altadena is trying to survive and move on -- together. "Two years in a Motel 6? No, baby, I'm in an RV," said Gill, who is living with his partner in a 27-foot Puma trailer next to their 3,100-square-foot historic Craftsman house. Gill is a gregarious, optimistic Southerner whose decision to move into an RV inspired others on his block to do the same. But the weight of the tragedy -- and the bizarre juxtapositions of life in the midst of it -- often catches him off guard. "It is still surreal," he said. "Several times a day, when I walk out of the trailer, and I open the door and I look at the house, it's OK. And I look at this --" he said, nodding toward the burned property next door. "And it's like, gosh, here we are again." His neighbor on the other side, Kardos, is living with her two teenage sons in a 35-foot Cougar fifth-wheel that barely fits on her small, fenced-in front lawn. They moved into the trailer in early March. Kardos tries to not venture more than a block or two north. Any farther and neighborhoods are so completely wiped out they look like a war zone. "This is a crazy situation," she said. "But I guess, out of the bad situations, this is the best it could be." The Eaton fire destroyed more than 9,400 structures, including more than 6,000 homes, across roughly 22 square miles. Lots are still being cleared. And the soil on the vast majority of properties has not been tested for hazardous materials. On the fire zone perimeter, where burned and untouched properties are side-by-side, the return of residents, visitors and commerce has prompted mixed emotions and difficult questions: Is it respectful to return to Altadena? Is it safe? Good Neighbor Bar -- near Crosby Street and Lincoln Avenue, around the corner from Gill's house -- opened 21 days after the fire. Many customers, owner Randy Clement said, were locals who craved the before-times and wanted to be near people going through the same grief. His bartenders became sounding boards, sharing tears and frustrations, hopes and stories. "It's horrific and beautiful all at the same time," said Clement, whose house in Altadena survived. "Being inside Good Neighbor Bar is like riding the subway a month after 9/11," he said. "Just because of proximity, there's an immense likelihood that the person next to you is going through what you're going through." Clement said Altadena's still-standing small businesses are struggling to stay open -- not just because tens of thousands of local customers have been displaced, but because of outsiders' hesitation to visit even the surviving parts of Altadena. Around the corner, on Crosby Street, the people with RVs have been happy -- if, initially, a bit startled -- to see nearby restaurants, a supermarket and a gym bustling. "We are actually so lucky that there is a sense of semi-normalcy around us," Mazarati said. "I have to drive past some devastation, but you turn the corner, and you're like, OK, this is normal: There's a guy getting tacos. And someone getting cute coffee at a cute coffee shop. It is bizarre. You have survivor's guilt for sure." 116 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023919 In January, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order temporarily suspending local laws restricting the use of RVs and mobile homes as temporary housing on private lots - so long as the lots have a fire-damaged home being rebuilt or repaired. Mazarati has a brown, roughly 3O-foot Heartland Wilderness RV parked in her frontyard. For several days after the fire broke out, Mazarati's husband stayed on Crosby Street, behind the evacuation zone lines. So did his neighbors -- including Kardos, Gill and Rob Bruce, Gill's partner -- fighting flames with garden hoses and rakes. They called themselves the Crosby Command. Last month, Mazarati and her husband borrowed the RV from a friend. She's a hybrid employee for a payroll company in Burbank, and she spends her work-from-home days in the trailer. She wants to be near the house while repairs -- including replacing smoke-damaged insulation -- are being done. The RV in Mazarati's yard is too cramped for her energetic 2-year-old and 6-year-old sons, so her family is staying in an Airbnb in North Hollywood. But when she is in the RV, she said, "it feels like there's a weird normalcy being near my home." And she relishes trailer-pal lunches in Kardos' RV across the street. The fire burned right up to Kardos' home. When the house cooled, the walls cracked. The adhesive holding together her wood floors melted and warped. The air conditioner turned toxic. Furniture reeked of smoke and had to be removed for cleaning. For two months, she and her teenage sons -- hauling a few clothes and personal belongings in Trader Joe's bags -- were constantly on the move, able to book a few days at a time in various hotels and vacation rentals in a suddenly squeezed market. One week, they moved three times. Bouncing around Pasadena and Glendale made the logistics of school dropoffs feel impossible. Kardos' older son attends class near their house. Her younger son goes to school in Duarte. Kardos was part of a carpool group with other families that took turns making the commute. The carpool fell apart after the fire. She drove to Duarte every day. And she hired a taxi to take her oldest to school from wherever her family happened to be staying each night. In the midst of her shuffling, Gill and Bruce got their RV. "I was like, 'Oh my God, this is kinda nice. You have, like, steel appliances!" she said laughing. Kardos called her homeowner's insurance company, which had been paying for the rented rooms as temporary housing, and said she wanted an RV instead. A few days later, she had to laugh when a man in a silver Tesla Cybertruck rolled up with the enormous trailer hooked behind. He had rented a truck to tow it, not knowing he would get the electric vehicle, which needed frequent charging because the RV was so heavy. It's parked behind a green frontyard hedge -- and a yard sign that reads: "Altadena is Not for Sale." Kardos is nervous about the health effects of living near burned homes. But her kids, she said, needed stability. And they've been glad to see progress on their block -- lotclearing, tree chopping, home repairs, neighbors moving back. "It helps, for now, for the kids to see all the activity, all the hustle and bustle, the forward movement," she said. "There's something healing in seeing the change. We're not just putting our hands up and saying, 'Oh crap.- Gill and Bruce also leased their RV through homeowner's insurance because they did not want to live in a hotel for months on end. The RV has a tiny but functional kitchen. An 117 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023920 LED faux fireplace. A small table-turned-desk, where the couple deal with reams of disaster recovery paperwork. Their view is of the fire debris next door: The husks of a washing machine and dryer. A brick chimney that still stands. Chunks of walls that don't. "I couldn't be away," said Bruce, a self-styled handyman and retired city planner who worked in Simi Valley and Palmdale. "There's just too much to do to try to do this from a hotel. There's an acre of grounds here that I maintain. And I can't maintain it if I'm in a hotel. I can't rebuild the fencing if I'm in a hotel. I can't rebuild the electrical, the irrigation." Bruce, a native of the San Gabriel Mountains foothills, and Gill, a Louisiana transplant, have the RV parked next to their single-story Craftsman, which wraps around an outdoor courtyard. Built in 1915, it's an architectural gem with stained-glass windows, original wood floors and a basement wine cellar. Bruce and Gill bought the place in 1999 for $305,000. It had fallen into disrepair, and they spent years painstakingly restoring it. Before the fire, it was worth $1.4 million, according to Zillow. The couple were in the midst of a remodel when the fire came. Exterior walls, built from Douglas fir, were freshly oiled and flammable. Charred palm fronds brushed against the house, leaving streaks. "It makes no sense at all that we're still here," Gill said. "The wind pattern -- it was like a fire cyclone that went completely behind the house." Smoke and embers blew in through cracks around the doors and windows, through attic vents and into the basement. Thick soot -- then cleaning chemicals -- damaged the hundred-year-old wallpaper. Before the fire, Gill said, it was "a party house," big and boisterous. "You can have a disco in the porte cochere. You can have a drum circle in the back. ... So many people have put such good vibes into this property for so many years. Us included." On a Friday morning in March, the couple hosted Bruce's yoga class, which usually meets in a Pasadena park, for a session on their lawn. Bruce and Gill host the class once a year in the springtime, when their wisteria vines bloom with purple flowers. They decided to go through with the class after cleaning their yard, Bruce said, because "the sooner we recover, the sooner the community recovers." Some regular attendees were not emotionally ready to visit Altadena. Others had health concerns. Twelve attendees -- including an 82-year-old woman who lost her home in the fire -- stretched out their mats on the green grass beneath a singed eucalyptus tree. Birds chirped. Down the street, chain saws whirred. Yoga instructor Tina Lenert, a professional magician, urged attendees to stretch their shoulders, which "get tight because we're always waiting for something to happen." She stood facing Bruce and Gill's house, the debris behind her. "My emotions are so mixed right here in this oasis," Lenert told the class. [CA] KB Home to build first wildfire-resistant community in SoCal (Inman) - full text Inman [3/28/2025 4:11 PM, Staff, 98K] KB Home, one of the largest U.S. homebuilders, is breaking new ground with Southern California's first wildfire-resilient new-home community, the company announced Thursday. The community is a game changer for homebuyers seeking safety in fireprone areas. The new Dixon Trail community in Escondido is being developed in collaboration with the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS), a nonprofit research organization focused on disaster resilience. The goal is to create a 118 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023921 neighborhood that helps prevent wildfire ignition and spread at both home and neighborhood levels. "As we look at the growing wildfire threat, there will be ignitions and there will be spread," IBHS CEO Roy Wright said in an interview. "We want to limit the pathway. We want to ensure that when it comes down out of the foothills, we're not likely to see the first structures even ignite. What we see in Escondido at the Dixon Trail is what we need to see replicated across the West." The urgency for wildfire-resistant housing has never been clearer. In January 2025, wildfires tore through Los Angeles, destroying more than 18,000 structures across Pacific Palisades, Eaton, Kenneth and other communities. With an estimated $50 million in damages, the region is still recovering, making prevention efforts like Dixon Trail even more critical. To mitigate fire risks, KB Home has implemented advanced wildfireresistant features into the community, including: Zero-to-five-foot noncombustible buffer around structures. Homes will also be spaced more than ten feet apart to reduce fire spread. Escondido Mayor Dane White further emphasized the city's commitment to fire safety, "When you look at what happened in the Palisades, as the leader of the city, that's the last thing in the world that you want to see here," White said. "For us to implement these standards and learn best practices from science and technology, it makes us the leaders right now in this area." Land development for the Dixon Trail project began in June 2024. The community will ultimately feature 64 homes and undergo an IBHS evaluation upon completion to earn the official Wildfire Prepared Neighborhood designation. The project is expected to be completed by Winter 2026. [CA] California suspends environmental laws to speed rebuilding of utilities after L.A. fires (Los Angeles Times, CA) - full text Los Angeles Times [3/29/2025 6:00 AM, Grace Toohey, 13342K, CA] In a continued effort to expedite rebuilding after Los Angeles' devastating firestorms, Gov. Gavin Newsom this week suspended California environmental laws for utility providers working to reinstall key infrastructure. His latest executive order eliminates requirements to comply with the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA, and the California Coastal Act for utilities working to rebuild "electric, gas, water, sewer and telecommunication infrastructure" in the Palisades and Eaton fire burn zones. Newsom also continued to encourage the "undergrounding" of utility equipment when feasible, which he said will help minimize the future fire risk in these communities. "We are determined to rebuild Altadena, Malibu and Pacific Palisades stronger and more resilient than before," Newsom said in a statement. "Speeding up the pace that we rebuild our utility systems will help get survivors back home faster and prevent future fires." The move builds on Newsom's prior executive orders that exempted work rebuilding homes and businesses destroyed or damaged by the fires as well as wildfire prevention efforts from the two environmental laws. CEQA requires local and state agencies to identify and mitigate environmental impacts of their work. The California Coastal Act, which made permanent the California Coastal Commission, lays out regulations for coastal development and protection. Although the laws have been heralded by environmentalists, their processes have long been considered onerous by developers, 119 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023922 and residents and officials have urged their requirements be lessened or waived to expedite fire recovery. The Trump administration also has taken issue with the California Coastal Commission -- which typically regulates any coastal development as enumerated by the state's Coastal Act -- and has indicated further federal aid could have stipulations that target the commission's work. "The key now is to make sure that we move quickly to address the needs to underground not just traditional utilities for electricity but also water and sewer lines, and do it concurrently," Newsom said in a video posted on social media this week. Joshua Smith, a spokesperson for the Coastal Commission, declined to comment on the latest executive order. Previously, the commission's executive director had clarified that coastal development permits are typically waived after disasters such as the L.A.-area fires, as long as new construction won't be 10% larger than the destroyed structure it is replacing. That statement, however, has since been removed from the commission's website. In a letter sent last month, Newsom urged Southern California Edison, the area's largest electricity provider, to do all it can to rebuild lines underground in these areas. "SCE has the opportunity to build back a more modern, reliable and resilient electric distribution system that can meet the community's immediate and future needs," Newsom wrote, adding that he welcomed information and suggestions that would ease such efforts and keep costs down. Installing utilities underground is much more expensive than typical above-ground construction, which has limited the practice. David Eisenhauer, an Edison spokesperson, said waiving CEQA and the Coastal Act will help the utility's ongoing efforts to rebuild and move lines underground. "We appreciate Gov. Newsom's action to help expedite permitting," Eisenhauer said. "This will help us continue this process of undergrounding and help the communities rebuild stronger." Eisenhauer said SoCal Edison is already reestablishing and moving some of its electrical wires underground in the areas affected by the fires. Some of this work had been planned -- and permitted -- beforehand, including moving 40 miles of line underground in Altadena and doing likewise with 80 miles in the Palisades area, he said. However, this executive order will help ease the permitting process for future work. It wasn't immediately clear how other utilities might benefit from the executive order, if at all. Representatives for Southern California Gas Co. and the L.A. Department of Water and Power didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. Newsom has previously said his executive orders waiving these environmental laws do not signal a shift in California's support of such efforts, though many environmental activists worry that such broad exemptions could have serious consequences down the road. Bruce Reznik, executive director of Los Angeles Waterkeeper, a nonprofit that advocates for clean waterways, said he understands the urgency to rebuild but those efforts need a balance that considers important environmental protections -- not blanket waivers and exceptions. "We all want to see the rebuilding happen as quickly as we can . . . but we also have to be smart about it," Reznik said. "We have to build recognizing the reality of today's climate change." He said the natural space in Altadena and Pacific Palisades 120 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023923 was a big part of why people loved living there, and it's important to protect those areas -- as CEQA and the California Coastal Act do. "These laws play a really critical role in making sure as we rebuild we're doing it with an eye toward climate resilience, protecting against further natural disasters ... [and] the health of our waterways and ecosystems," he said. "Unfortunately, that hasn't been the way the governor has operated, and you have to worry about what that will mean." Susan Jordan, executive director of the California Coastal Protection Network, said Newsom's continued exemptions build on concerning environmental practices she's seen in the fires' aftermath, including the decision not to test soil in affected areas. "I hope that the governor will one day recognize that the Coastal Commission is a willing partner and one of the best tools he has in his toolbox to ensure a quick, informed and coordinated response to establish future long-term resiliency along the coast," Jordan said in a statement. [CA] FEMA Extends Deadline to Submit Right of Entry Forms for Debris Removal; Expands Eligibility (Palisadian-Post, CA) - full text Palisadian-Post [3/28/2025 2:57 PM, Sarah Shmerling, 5K, CA] FEMA has extended the deadline to opt in or out of the government-run fire debris removal program to April 15, Supervisor Lindsey Horvath announced on Friday, March 28, and has expanded eligibility. "FEMA has responded to our request--condos, townhomes and multi-family mobile home parks are now eligible for federally funded debris removal," Horvath wrote. "The deadline to submit your right of entry form has also been extended to April 15." Phase 2 involves removing visible fire debris, such as chimneys, hazardous trees, ash and--if specified on a right-of-entry form by the owner--foundations. Residents have two options for Phase 2: opting in to the government-run debris removal program, which is being led by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Colonel Eric Swenson, at no out-ofpocket charge, or opting out and hiring a private contractor. The form can be completed online at recovery.lacounty.gov/debris-removal or in-person at a Disaster Recovery Center, with the Westside location at 10850 West Pico Boulevard. The announcement to extend the deadline and expanded eligibility came one day after the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services urged FEMA on March 27 to expand the debris removal program. "Regarding residential commercial properties, I have determined residential commercial properties that contain at least one owneroccupied home will be treated in the same manner as approved residential properties for the entire structure," FEMA Regional Administrator Robert Fenton wrote in a letter dated March 28. "This will include most condominium and other multi-family buildings, even where there may be a mix of owner-occupied and rental units within the same building. This approval does not include multi-family rental properties entirely owned by for-profit entities, such as apartment buildings, which will continue to be treated as commercial properties. Commercial properties, including multi-family rental properties entirely owned by for-profit entities, will continue to be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Any requests to include commercial properties in Private Property Debris Removal operations must include a justification based on the following factors: An immediate threat to public health and safety due to debris; Barriers to the commercial entity completing debris removal independently; Insurance coverage and status of claim; Economic impact of debris 121 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023924 removal on the commercial entity and community." When it comes to multi-family properties, according to Governor Gavin Newsom's office, each owner of a destroyed unit in a condominium or duplex needs to submit an ROE form, as well as the homeowner's association. "This allows the county, state and FEMA to assess the property for eligibility," the statement concluded. [CA] Palisades Fire Cleanup Deadline Extended, More Properties Eligible (Pacific Palisades Patch, CA) - full text Pacific Palisades Patch [3/28/2025 2:57 PM, Chris Lindahl, 10723K, CA] Property owners impacted by January's wildfires now have more time to opt in to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' program, which was also expanded this week to cover some multi-family and commercial properties. Those who own properties impacted by the Palisades and Eaton fires have two options for the current phase of debris removal -- they can hire private contractors to clear their properties, or they can opt to have the Army Corps do it for free. The deadline to opt in to the Army Corps cleanup with a rightof-entry form was March 31, but on Friday the Federal Emergency Management Agency extended the deadline until April 15. Additionally, FEMA notified the state on Friday that the program -- which previously only covered single-family homes -- was being expanded to include owner-occupied condos, multi-family properties and some commercial properties, which will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, according to the governor's office. "I am thankful to FEMA for extending the deadline for residents to submit their ROE forms so they have more breathing room to fully understand their options and make an informed decision about debris removal," county Supervisor Kathryn Barger said in a statement. "I am also glad FEMA has extended the opportunity to multi-family units to access this important resource. We are on the road to recovery, and these updates will ensure more of our residents get the help they need and deserve." Information about how to complete the forms is available online. They can also be completed at a Disaster Recovery Center located at the UCLA Research Park West, 10850 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, or in Altadena at 540 W. Woodbury Road. Earlier this week, officials urged everyone to complete the forms, even those who are unsure if they want to hire a contractor. [HI] Heated dispute erupts over disaster recovery fund for HECO (Hawaii News Now, Honolulu, HI) - full text Hawaii News Now [3/29/2025 4:37 AM, Ben Gutierrez, 877K, HI] VIDEO. The debate over a $1 billion disaster recovery fund for Hawaiian Electric has escalated between the utility and two local labor unions, with one union claiming it's serving as a watchdog and the other accusing it of misleading the public. Hawaiian Electric has been asking state lawmakers to approve a measure to establish the fund, which would serve as a cushion against future blazes like the one that devastated Lahaina. "Across the United States, there's growing recognition that unbounded wildfire liability risks lead to higher costs of capital, resulting in higher costs to customers," HECO Sr. Vice President Jason Benn told the state Senate Consumer Protection and Commerce Committee during a hearing on March 20. 122 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023925 The Hawaii Carpenters' Union has just launched a new website, NoHecoBailout.com, to drum up opposition. "The biggest concern for the Carpenters' Union is that Hawaii faces the highest cost of living in the nation and HECO is trying to create this billion-dollar fund on the backs of ratepayers, increasing our electricity costs even more," said union spokesperson Andrew Pereira. Residential customers would pay an additional four dollars a month. But Pereira said it would cost commercial and industrial ratepayers would tens of thousands monthly, with the cost passed to consumers. Pereira also criticized the measure for limiting the amount that Hawaiian Electric would have to pay for future disasters. "Let's be clear. If this securitization bill were in effect when the Lahaina tragedy happened, then all of those victims in Lahaina would be limited as to how much they could recoup from HECO and other responsible parties," he said. While the Carpenters' Union says it's a campaign to raise public awareness, Hawaiian Electric didn't mince words, calling it an "attack campaign." In an unusually stronglyworded statement, the utility said, "Let's be clear -- this campaign by the Carpenters has nothing to do with the cost of living or legislation or accountability or what executives get paid. This is payback because we wouldn't sign a 20-year Project Labor Agreement (PLA) with the Carpenters -- they warned us this is what would happen if we didn't go along." "Straight up blackmail," said IBEW Local 1260 business manager and financial secretary Leroy Chincio Jr. "I mean, there's no other words to describe it except blackmail." Chincio said his union has been the exclusive bargaining agent for Hawaiian Electric workers for 82 years. The IBEW and HECO both accused the Carpenters of using bullying tactics. "It was all or nothing," said Chincio. "I spoke to the Carpenters. I said let's come to the table. Let all the unions come and talk story and let's all work together. And the Carpenters said no. They like take their ball and run." Hawaiian Electric also said, "We asked for some time to negotiate and to involve IBEW 1260. They said sign now or we'll come out hard against you at the capitol and in the community. We told them no. And this sleazy campaign is the result." "The impact on IBEW 1260 would be zero," said Pereira. "There's no impact on the workers that work for HECO and do the good work that HECO needs to be done." "It's said that they trying to leverage such a big tragedy for their own gain. And that's not right," said Chincio. The Carpenters' Union said it will include the campaign so it can be a public watchdog over Hawaiian Electric. [HI] West Maui hotels recognized for renovations as recovery efforts continues for region (Hawaii News Now, Honolulu, HI) - full text Hawaii News Now [3/30/2025 5:51 PM, Staff, 877K, HI] VIDEO. Efforts continue to bring back tourism to west Maui nearly two years after the devastating 2023 fires. Industry leaders celebrated a win after two hotels in the Kaanapali area were recognized in TravelAge West magazine for recent renovations. The Royal Lahaina Resort and Bungalows and the Westin Maui Resort and Spa were nominated for this year's Editor's Pick Award. The Westin Maui recently completed a $160 million dollar renovation project of its Hokupaa Tower that's part of the new "Lanai" experience. "It gives us a spotlight on the 123 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023926 global stage and the focus stage the west coast," said director of sales and marketing Samuel Spurrier. "There is still a lot of confusion out there in the market, uncertainty that can keep visitors away ... and this creditability, this award, definitely gives people a reason to come back to Maui." Voting for the 2025 WAVE Awards is now open and runs through April 15. Winners will be announced at the WAVE Gala in June. A total of eight hotels in Hawaii hotels were recognized in the renovations category which include: Grand Wailea Maui, a Waldorf Astoria Resort, Outrigger Kona Resort and Spa, Outrigger Waikiki Paradise Hotel, Renaissance Honolulu Hotel and Spa, Romer House Waikiki, Royal Lahaina Resort and Bungalows, Sheraton Princess Kaiulani, and The Westin Maui Resort and Spa, Kaanapali. Homelessness In Cities' Rush to Clear Homeless Camps, People Have Been Crushed to Death (New York Times) - full text New York Times [3/29/2025 5:02 AM, Jason DeParle, 145325K] Cornelius Taylor's promise to visit his family this past Christmas was one of many he had broken in his decades living on the streets. But Darlene Chaney could not stay mad at the troubled cousin raised as her brother. When he called soon after the holiday from the ragged encampment he called home. she made plans to take him to a movie. They never spoke again. A few weeks later, a clearance crew descended on the Atlanta site, a block from the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, and their heavy equipment crushed his tent as he lay undetected inside. With homelessness at a modern peak, leaders as ideologically different as President Trump and Gov. Gavin Newsom of California are demanding the destruction of more encampments, arguing they spread fire and crime, block traffic, impede business and commandeer whole city blocks, covering sidewalks with needles and waste. The Supreme Court bolstered their efforts last year by ruling that authorities could ban public sleeping. After an encampment fire closed a major Atlanta highway, Mayor Andre Dickens, a progressive Democrat, began a campaign last year to remove encampments under bridges, saying the people living in them posed threat to themselves, their companions and the city. "It impacts schools, it impacts commerce, and it impacts people's lives," he said of the road closure. But Mr. Taylor's death, weeks after a similar fatality in California, highlights the risks of forced removals, which critics call an effort to bulldoze the homeless away. They say sweeps often have unintended consequences and inflict new trauma on vulnerable people, many with mental illness or addiction, while doing nothing to get them housed. If anything, they say, clearances may prolong homelessness by destroying ID cards or medication, disrupting social work and sowing distrust. "We know this is going to happen again," said Ms. Chaney, 38, who is calling for the clearances to end. "The breath went out of my body when I heard. I don't want the next person to feel what I do." After years of mental illness and addiction, Mr. Taylor, 46, 124 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023927 achieved a prominence in death that had escaped him in life. At Ebenezer Baptist Church, where the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once commanded the pulpit, mourners likened him to Jesus, who they said had experienced homelessness too. "It is not too much for me to stand here in memory of an unhoused brother because, after all, I preach each Sunday in honor of an unhoused brother," said Senator Raphael G. Warnock, the Georgia Democrat who is also the senior pastor at Ebenezer. In the modest home where they shared a childhood with Mr. Taylor, Ms. Chaney and her brother Derek, both truck drivers, described him as a bright, kind man wounded by a dark teenage episode they did not fully understand. He dropped out of high school and resisted their efforts to help, while complaining that many people view the homeless with disdain. His baptism in a prison chapel raised hopes for change that went unmet, but none of his struggles, they said, justified his fate. "Whether he was high as a kite or hungry as a hippo, he didn't deserve to be crushed," Ms. Chaney said. A Ubiquitous Urban Problem About 274,000 people sleep outdoors, by the federal government's count. Some cannot find shelter beds, and others reject them as dangerous or confining. Unsheltered homelessness has grown nearly 60 percent in less than a decade, with soaring rents often cited as a cause. While Covid-era aid and eviction bans paused the rise in the unhoused population, for past two years it has grown by an average of nearly 400 people a week. Individuals have long slept outside, but encampments -- groups of people, typically in tents -- became ubiquitous only in the past decade or so. Residents say encampments provide safety, foster bonds and attract aid, while critics see squalor and threats to public safety. Mr. Trump has called the unsheltered homeless "violent and dangerously deranged," and pledged to remove them from public spaces. Judge Glock of the conservative Manhattan Institute served as an expert witness in a Phoenix suit that forced an encampment closure. He said the concentration of people with mental illness or drug problems increases violent crime -- putting the lives of homeless people at risk -- and that camp closures makes the unhoused more likely to seek services or family support. "The most important reason to close encampments is that they are a danger to the homeless themselves," he said. But clearing sites can be dangerous. Three weeks before Mr. Taylor's death, an unhoused man in Vallejo, Calif., was fatally crushed as he lay undetected beneath blankets. The clearance crew noticed only as his body dangled from the backhoe bucket. In 2018, a woman in Modesto, Calif., was crushed to death as she slept a cardboard box. In 2021, the front loader removing tents under a Washington, D.C., overpass lofted one with a sleeping man inside, sending him to the hospital with minor injuries. More prevalent are less obvious harms. Lost identification makes it harder to find housing and jobs. Lost medication leaves illness untreated. Involuntary displacements can leave people sleeping in more hazardous places, sever social ties, and disturb the mentally ill. 125 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023928 Some cities send outreach workers months in advance to help people relocate, but protocols and adherence vary widely. Bulldozers, and the accompanying chaos, can arrive with little warning. A study of nearly 400 unhoused people in Denver found those displaced by clearances were more likely to contract infectious disease, use drugs and suffer frostbite, heat stroke or declining mental health. Research in Santa Clara County, California, found that removals "directly harmed unhoused people's health." A presentation by a public health expert at the Centers for Disease Control warned that involuntary displacement is "not an effective or sustainable solution" to unsheltered homelessness. Sweeps appear especially dangerous for people who inject drugs. They may lose clean needles or syringes; ties to watchful companions; access to known suppliers; or naloxone, a drug that reverses overdoses. A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association estimated that involuntary displacements raise deaths among injectable drug users by nearly 25 percent, because of increased overdoses and infections. Dr. Joshua Barocas of the University of Colorado School of Medicine, the lead author, said in an interview that that rate translates into the added deaths of more than 5,000 homeless people a year. "These people are already suffering -- we shouldn't be making their lives worse," he said. A Cycle of Prison and Homelessness In Atlanta, Mayor Dickens is a longtime supporter of affordable housing. Last year, the city committed $68 million toward a $212 million public-private campaign meant to house the city's entire homeless population. He has also called clearances essential to public safety. The Old Wheat Street encampment, where Mr. Taylor lived, sits in a gentrifying neighborhood a block from both the Ebenezer church and a National Park Service visitor's center that offers tours of Dr. King's childhood home. The cluster of tents had closed the small street and brought complaints of drug use and vandalism. Outreach workers began almost a year ago to help the 30 or so residents find shelter, and the Jan. 16 clearance was scheduled about three weeks in advance, said Cathryn Vassell, chief executive officer of Partners for Home, a nonprofit group that helps the city coordinate homeless services. She said the clearance timing was partly driven by the coming King Day parade. Additional pressure to close the camp, she told the City Council, came from a man active in the community who had threatened to destroy it himself if officials failed to act. Mr. Taylor had stayed there for years. Born in rural Georgia to a troubled mother, he was taken in as an infant by his father's aunt, Catherine Chaney, who had stable work and a home in Atlanta. When a son and daughter followed, she raised the three as siblings. The younger pair, Derek and Darlene, called Mr. Taylor a sensitive, affectionate child who often sprawled across their mother's lap. "He felt things deeper than other people," said Mr. Chaney, 43. But something changed before eighth grade, after his biological mother insisted that he spend the summer with her in a hamlet 50 miles away. Worried about mistreatment, Catherine Chaney soon wrested him back, but he returned angry and withdrawn, refusing to discuss what had happened. 126 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023929 Lolita Griffeth, Mr. Taylor's girlfriend, said in an interview that he told her he had been abused in his time away. He left school in 10th grade and home soon after. When Catherine Chaney died of cancer a few years later. he attended the funeral on release from jail. In subsequent years, he cycled between prison and homelessness, sought respite in cocaine and resisted medication for his mental illness, saying it made him numb. On good days, friends found him protective and kind. Bad days evoked his street name, Psycho. "If he didn't get his way, all hell would break lose," Ms. Griffeth said. While many people on the street exhaust their families' good will, Mr. Taylor's relatives say they never surrendered hopes of a happy return. Darlene Chaney talked to him every week or two, scheduled medical and legal appointments, and made clear that he could return to the childhood home she and Mr. Chaney still shared if he accepted house rules, like taking his medication. He would visit, shower, smile and leave. "Nobody gave up on Cornelius -- that's how I know love is real," Mr. Chaney said. When Mr. Taylor gave a niece a recent talk about staying off drugs, Ms. Chaney let herself hope he might be turning a corner. Instead he was in his tent on Jan. 16 when the heavy equipment arrived. Most residents had left. City officials said workers had checked the remaining tents but did not see Mr. Taylor inside before the machinery crushed it. A police officer pulled him out and called an ambulance as his mouth began to foam, according to a police report. A witness told the police Mr. Taylor had been using crack cocaine, which may explain why he did not hear the warnings. Though the police report speculated that he could have overdosed, the medical examiner's office this week found he died of "blunt force injuries," including a fractured pelvis and a lacerated liver and spleen. More trouble reached the encampment: Someone slashed the few tents left. Police arrested Daniel Barnett, 42, whom outreach workers identified as the man who had threatened vigilante action if the city did not clear the area. He worked for a nonprofit developer building nearby and had complained to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the encampment had raised insurance rates. Mr. Davis, the family lawyer, said the city had acted "hastily and recklessly" in clearing the camp and may have valued property "more than human lives." The death near the famed church inevitably brought a search for larger meaning. At Mr. Taylor's funeral, the Rev. Warnock warned that the poor are often crushed by larger forces. He noted that the strike that brought Dr. King to Memphis, where he was assassinated, began after two workers were crushed to death in a garbage truck. Ms. Chaney focused closer to home, directing her remarks to Mr. Taylor himself. "I couldn't save you, but I pray that all those who failed you can save the next," she said. [CT] Opinion: Connecticut's homeless survived winter. We need a better support system in time for next one. (CT Insider, CT) - full text CT Insider [3/29/2025 3:00 AM, Jasmin Cardona, Mario Ramirez, and Jessica Kubicki, 1474K, CT] There are no shelter beds available anywhere for these homeless residents, so they have come to the city's only warming center, which serves Bridgeport as well as some of the nearby towns (by default, not by design). Yet unlike a 24-hour homeless shelter, the 127 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023930 warming center doesn't open until 7 p.m., there are only 30 cots inside, and it's firstcome, first-served. As the sun begins to set, dozens of residents including several senior citizens and families are lining up on the sidewalk in the frigid cold outside the Bridgeport Alpha Community Services YMCA warming center, moving in place or wrapping their hands around a cup of coffee to keep warm. Meanwhile, the sun has set, it's getting colder, and more and more people are lining up. When the doors open, our team at the Alpha Community Services YMCA gets to work finding space for everyone and providing towels, showers, hygiene products, showers and food, because we refuse to turn anyone away. By morning, we are exhausted, but we've kept 70 people alive, even though we're only funded for 30 spaces. This was an average night in 2025 in Fairfield County, during one of the coldest winters in a decade. The residents made it through the winter. Yet if we don't change how our region cares for its homeless population, we might not be so lucky next year. The homeless population is growing, but shelter space is shrinking. In Fairfield County, Opening Doors Fairfield County (ODFC) provides backbone support to the overall homelessness emergency response system that the Alpha Community Services YMCA is a part of. From 2023 to 2024, ODFC supported 24% more households, yet there was a 23% decrease in shelter beds. From 2024 to 2025, ODFC supported 29% more households, yet there was another 10% decrease in shelter beds. As a result, warming centers such as the YMCA are forced to operate as shelters, and serve more than twice our capacity. Among the growing homeless population, we're also seeing an unprecedented rise in families and seniors. Some of the seniors are getting sick from the cold. Many of the families need more space. Our warming center is set up and funded for single individuals, so we can place two or three families in our Community Room, but this is just a band-aid. How is the system serving more people with fewer resources? We are making due, prioritizing keeping people safe yet operating far beyond our capacity. Despite the hardship, there is also resilience and joy. People find respect, dignity, community, support, even love in our space. One guest was connected with recovery services, obtained all his vital documents, found part-time employment and was later housed in a one-bedroom apartment. During his time at the warming center, he even proposed to his girlfriend! Yet why is the system serving more people with fewer resources? Connecticut has $12.5 billion in surpluses. Alpha Community Services YMCA, ODFC, and statewide homelessness partners are calling for Gov. Ned Lamont and the General Assembly to set aside an annual $5 million in funding for cold weather resources, through House Bill 6893, "An Act Appropriating Funds for Programs to Assist Homeless Persons." This would allow for more cold weather beds, faster emergency response times, and the development of more effective, long-lasting housing solutions. Plus, by annualizing the funding, providers will not have to go back to the state every year to ask for resources. It's cold every winter in New England, after all. Our challenges are not limited to funding, 128 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023931 however. Ultimately, a larger, dedicated space for the warming center is urgently needed. The current city-owned facility is simply too small to meet the community's needs, let alone the needs of surrounding communities, whose residents are often forced to come to Bridgeport for services. This is not just about comfort, but safety. Not only are people getting sick and risking their lives outside, what happens if there's an emergency at the shelter when it is overcrowded? These are the risks we are forced to take. We urge state and city leaders to act immediately to ensure the safety and well-being of our most vulnerable residents. We also invite the community to join us in supporting these efforts -- our Alpha Community Services YMCA Walk to End Homelessness on May 17 at Captain's Cove Seaport is a critical source of funding for these vital services, which all community members can participate in. The warming center will close March 31, but winter will return soon enough. To prepare to protect our community moving forward, we must work together to address the root causes of homelessness and ensure that everyone has a safe and warm place to call home. [NY] Domestic violence transfer housing proposed (Mid-Hudson News, NY) - full text Mid-Hudson News [3/29/2025 5:58 AM, Staff, 222K, NY] Officials from Putnam and Westchester gathered in Somers Friday when Assemblyman Matt Slater announced legislation that would ensure safe housing transfers for domestic violence survivors. If approved by the state legislature and signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul, the bill would grant survivors the right to request an emergency relocation to another unit owned by the same landlord or public housing authority, aiming to enhance housing stability, prioritize victim safety and prevent retaliation. Last October, 15-year-old Michael Raimondi was murdered in his home by his mother's boyfriend. Michael's mother, Christina, and his brother were also shot that night. The survivors sought to relocate, with their landlord willing to accommodate the move. However, current laws made it impossible, forcing the woman and her son to terminate the lease and move in with family members. "What Christina and her family have endured is unimaginable, and the fact that bureaucratic laws forced them to choose between their safety and their home is unacceptable," said Slater. "No survivor should ever face such obstacles when trying to escape a dangerous situation. This legislation is about common sense-if a landlord is willing to help a survivor move to a safer unit, there should be no laws standing in the way. We owe it to families like Christina's to make this right and ensure no one else is put in such a heartbreaking position." Christina Raimondi who was in attendance on Friday, described the legislation as a "wonderful opportunity for future victims because unfortunately, with domestic violence, there's no end in sight-it's a big problem that we face. This legislation is a big help to victims like me and is a great opportunity to help everybody. Thank you for allowing me 129 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023932 to be here today, sharing this experience with everybody, and reminding everyone we have to be kind to one another. Keeping that stability for me and for my son is very important." Piaget Solpiaget, executive director of the Putnam/Northern Westchester Women's Resource Center, noted that "Every year, thousands of individuals, primarily women and children, are forced to make an unthinkable choice--stay in an abusive relationship or face homelessness. Domestic violence is the leading cause of homelessness, yet for far too long, our housing systems have failed to adequately support those seeking safety and a fresh start. Today we change that with this legislation. When survivors have a safe place to go, they are more likely to escape abuse, find employment, receive necessary counseling and rebuild their lives. Stability in housing allows children to stay in schools without fear, families to heal and individuals to reclaim their futures. Today, we offer hope. Hope is not a feeling; hope is an action, and together we are taking action one step further to make our communities safe." [PA] Bethlehem Haven becomes Pennsylvania's first certified medical respite center for homeless (Pittsburgh Business Times, PA) - full text Pittsburgh Business Times [3/28/2025 3:34 PM, Paul J. Gough, 4715K, PA] Bethlehem Haven received the National Institute for Medical Respite Care Certification earlier this month. It's one of only 15 centers around the United States to receive the certification for its integrated clinical care model, according to the National Health Care for the Homeless Council. The certification highlights the centers that have quality postacute medical care in the short term for people who are too sick or frail to be released to a homeless shelter or on the streets but don't need in-patient care at a hospital. They receive respite to recover as well as receiving health care from the Pittsburgh Mercy Family Health Center team or other medical professionals as well as other types of care, services from social workers, transportation and laundry. The respite center is an expansion of Bethlehem Haven's services, which are located in a 21-bed medical respite center on Watson Street in Uptown Pittsburgh that opened in 2018. It serves about 175 people annually and is one of three such facilities in the entire state. Bethlehem Haven is part of the Pittsburgh Mercy Family of Care, which has had a homeless services continuum for nearly a decade. "National certification of our medical respite center will bring a new level of understanding and acceptance to this rare type of care for those who are experiencing homelessness or are unstably housed," said Janice Carlini, supervisor of the Medical Respite Center. [NC] Out of Sight, Out of Mind - The realities of homelessness in Washington (Washington Daily News, NC) - full text Washington Daily News [3/29/2025 8:00 AM, Clark Curtis, 16K, NC] Out of Sight, Out of Mind is a series in which Clark Curtis will take a closer look at homelessness in Washington. Speaking with those who have experienced it firsthand and managed to turn their lives around, those who currently struggle to find safe and permanent shelter, and what options are available locally for temporary housing. Sally Love is the director of Safe Harbor, which provides temporary emergency shelter for the unsheltered in Washington at an area hotel. She is also on the Open Door 130 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023933 Women's Shelter advisory board and the former executive director of Eagle's Wings Food Pantry and the United Way. "We do have a homeless problem here in Washington," said Love. "Equating the magnitude of homelessness by the number of people you might see walking around with a bag on their shoulder with their belongings, or pushing a grocery cart, is not representative of the breadth of the issue. For the most part, they are invisible. People would be more aware of the situation if they got out at five in the morning and drove around the city a little bit. Then they would find out that people are coming out from under bridges, porches, abandoned buildings, or the woods. It certainly would be a reality check." Love said the misconceptions about the homeless are many. They are drug addicts, they have done something wrong, they are not reputable people, irresponsible, lazy, suffer from mental health issues, and it is only a problem in the big cities. "I'm not sure what the answer is when it comes to bringing awareness to the problem," said Love. "But, people need to understand that it just takes a small event to become homeless. Your car breaks down, and you don't make it to work for a couple of days, and you are fired. People are living on the edge. Those whose income levels are low or moderately lower are just one emergency away. We tend to not pay people enough, so many are working at least two jobs and are still struggling to make ends meet, eat, and put a roof over their heads." Love said that coming up with a solution to address the ongoing problem will take the entire community. "It is going to take a lot more collaboration and cooperation between the city and county, and other agencies. It is so overwhelming at times to know where to start, but we all need to come together to build a community where those who are struggling can go and get help. We need a day center where people can go and feel like they can ask questions, receive emotional support, and not be judged because of their current situation." Love added there is also a dire need for affordable housing, which needs to be addressed. "Affordable housing for these folks is not a $200,000 home," said Love. "It is just wrong for these individuals to not have the stability of having a roof over their heads, which will have a positive impact on their lives. It is just a basic need that they should be entitled to. It is all about individuals feeling safe and a sense there is a community out there they can count on." As Love pointed out, it will take all of us to come up with solutions, but "Unfortunately, those of us in the nonprofit world continue to work in our silos because we become so focused on our own needs. There are only so many in this community who are willing to donate, and we are all asking for their money at the same time. We are doing a better job of focusing together on possible solutions than we used to be, but there is still more that needs to be done all across the board." The lack of emergency shelter in the area is also of major concern for Love. "We need more than a place where the unsheltered can spend the night," she said. "Open Door is addressing these pressing issues, and the upcoming expansion will provide even more 131 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023934 shelter and services for women and their children. If the Zion Shelter can get a new location that would offer more beds and implement a program-based concept that would provide more services than just overnight shelter, that would be a help as well. But we need more than two shelters providing these services. They still only have so much room. It will take a collaborative effort to determine the right locations. People need to have something they can walk to and not have to rely on some sort of transportation. We as a community need to come together as a whole and take an interest in addressing and finding solutions to address the problems of homelessness here in Washington." [SC] Medical examiner: Man killed during Atlanta homeless encampment sweep died from blunt force trauma (WRDW-TV CBS 12 Augusta, SC) - full text WRDW-TV CBS 12 Augusta [3/28/2025 9:52 PM, Staff, 428K, SC] Officials have released the cause of death of a man killed during a sweep of an Atlanta homeless encampment in January. The Fulton County Medical Examiner ruled that 46year-old Cornelius Taylor's death was caused by blunt force injuries to his chest and pelvis. Taylor died as a city vehicle was clearing the encampment on Auburn Avenue on Jan. 16. The medical examiner's report noted that Taylor suffered a large abrasion to his hip, a "widely displaced fracture" to his pelvis and several lacerations to his body. "It is my opinion that Cornelius Taylor died due to blunt force injuries of the abdomen and pelvis," medical examiner Dr. Shamaya Winters said in the report. "The pelvic fractures and injuries of the liver and spleen created blood loss into the body cavities. The manner of Mr. Taylor's death is classified as an accident." One of the Greater Augusta area's premier retirement communities hosted there first annual "Iron Chef Competition." An Atlanta Police Department incident report noted an overdose was suspected. The medical examiner noted that toxicology reports found cocaine in Taylor's system but he was "negative for certain amphetamines and ethanol." Shortly after Taylor's death, his family called for change and accountability from the city for those who are unhoused. Taylor's family and their legal representation drew attention to the incident report about his death and it being listed as a possible overdose at the time. A Hepzibah man has been sentenced to life without the possibility of parole in a 2020 North Leg Road homicide. [Editorial note: consult source link for video] [FL] Volusia County deputies clear homeless camp after attempted murder last week (Fox 35 Orlando, FL) - full text Fox 35 Orlando [3/29/2025 12:11 AM, Manny Martinez, 836K, FL] VIDEO. Volusia County Sheriff's Office deputies said a group of homeless people squatting on private wooded property near DeLand have until next Friday to move out. The wooded area off International Speedway Boulevard and Stone Street is the site of an attempted murder that took place last week. The Volusia County Sheriff's Office said they arrested 29-year-old Giovanni Bubenik for attempted murder last week. Deputies say Bubenik allegedly attacked a man and dug him a grave in the DeLand-area homeless camp. Reports show the victim has regained consciousness but is believed to have significant long-term injury and memory loss. The 132 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023935 arrest happened just down the street from Rene Hernandez. He said he supports the sheriff's efforts because he's dealt with the issue firsthand. "Sometimes, I see a couple people inside," Hernandez said. "But my cameras over there catch the people, and I say, 'Hey! Get out.- According to a report from the Florida Coalition for the Homeless, there are an estimated 31,462 individuals experiencing homelessness on any given night in Florida. Homelessness is a growing problem in Volusia County, which, like many others in Central Florida, has limited shelter space. State data shows 1,146 people were homeless in Volusia County last year. That's nearly double the number from 2018, when it was 621. It is, however, nowhere close to figures in the years following the Great Recession. Homelessness in Volusia County peaked in 2012 at nearly 2,276 people. Eric Gray, a homeless advocate and shelter leader, warned that state laws pushing homeless people off of public property, combined with high housing costs, only underscores the dire need for more resources. "If we're not willing to invest the resources to do it, then we've got to be prepared to basically have camps in our communities," he said. "If we don't want shelters in our backyard, we need to get prepared to have tents in our front yard." [FL] A Fort Myers church says many times homeless children are forgotten & need help (WFTX-TV Fox 4 Cape Coral, FL) - full text WFTX-TV Fox 4 Cape Coral [3/28/2025 9:48 PM, Miyoshi Price, 258K, FL] Can you imagine being a student living in a tent and having to wake up, go to school, and act as if everything was okay? FOX4 reporter met with different organizations that are considered change makers. They connected FOX4 Miyoshi Price with a family that went from living in a tent to living in a home. "Thank god that we finally found hope," says Linda Martini, who once experienced homelessness as a mother and grandmother. After being homeless for three years, Linda Martini and her family now have a 3-bedroom. 2-bath home with a front and a back yard through a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development program. She says being homeless with children is another level of hardship. "They just didn't talk about the homelessness," says Martini referring to her children when they go to school. "They'd be afraid my kids and my grandkids would be made fun of.". From The School District of Lee County: The current number of homeless students is 2,192. The McKinney-Vento Act defines homeless children as "individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence." So what that means is If, due to a loss of housing, a child must live in a shelter, motel, vehicle, or campground, on the street, in abandoned buildings, or doubled-up with relatives or friends, then he/she is eligible to receive services provided under the McKinney-Vento Act. Martini says she had many tents for her family of fifteen. Eight of them being children. Martini says with hurricanes and just regular rainy days, she had to stretch the little money she had to get a motel. "I tried to look for employment, and my kids found employment," says Martini. "My problem is, is it's hard for me to have employment right now because I have a hernia." 133 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023936 She says it took her daughter's school, the Veterans Coalition, and Saint Hillary's Helping Hands Ministry to get her and her children where they are today. Ilona Leffingwell from Helping Hands says she met the Martinis when they were homeless. "We forget the children," says Leffingwell. "You know, when people talk about homelessness, they think of the adults." Her ministry provides clothes, food, hygiene kits, and more to homeless children. Leffingwell got teary-eyed, thinking of one boy her group is helping who was homeless. "This little man was coming to school, is clothes, very tight," says Leffingwell. "Shoes. nothing. And because of his situation, at four, he's still not potting trained. So we've taken him under helping hands, and we are putting clothes on him, helping him to get some kind of love." She says little man is starting to get comfortable with their help. The Maritini family credits Leffingwell with giving their daughter a new perspective on life. "You have to start growing the seed of positivity when they're young, because if you don't do that, excuse the french, but you're screwed," says Leffingwell. "This is our new generation. We have to help them." The majority of the furniture in the Martini's home, Helping Hands made it happen. The organization is hoping to get more community support through donationns. They also have a Kentucky Derby Watch party on May 3rd at Saint Hilary's Episcopal Church. [FL] DeLand homeless camp to be cleared after attempted murder (Daytona Beach News Journal, FL) - full text Daytona Beach News Journal [3/28/2025 3:14 PM, Patricio G. Balona, 459K, FL] A homeless camp in the woods at International Speedway Boulevard and Stone Street will be cleared out after a DeLand man tried to kill and bury a homeless man on the site, the Volusia County Sheriff's Office said. The sheriff's office said it is working with the property owners to clear the transient camp and the homeless living on the property have been notified to vacate by April 4, said sheriff's spokeswoman Vicki Karr. This week deputies were at the site notifying people camped there and posting no trespassing signs. On March 15, Giovanni Bubenik, 29, beat a 31-year-old man multiple times in the head with a stick at the camp after digging a grave to bury the man, investigating deputies said. Bubenik, charged with attempted first-degree murder, remained in Volusia County Branch Jail Friday without bail. [Editorial note: consult source link for video] [FL] Mayor addresses homelessness challenges in Gainesville amid rising concerns (WCJB-TV ABC 20 Gainesville, FL) - full text WCJB-TV ABC 20 Gainesville [3/28/2025 4:22 PM, Staff, 270K, FL] TV20's Kristin Chase sat down with the mayor of the city of Gainesville to ask about multiple issues facing the city, including homelessness. Ward acknowledged residents' concerns about the way the city is handling the issue, particularly a homeless encampment that has begun on the corner of Waldo Road and 39th Street. Ward said handling the issue with new rules in place can be challenging. "People don't disappear because we made different rules or because the State's made 134 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023937 different rules about where they're allowed to be," Ward said. "If we ask someone to please not camp in one spot, they won't suddenly have the means to rent an apartment. They'll go somewhere else." A homeless encampment behind GRACE Marketplace was cleared out by Gainesville Police Department (GPD) officers last year, and the people camping were told they were trespassing on city property. [FL] New resource center for homeless teens and young adults opens in Orange County (WESH-TV NBC 2 Daytona Beach, FL) - full text WESH-TV NBC 2 Daytona Beach [3/28/2025 11:42 PM, Gail Paschall-Brown, 1262K, FL] More than 100 people attended the grand opening of a new resource center for homeless teens and young adults in Pine Hills, run by SALT Outreach Inc. The ribboncutting Friday morning ushered in more resources for homeless teens and young adults. "Wow, I wished I had this fridge, this is nice," Yasmine Arencibia said. To Arencibia, the drop-in center is everything. She was once homeless and helped by SALT, which stands for Service and Love Together. "When you've been through a lot you really are motivated to get yourself to where you can prove everyone wrong that you're going to be someone," Arencibia said. Arencibia said SALT believed in her. SALT's founder and president said building relationships is at the core of everything they do. "I was living in my car, trying to get ends meet and just survive, and I met these people, and they have helped me through everything," she said. It's a safe place where people between the ages of 16 and 24 can go if they need to get out of the elements, charge their phones, get their mail, even take a shower, do their laundry, and get a meal. There's a mental health counselor here, as well as case managers, to help the youth find housing and jobs. "Like, there is nothing that they can't do, honestly, they are the best," Arencibia said. Arencibia now helps youth and even collaborated with others about what is needed in the drop-in center. The drop-in center is located at 5511 West Colonial Drive, and its opening is personal. "I experienced homelessness when I was 20 years old. I had to go to 7-11 to take a shower. I had to go to the Mexican restaurant to get the free chips and salsa to get a meal. Being able to have a center here so we can serve other 20-year-olds that's going through the same thing, it's really a full circle experience," founder and president of SALT, Chris Camarillo, said. Right now, SALT has six locations in Central Florida, but they're not done yet. The hope and dream is to have drop-in centers like these nationwide. [Editorial note: consult source link for video] [FL] Bills aim to prioritize housing for at-risk students (Florida A&M University Famuan, FL) - full text Florida A&M University Famuan [3/29/2025 2:33 AM, Joel Mitchell, 23K, FL] A new bill known as SB 584, seeks to enhance housing and education accessibility for young adults transitioning out of foster care and those experiencing homelessness. The bill, sponsored by Senator Ileana Garcia, R-Miami, requires that colleges and 135 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023938 universities prioritize student dorms and apartments for housing and work-study opportunities while simultaneously expanding their access to federal housing programs. If the bill is passed, it will become effective on July 1. The bill aims to address housing insecurity for vulnerable young adults, particularly those who have been in foster care or are facing financial difficulties due to eviction notices. To achieve this, it mandates that Florida College System institutions and state universities prioritize housing concerns for these students. Schools would also be prohibited from requiring these students to have a co-signer or guarantor for housing applications. SB 585 would further enhance Florida's participation in the Foster Youth to Independence (FYI) initiative, a federal program that provides housing vouchers to eligible young adults. To support this request, the Florida Department of Children and Families, along with community-based care agencies, would be authorized to assist students in securing residential leases by offering financial guarantees to landlords. The legislation also authorizes a study on the obstacles to housing access for young adults transitioning out of foster care. According to The Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability, it will undertake this study and present its findings to the governor and the Legislature by December 2026. SB 584 is not the only bill in the legislative session that addresses young adult housing support. Another bill, HB 879, focuses on assisting young adults who are homeless or who have previously been in the child welfare system. Both bills aim to prioritize housing for at-risk students in colleges and universities. However, HB 879 takes a more comprehensive approach by establishing the Fostering Independence Grant Program within the Department of Education. This program would provide financial assistance to eligible students, ensuring that tuition, housing and other living expenses are covered. Furthermore, HB 879 mandates that institutions track and report student retention and graduation rates for grant recipients. In contrast, SB 584 focuses on housing security and federal assistance programs. HB 879, on the other hand, adopts a broader strategy by integrating financial aid and long-term support. If both bills are passed, they could effectively complement each other in addressing the challenges faced by young adults transitioning out of foster care or homelessness. While SB 584 aims to provide critical support, It is unclear how many students would qualify for priority housing and whether colleges and state agencies have the resources to accommodate them. Chris Petley, the spokesman for Leon County Schools, said the school district "does not track legislative bills." Regarding the bill's future impact. Miguel Nevarez, press secretary for the Florida Department of Children and Families, confirmed that "the bill is under review," but provided no additional details. The bill's progress through the Legislature will determine whether these proposed changes become law. If approved, SB 584 could provide thousands of young adults in Florida with greater housing stability and educational opportunities. [FL] The Florida Youth SHINE advocacy group is back -- lobbying for more foster care reforms (WLRN, FL) - full text WLRN [3/28/2025 9:57 PM, Margie Menzel, 161K, FL] AUDIO. Each year, a group of young people who have been in foster care comes to 136 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023939 Tallahassee to lobby during the legislative session. They're called Florida Youth SHINE, they've been around since 2005, and they're still helping to reform Florida's foster care system. There are about 350 members of Youth SHINE now, in 11 chapters around the state. Roughly 30 of them came to Tallahassee this year, and they visited lawmakers in groups to talk about the two bills they're backing. "Right now we lead the charge in keeping siblings together," said Dominique Rosario. "However, there's really no clear path on how siblings that maybe are not in care or aged out of care can continue their relationships with those that are still within the system." Rosario was with the group lobbying Orlando Democratic Rep. Anna Eskamani. One of their bills would allow visitations between youth in state care and their siblings who have left state care. Or the other way around. "And so what we're asking for in this bill is just to have a clear pathway for those siblings that aren't in care, or maybe they are in care and their sibling is not," said Rosario, "to be able to visit with each other, have that relationship and maintain those connections. Because when we sever them, that is so detrimental to the youth's outcomes." Eskamani said she gets it, that she grew even closer to her brother and sister after their mom died when she was 13. "And so to have that sibling you can talk to. . .and each other, too," said Eskamani. "That's why Florida Youth SHINE is so important, to have the connectivity [These are my siblings.] Yeah, I was going to say, I was going to say." That was Tee Lamore, saying the members of Youth SHINE are like her brothers and sisters. Another Youth SHINE member, Skyler Cross, agrees. Besides Youth SHINE, he also has three siblings. He says all four of them went into foster care when he was 12. "Three of us were in one place, and the other was in a different home, and we all kind of just kept getting separated from there," he said. "It was pretty bad. I mean, once you already lose, like, your parents and your family, and then you start to lose, like, your siblings, it's just pretty rough." The other bill Youth SHINE is backing is a federal housing voucher. Currently, there's a program that helps former foster youth with rental assistance for up to 3 years. But it's only available in 11 of Florida's 100+ housing authorities. This bill would would make it statewide. According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, between 31 percent and 46 percent of youth exiting foster care experience homelessness by age 26. Youth SHINE member Sean Ford is doing all right now. He's in college and has his own apartment. But he recalls a childhood of homeless shelters and couch surfing. "It really started to affect how I, like, looked out on the world, because it's usually, like...as a kid you look forward to things, driving, this and that," said Ford. "But the only thing I could look forward to was, 'Where am I going to go? What am I going to do? Where am I going to stay? And that's very mentally taxing for someone that young, `cause I'm like...when this is happening, I'm like, 12, 13, 14, 15. . .". The Youth SHINE advocates also visited the Florida Senate chamber, where Brandon Harris of the president's office showed them how to propose a bill, debate a bill and vote on a bill. And then Senate President Ben Albritton stepped onto the dais and took over the presiding. Afterward, he posed for pictures with all of them. Albritton has been involved with many of the same historical reforms that Youth SHINE has: The option of extending foster care from age 18 to age 21, and the normalcy bill, 137 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023940 known as "Let Children Be Children," which replaced a restrictive system of permissions with a "reasonable prudent parent" standard. Previously, many rules had prevented children in out-of-home care from leading normal lives and participating in everyday activities with their peers. In 2014, Albritton sponsored the "Keys to Independence Act," which paid the costs of driver education, licensure and insurance so that youth in foster care could learn to drive. And in 2019, he sponsored "A Year is a Long Time in the Life of a Child," a measure designed to reduce the amount of time children spend in foster care. Albritton says he's always advocated for kids because they're the future. "You know, and when you really step back and you think about kids who may have been through an abusive home life or had some kind of trauma in their life, it is absolutely the role of the state of Florida to step in for those children and try -- best we can -- to help bring healing and to move away from that trauma, to give 'em hope, right?" said Albritton. "That's it." Both the House and Senate will take up the housing voucher bills in committee on Monday. The sibling visitation bills have yet to be agendaed. [FL] Drop-in center for homeless youth opens its doors in Pine Hills (Central Florida News 13, Orlando, FL) - full text Central Florida News 13 [3/28/2025 9:22 AM, Sasha Teman, 163K, FL] A new youth drop-in center opened its doors in Orange County's Pine Hills neighborhood on Friday. Its goal is to connect homeless, or unhoused, youth ages 16 to 24 with the resources they need to get back on their feet. The project was made possible by an $8.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD). The grant, which was awarded to the Homeless Services Network, will fund a variety of services -- including the one-stop shop in Pine Hills - for 2-1/2 years' worth of work. What makes this particular center unique is that it was inspired by the ideas of young people. "They came up with the plan on what they want to see their dream for a drop-in center, and our team put everything together and worked with SALT Outreach, and here we are now," said Homeless Services Network's Youth Project Coordinator Valerie Perez. The SALT Outreach organization, which provides mobile drop-in centers to the homeless, will oversee daily operations at the facility. In 2024, the Homeless Services Network revealed that roughly 6,700 children and youth were experiencing homelessness or housing instability in Orange County alone. Among the services the new center will provide include: Case managers on site to help youth find housing; A day service center, with access to meals, showers, laundry services and even mental health counseling; and A designated area with computers for youth to apply for jobs. SALT Outreach Executive Director Eric Camarillo said he believes this new space will be beneficial for the community. "A lot of the time they're outside, they're in fight-or-flight mode," Camarillo said. "They need a place to get out of the elements." He also emphasized how important it is for the homeless youth to have their own allocated space because their needs differ from the adult homeless population. "Then navigate them through what's often a fragmented homeless services system," Camarillo said. "Everyone has kind of all these resources. We're helping to teach them how to tap into these resources." He understands firsthand what it's like because he was homeless when he was 20 years old. 138 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023941 According to SALT's website, there is a direct correlation between the frequency of visits to a SALT drop-in center and the percentage of unhoused people being moved into housing. Homeless advocacy experts said youth homelessness can be a result of many factors, from family conflict to youth exiting or transitioning out of foster care or the child welfare system. [Editorial note: consult source link for video] [MS] With nowhere to go, more face homelessness on Mississippi's Gulf Coast (WDAM-TV NBC 7 Laurel, MS) - full text WDAM-TV NBC 7 Laurel [3/28/2025 6:26 PM, Staff, 88K, MS] Betty has been on the Gulf Coast for three years. Her journey away from her hometown of Fort Collins, Colorado, began when she and her mother lost their home. "We lost my grandma, and we lost everything," Betty said. "We had a house, but then we just became homeless. (My mother) wanted to travel, so we took her to Louisiana and Alabama and Florida and all that. Then we came back this way, and then she got sick on us on the way back." After living out of a car, Betty's mother passed away last year, leaving her stranded on the Coast with no family, no resources and few options. "Being on the streets was kind of difficult," she said. "I got in depression, got stressed out losing my mom, so I went into the hard drugs." While on the Coast. Betty said she has seen new faces among the homeless population. "Some are coming in from California, some are coming from Florida, Alabama," Betty said. "There was one lady here, she's from Alaska. So, we're coming from everywhere to try to get help to get off the streets." One place to seek help is Back Bay Mission, where Betty receives meals, clothes and showers. Mission director James Pennington said the mission sees roughly eight, new faces a week. Since he took over four years ago, the number of people without homes served at the day center has surged, he said. "My feeling is, yes, there's been an increase in homelessness," Pennington said. "They're coming from other places to here, and they're getting stuck here, or they're losing their housing or their opportunity for housing." Kirsten Hebron, a case manager at Back Bay Mission, said many homeless people catch a Greyhound bus to South Mississippi, lured by false promises of job opportunities or support services. "The weather is nicer down here most of the time, more job opportunities, especially if they're coming from a small town," Hebron said. "We've had people come here who are promised a job, promised a place to stay by someone they knew, and they get here and they're ghosted, and then they're stuck." As more people arrive seeking stability, homelessness in the area has drawn closer scrutiny. The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development's Point-in-Time Count, which tracks the number of sheltered and unsheltered people experiencing homelessness on a single night in January, recorded just over 1,000 people experiencing homelessness in 2024 -- one of the lowest numbers in the country. At the time of publication, results for the 2025 count had not yet been released. 139 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023942 Despite the lower count, Justin Brooks, South Mississippi Housing Authority president, said the region lacks adequate services to support those in need. Brooks joined the 2025 PIT count initiative and expects an increase, partly due to recent homeless relocation efforts in New Orleans. About a third of Back Bay Mission's funding is sourced from the South Mississippi Home Corporation and HUD grants. The mission's "By Name" waitlist is now between 200 and 300 people long. "But in all these programs, we only have so many spots, and there are only so many spots on the Coast," Pennington said. "The `By Name' list has grown, which means, yes, there's an increase in homelessness on the Coast. "Those that are the most vulnerable are at the top of the list. So, what happens if you're homeless, you're vulnerable, you have mental health issues, you have substance-abuse issues, but you're not one of the most vulnerable? Then you slip down the list. We need more resources, more housing, more housing programs, overnight shelter." In response to the growing demand, the South Mississippi Housing Initiative launched in December, offering 250 housing choice vouchers for unsheltered people most in need of supportive housing. "Permanent supportive housing is a decades-old concept where we provide permanent housing that's stable for the homeless population," Brooks said. "We get them housed first, and then we have the ability to surround them with whatever supportive services are necessary to break cycles of addiction and break generational cycles of poverty, to address mental health disparities and other issues. "It's a foundational level of service that we are absolutely lacking in South Mississippi." Recognizing the need for additional services, Brooks also is working with Gulfport officials and other partners to establish a new, homeless day center that would provide food, showers, lockers and other essential resources. "In South Mississippi, especially along the Coast, we've got a notable homeless population," Brooks said. "But, ultimately, we're lacking several of the foundational services to be able to respond. "Sometimes, just getting access to a state-issued ID can help someone get their life back. We need a day center where we can, ultimately, holistically, apply all of those services to the homeless population and hopefully begin to see some success stories." Compounding these challenges: uncertainty at the federal level, with the unknown commitment level has further complicated efforts to support the growing homeless population. Pennington said funding for at least one program has been delayed, and there has been little communication from state and federal agencies, leaving service providers like Back Bay Mission in limbo. Inflation and increasing costs of basic needs are pushing more Mississippians toward homelessness, Brooks said. "What we know in America is that about two-thirds of all households are two missed paychecks away from being in an eviction situation or foreclosure situation, and ultimately, we know that instability leads to homelessness," Brooks said. Betty, now nine months sober, has applied for a housing voucher and is among about 40 people in the program's process. Once approved, she must still find a viable place to use 140 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023943 the voucher. Until then, she said she has no safe place to sleep since South Mississippi has very few overnight homeless shelters, many of which have limited capacity. "A lot of these people are getting arrested because they're homeless and they're living on the streets and not living in spots that we should be," she said. "But where can we go? There's nowhere for us to sleep. Saturday through Saturday, I wake up at 5:30 every morning so the cops don't stop us and arrest us for trespassing.". Robert Myers, who has experienced homelessness for 13 years, recently secured public housing, but has seen more than a dozen encampments removed by authorities in recent months. Efforts to remove these encampments aren't just local. House Bill 1203, recently passed in the Mississippi Legislature, would prohibit camping on undesignated property, making it punishable by a fine. The legislation mirrors what is in place in other states. "The goal is to obviously encourage those who are sleeping on the street to go to shelters or other resource centers," Rep. Shanda Yates, an independent representing Jackson, told Mississippi Today. "None of us feel that those who are sleeping on the street are getting resources or help that they need. There's nothing on the street to help anybody there." Pennington said he believed many legislators and the public don't understand the difficulty of escaping homelessness. "I think people that don't do this work see unsheltered people that are camping as an eyesore, especially here in this community, because we're supposedly a vacation destination," Pennington said. "I think they don't realize how many barriers there are, and to say, 'Yeah, we don't want people camping in our public places.' Well, where are they going to go? Are we going to criminalize them? "(Legislators) think the churches and the public should take care of these unsheltered people. I would say to them, if you have a spare bedroom in your house, open it up to an unsheltered person. Experience it for yourself. (This bill) criminalizes homelessness." Myers, who found housing in 2016, said he knows homelessness doesn't just affect individuals, it affects communities. "Once, an interviewer asked me what being housed meant to me," MYers said. "I explained to him it meant my life. I said, `Sir, I think your question is incorrect. You should ask me what it means to this community that I'm housed.'. "It means that you can go to work and not see me on the street corner flying a sign. It means that you can go to the park with your children and not have me sitting there. It means you can enjoy your life. That's what it means for me to have a home." [Editorial note: consult source link for video] [LA] New Orleans not providing adequate oversight for homeless shelters, audit finds (KTBS.com, Shreveport, LA) - full text KTBS.com [3/28/2025 6:00 AM, Piper Hutchinson, 165K, LA] New Orleans is not regularly inspecting its homeless shelters to ensure minimum health and safety standards, according to a review from the Louisiana Legislative Auditor. Family access to shelters is also not always reliable, according to the audit report that was published and sent to legislative leaders last week. "Providers we surveyed 141 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023944 indicated that the City and Unity need to improve communication, including better availability and responsiveness to providers, clarity regarding policies and procedures, and more timely reimbursements," Legislative Auditor Mike Waguespack wrote in the report. "In addition, information about available resources is difficult to find and may be out of date." The audit period stretched from January 2019 to June 2024. Over that stretch, the city and Unity of Greater New Orleans, a nonprofit organization that coordinates homeless initiatives, spent $216.3 million on homelessness initiatives. Most of the money came from federal funds, and over half of it went to permanent housing programs for people with disabilities. During the review period, 275 people in homeless encampments were provided housing, the audit said. From January 2019 to January 2024, the number of unhoused individuals in New Orleans increased 22.4% from 1,188 to 1,454. However, unsheltered homeless decreased 18.5% from 594 to 484 during the same timespan. The audit report included 19 recommendations total for the Louisiana Housing Corp., Unity and the city agencies that address homelessness in New Orleans. The respective entities agreed with nearly all of them. The New Orleans Office of Homeless and Services disagreed with the auditor's suggestion that it develop official policies for removing homeless encampments. In October, city officials took issue with Gov. Jeff Landry's directive to have Louisiana State Police clear out a large tent community near downtown ahead of Taylor Swift's concerts at the Superdome. Waguespack wrote that several factors drive homelessness in New Orleans, including a lack of affordable housing and a need for employment opportunities that provide a living wage. [MI] `Major housing problem' - Pontiac activist, lawmakers fight high costs, poor conditions (Detroit Free Press, MI) - full text Detroit Free Press [3/29/2025 9:29 AM, Frank Witsil, 4124K, MI] Leona Patterson, a Pontiac resident and community activist, is trying to help so many people find a safe place to live, that she is convinced there could be, for many she knows, a looming housing crisis. Her worry, she said, is that renters, homeowners and many people a paycheck or two away from homelessness already are facing tough times, and their struggles will get even harder if government agencies and private charities scale back their programs. "We have a major housing problem in the city of Pontiac," Patterson said, adding that residents are not only facing the consequences of inflation but lax -- or reduced -- oversight of housing agencies and property managers. "It's only going to get worse." To try to address this, lawmakers have proposed new legislation. They also are holding more events, like the Renters and Homeowners Resource Fair from 4-6 p.m. Monday at the Bowen Senior Citizens Center, 52 Bagley St., in Pontiac. State Rep. Brenda Carter, D-Pontiac, who organized Monday's fair, told the Free Press this week the concern -- often referred to as housing insecurity -- is not limited to Pontiac. What's more, she said, she wants to help organize similar events throughout the state. Still, Carter said, the needs in Pontiac, which is often considered an island of poverty in one of Michigan's wealthiest counties, are greater than in other communities because of the city's high poverty rate. 142 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023945 In Pontiac, more 40% of children and a quarter of all residents live in poverty. Carter said she organized Monday's event partly because renters kept calling her office for help. Among their challenges: mold, bedbugs, and a lack of heat and running water. Moreover, rents have gone up and residents are struggling. Some residents are suffering from mental illnesses or have no home at all. One heartbreaking story was two years ago when a mom, facing psychological strain, and two of her three young children froze to death in a Pontiac field. The kids had been seen wandering the streets bundled in bedsheets with temperatures in the 20s. Last month, two children -- ages 2 and 9 -- died when a family seeking shelter from the freezing cold huddled in a running van in a downtown Detroit casino parking structure. They died, the medical examiner found, of carbon monoxide poisoning. Carter said she has invited Patterson and various officials, including state Rep. Emily Dievendorf, DLansing; Oakland County Treasurer Robert Wittenberg, and Pontiac Code Enforcement Manager Jack McIntyre to speak at the fair. And, she said, she expects representatives from congresswoman Haley Stevens' office, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Michigan State Housing Development Authority and the Catholic Community Response Team, to also be on hand. Carter said she wanted to "include everyone from the federal level all the way down to the advocates in the community who deal with the housing crisis firsthand" and is eager to try to hep connect people with problems with officials who can help them. Still, Carter said, she also foresees more trouble ahead. Rent.com, a California-based apartment listing company, recently found the median rent price in the state was $1,671, and rents, on average, edged up nearly 10% in the past two years, nearly twice the percentage nationally. In late December, the Legislature passed -- and the governor signed -- bills aimed at preventing landlords from denying renters housing based on their source of income, which some hope will help more people find affordable housing. As for homebuyers, they still are facing mortgage rates higher than they were just a few years ago, a lack of new homes on the market and increasing market uncertainty caused, in part, by the Trump administration's tariff threats. It could be a while before rates come back down. On top of that, the U.S. Treasury Department said earlier this year in a report that homeowners' insurance costs are "rising fast across the nation," with policy premiums increasing nearly 9% faster than the rate of inflation. If that weren't enough, Carter said she is concerned that government cuts will result in fewer resources for watchdog agencies and efforts, which will add to the woes renters and potential homeowners already face. The Trump administration, for instance, has plans to dismantle the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the federal agency charged with overseeing financial services -- credit cards, checking accounts and home loans -- Americans use. And just this week, the bureau was in the news for dropping lawsuits against banks and lenders it brought on behalf of consumers and seeking to return money that a mortgage lender paid to settle racial discrimination claims last fall. [MI) Mel Trotter Ministries to pilot new housing program for homeless men (Grand Rapids Press, MI) - full text 143 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023946 Grand Rapids Press [3/17/2025 8:30 AM, Melissa Frick, 5955K, MI] Mel Trotter Ministries is looking to pilot a new housing program aimed at helping men experiencing chronic homelessness. Inspired by similar work being done nearby at Degage Ministries, Mel Trotter Ministries President/CEO Chris Palusky said the program will provide long-term, transitional housing for men who haven't found success in traditional shelters because they need more complex care support. Palusky announced the pilot initiative Friday morning, March 14, during an event celebrating the first year of operations for Degage's own pilot housing program. That program, Heartside Landings, is tailored for women experiencing chronic homelessness. Mel Trotter's CEO said he was motivated by the success of the Heartside program, which was designed specifically to help women who haven't successfully stayed housed even when placed in supportive housing, often due to severe mental illness. Heartside, which opened in January 2024, is believed to be the first project of its kind in Michigan, and one of only a few across the nation that provides long-term transitional housing to women in need of complex care support. Similarly to Degage, Palusky said about 10% of Mel Trotter's guests are in the same situation -- they have struggled to succeed in other shelters and need complex care due to significant mental health needs or addiction. To start, Mel Trotter's pilot program will house eight or nine men and run for at least six months, Palusky said. Plans are to expand the program to a similar size as the Heartside program after that. The CEO said he has identified a location for the housing program and is hoping to have a lease finalized within the next month. The program will be funded by a mix of philanthropic donations and state dollars, although Mel Trotter did not immediately share a projected cost for the pilot initiative. Palusky said he's hoping the program can offer a sense of community for residents while they work to get their needs met, whether that's getting mental health care, getting on the right medications, or getting off drugs. The CEO said many unhoused people aren't yet ready to go into independent housing due to mental health or addiction issues. Or, oftentimes, they will move into independent housing but come back to the shelters because they felt lonely and isolated, Palusky said. Providing an example, Palusky said one of the men who is planning to join the new pilot initiative fell into substance abuse issues once he left the shelters because he felt isolated. The man was previously a resident at Mel Trotter, but later got into hard drugs like crystal meth. "When asked why, he said, 'Well, I didn't feel like I was around a community. I felt lonely,- Palusky said. "I don't think that's unique. "What we're seeing is that there needs to be some sort of community for these people that are going through a very difficult time." 144 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023947 [IL] Illinois bill to protect homeless from fines faces law enforcement backlash (Center Square - Illinois, IL) - full text Center Square - Illinois [3/28/2025 3:38 PM, Catrina Barker, 473K, IL] An Illinois bill to stop fines or criminal charges for homeless people using public property or doing life-sustaining activities is opposed by law enforcement groups. State Rep. John Cabello, R-Machesney Park, a law enforcement officer, said Democrats are trying to make Illinis more like or even worse than California. "You're going to see people doing what you see and hear about in different parts of California, where people are defecating in the streets," said Cabello. "There's going to be homeless camps all over the place and the police won't be able to do anything about it." Cabello, like the Illinois Sheriffs Association, said the "life sustaining activities" language in the bill is extremely broad. "Bathing in a public area could necessarily be life-sustaining," said Cabello. "Relieving yourself in public, life-sustaining." House Bill 1429 advanced out of the Illinois House Housing Committee. The bill is being pushed by special interest groups like Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness and Housing Action Illinois. "Ticketing or arresting people for experiencing homelessness only worsens their situation by making it even harder for them to secure housing and employment in the future," stated Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness on their social media shortly after the bill advanced out of committee. The Illinois Municipal League and Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police are opponents. Cabello expressed concern that if enacted, enforcement entities might not be able to penalize offenders who are on private property. "So are they talking about private property as well? Because I'll tell you what, if somebody comes on my property wants to live, I'm not calling the police. I'll take care of it myself and I would expect that many of the taxpaying citizens in this state would do the same," said Cabello. Cabello said many homeless individuals have a mental illness and don't understand what they're doing. "We need more mental health facilities to take care of the folks that can't take care of themselves," said Cabello. "I don't think that there is somebody without a mental deficiency that is wanting to be homeless." In 2024, Gov. J.B. Pritzker's administration launched the Home Illinois initiative, investing $118 million to support unhoused populations. Cabello said many taxpayer dollars are going to programs for homeless people so that taxpayers don't have to have homeless camps out in the open. Mayor Brandon Johnson's proposed 2025 budget includes $195.6 million for homeless services, a 21% increase from the previous year's $161 million allocation. In 2021, over $1 billion in Federal Emergency Rental Assistance funds were awarded to Illinois, providing rental assistance and housing support to individuals facing housing insecurity. . [MN] Need help finding housing or financial aid? Minnesota's growing number of hubs support families. (Minneapolis Star Tribune, MN) - full text 145 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023948 Minneapolis Star Tribune [3/30/2025 8:00 AM, Jessie Van Berkel, 3572K, MN] One woman sought help applying for the state's Medicaid program. Another had an appointment for the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) food program. Kids pretended to chop plastic vegetables and zoomed trucks as their parents talked with service providers. They came to the Family Resource Center in Shakopee on a recent morning, knowing workers there could help them get what they needed -- and find aid that they hadn't known about. Different versions of these one-stop hubs are popping up across Minnesota, connecting families and parents-to-be with services that support their health, well-being and economic stability. Some, like the Shakopee center, are backed by philanthropy. Another nine community resource centers, from Hibbing to Worthington, recently received state grants. But state grants for the centers end in June 2027 and Gov. Tim Walz's proposed budget doesn't include money beyond that date, something supporters of the centers had hoped to see. State and local government officials say improving access to programs and building community connection prevents families struggling with poverty or other challenges from entering the child protection system due to neglect or maltreatment. Jennifer Compeau, of East Grand Forks, said her life could have been different if she had access to a community resource center in her early 20s when she discovered her son had a rare liver disease. She didn't have good advice or many people to lean on, and spiraled down, she said. She stopped work as she sought Medical Assistance, the state's Medicaid program, and benefits for her son. She started drinking a lot, became increasingly discouraged, entered abusive relationships, lost her father and "leaned into meth." Child protection got involved and eventually she lost custody of her son. Compeau ended up homeless, addicted, living out of her vehicle and piecing together aid. "I had dreamed of a community resource center" at the time, she said. "There needs to be a place where all of this [assistance] and connection is available to someone to help them. Because it is so much work to be ... beaten down, just with no hope, nothing, and then to try to survive." Compeau, 36, is now a family resource coordinator for a Polk County Family Resource Center in East Grand Forks and serves on the state's Community Resource Center Advisory Council. The center regularly helps families find child care, food and transportation, she said, but she could be assisting with anything from a lost birth certificate to a scholarship application for a child's school trip. Lawmakers devoted more than $7 million to community resource centers in the current state budget. Organizations getting grant dollars include nonprofits, a health care provider, Hennepin County and the White Earth Band of Chippewa. The state dollars don't necessarily mean new bricks-and-mortar locations. In St. Paul, the Wilder Foundation, for example, is using its grant to add staffing at existing programs to help families navigate resources. "The point of community resource centers is to provide support for people without sending them necessarily into the system -- into the child protection system, into the social welfare system," said Rebecca St. George, assistant commissioner of child safety and permanency at the Department of Children, Youth and Families. She called the centers "one of the most exciting things we're doing." Offering families a space to get care and assistance from people who understand their culture and won't be judgmental can stop problems before they start, she said. Various versions of community resource centers have started across Minnesota in recent years with the help of government and philanthropic dollars. But funding is often temporary, 146 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023949 center supporters said. A decade ago, the state started putting money toward full service community schools, which bring resources for adults and kids into schools. That idea got injections of federal and state dollars in the past few years. The state also received some federal funding a few years ago to support community resource hubs, similar to community resource centers. The federal dollars ended in 2023. And in 2021, Scott County opened its first family resource center with backing from the Sauer Family Foundation. That type of resource center follows a certain framework and standards, is guided by a parent advisory council and is part of a national network. Since then, family resource centers have taken off across Minnesota. Sixteen centers are open across seven counties, said Emma Mogendorff, with the foundation. About 30 other counties are going through the process to potentially open their own family resource centers. "We had no idea how quickly this was going to grow," said Sauer Family Foundation Executive Director Colleen O'Keefe. The foundation has spent almost $5 million so far on centers and has millions more dedicated in the years ahead, she said. While the foundation is slated to close in 2028, O'Keefe said funds were approved to continue supporting centers for about a decade. Pulling together money from a mix of sources - federal, state and local governments, and businesses -- will be key to sustaining the work, said Suzanne Arntson, deputy director of Scott County Health and Human Services. While they can't say definitively that family resource centers are improving child protection outcomes, Arnston said Scott County has seen a drop in the number of kids being removed from their homes in recent years. She said money saved through that trend is being put toward prevention efforts like centers. "Rather than picking people out of the river once they've fallen in, how do we go upstream and figure out why they are falling in in the first place?" she said. At the Family Resource Center in Shakopee on a recent Thursday, Maria Rosas was one of the several moms stopping by for WIC appointments. Her children were measured and got blood tests. She found out about the location through the hospital where she delivered her son and has been coming for months. Workers at the resource center said it can be intimidating for people to go to Scott County's main government center, where one of the first things they might see are the courts. "It's more accessible," Rosas said through a translator, as her daughter colored at a nearby table. "They are very friendly here. ... It feels more cozy." [TX] Travis County Commissioners Greenlight $5M to Housing for Homeless Austinites (Austin Chronicle, TX) - full text Austin Chronicle [3/28/2025 1:59 PM, Mattea gallaway, 236K, TX] On Tuesday, March 25, the Travis County Commissioner's Court designated $4.47 million to build 150 housing units for people experiencing homelessness in Montopolis. The Cairn Point Montopolis project is a collaborative effort between the Vecino Group, Family Eldercare, and the Texas State Affordable Housing Corporation. In addition to providing deeply affordable housing to seniors, it will also be the first openly LGBTQ+ welcoming and affirming housing solution in Austin to do so. The funding comes from the American Rescue Plan Act's Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, distributed to address economic instability arising from COVID-19. In September 2021, the court set aside $110 million of the LFRF funds to support the unhoused population. 147 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023950 Family Eldercare will provide on-site support to Cairn Point residents. In 2022, Austin City Council approved a previous Family Eldercare $3.9 million housing contract, which transformed the Northwest Austin Candlewood Suites Hotel into a permanent housing solution for seniors exiting homelessness. With 78 furnished studio apartments, the residence began welcoming tenants in August 2024. Austin's unhoused population is increasing, with ECHO estimating over 6,000 people experiencing homelessness on a single day in May 2024. Many organizations are using Travis County funding for housing projects, intending to lower this number. The city of Austin has reported a 98% success rate in their permanent supporting housing initiatives, with goals to have a 630% increase in PSH units by December 2026. [TX] How SoldiersVillage is giving homeless veterans a new life (KXII-TV 12, Sherman, TX) - full text KXII-TV 12 [3/29/2025 9:40 PM, Staff, 131K, TX] VIDEO. "My life has done a whole complete 180 degrees," said SoldiersVillage House Mentor and veteran, Steven Lanham. Southwestern Fannin County is seeing a renewal, and it all starts at Soldiers Village. SoldiersVillage offers a new life for many veterans-- and Saturday, volunteers came together to help make SoldiersVillage the land of the free and a home for the brave. "This thing called SoldiersVillage, which was established in 2022, was a vision of a 14-year-old girl," said SoldiersVillage board member, John Kohlschein. Madeline Vela, now Cofounder of SoldiersVillage, wanted to create a safe place for homeless veterans. "Having the security and knowing that you're not alone, it really helps them," said Vela. This community serves as a place they can go, not only for shelter, food, clothes, and hygiene products; but also to develop lasting skills in finances, employment, and emotional health. "I wasn't doing very good, as far as choices and stuff like that, and [my daughter] came along and I got to kind of start over," said Tanner Conticelli, the SoldiersVillage House Liaison and veteran. After a drive through the city and recalling her dad's experiences as a veteran, Vela expressed this passion to her mother, leading to 10 acres purchased and six lives changed already. "The vision is to create a tiny home village. So the house will still stay and that will serve as our Community Center and then we're going to have a nice little driveway, said Vela's mother, SoldiersVillage's Executive Director and Founder, Melissa Touris. "Typically the guys are going to be here for around three months, so we have the capacity to essentially serve 24 veterans a year. Once we build the tiny home village, once we have the tiny homes here, our vision is really about 25 homes. That would be a combination of temporary housing plus permanent housing." The fruits of their labor are already shining through its members. "Right now, I'm undergoing treatment for PTSD through the VA at Bonham, and between the VA, Walker House, Soldiersvillage, and Celebrate Recovery. Everything is just perfect now. Life is well worth living," said Lanham. SoldiersVillage is looking for donations to help more veterans and bring the project to life. To fight for those who fought for you visit SoldiersVillage.org here for a one time donation or sign up for recurring donations. 148 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023951 [OK] `Not solving any problem' - OKC's Homeless Alliance, lawmakers question bill to restrict homelessness shelter zoning (News 9, Oklahoma City, OK) - full text News 9 [3/29/2025 1:20 AM, Jordan Fremstad, 794K, OK] This week, the Senate cleared a controversial bill restricting where homeless shelters can be built. The Homeless Alliance's top leader warned the bill could cause more harm than good. Sen. Lisa Standridge, R-Norman, wanted communities smaller than Tulsa and OKC to keep new homeless shelters at least 3,000 feet away from schools. Standridge argued it protects children -- but Homeless Alliance CEO Meghan Mueller said the measure sent an unproductive message. Standridge's bill drew many questions from democrats and republicans on the Senate floor Tuesday afternoon. "Are we creating more burdens for families who are experiencing homelessness?" asked Sen. Carri Hicks, D-OKC. Sen. Paul Rosino, R-OKC, questioned the state's authority to overstep local city government leaders. "Are we taking local control away from the local elected officials that would deal with this issue?" Rosino asked. Standridge said a member of her community raised safety concerns related to shelters and a school in her Norman district. "When you have a non-profit that is distributing drug paraphernalia to homeless shelters, you want to keep that behavior away from a school," Standridge told lawmakers on Tuesday. Mueller refuted that claim. "I don't know of any shelter that is handing out drug paraphernalia," Standridge said. Sen. Nikki Nice, D-OKC, pressed Standridge on whether she spoke to leadership with homeless outreach organizations or experts in the field. Standridge said she had not. News 9 asked Mueller about Standridge's claim about clean needles being offered by nonprofits. Mueller said that part is true, but they don't hand out actual drugs. The clean needles are part of a practice called "harm reduction." Mueller said people suffering from addiction cannot quit drugs instantaneously without withdrawals. Some nonprofits will provide clean needles to prevent deadly diseases from spreading. "It's the idea of reducing harm," Mueller said. "We're making potentially risky behaviors safer." Mueller said these practices don't promote drug use -- they buy time while they get people into housing and treatment. "It's really hard for a person to become sober or address mental health concerns while they're living on the streets," Mueller said. "The buffer zone is effectively a ban. We are banning our neighbors from existing." Mueller said this restriction pushes people away from resources to the fringes of city limits. "It would just make access prohibitively difficult," Mueller said. "These are people. These are children." The measure outpaces other zoning laws and proximity restrictions. Convicted sex offenders are required to live at least 2,000 feet away from schools. "It's stricter than dispensary and liquor store buffer zones," Mueller said. Mueller said she saw many flaws with the bill and heard an inconsistent message. "Moving someone to a different part of town -- that's not solving any problem," Mueller said. "The message is, `these neighbors aren't welcome here.- She said safety can't be the focus when other lives are put at risk. "It's kinda kicking people when they're down," Mueller said. Mueller said homelessness can be solved when communities welcome everyone with open arms. "The way that we 149 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023952 end homelessness is by helping people find their way home," Mueller said. Mueller said more than 23,000 Oklahoma children are homeless and require close access to shelters. Standridge told lawmakers this bill wouldn't impact current shelters. News 9 contacted Standridge's office for a comment on this story but did not hear back by the Friday 11 p.m. news deadline. SB 484 will head to the House for consideration. [Editorial note: consult source link for video] [OK] `Planting a seed': Tulsa nonprofit places homeless veterans in housing (KJRH-TV, Tulsa, OK) - full text KJRH-TV [3/28/2025 3:23 PM, Braden Bates, 232K, OK] VIDEO. A Tulsa organization is serving those who've served making sure every homeless veteran has housing opportunities. The co-founder of Heroes Hope said when driving around Tulsa, he saw way too many homeless veteran signs, and being a service member himself, he wanted to help. Just a quick data search shows the need. Tulsa's 2024 point-in-time count shows that 8% of Tulsa's unhoused community -- were veterans. 41% of fall under the chronic homelessness category. Many of the unhoused veterans 2 News spoke with said they fell into homelessness due to choices they made or some systemic challenges. Some of those veterans said it's hard to know where to start. That's why Sean Lord is breaking down barriers with his veteran-run team. The nonprofit just placed two more veterans in their Heroes Hope House. Jonny 0 found himself living in his car when he moved back to Tulsa and now moved into the home. "The weight just lifted off my chest and I was able to actually do things to actually help myself. And that's what I think the whole purpose is. Is to help veterans find a place so they can help others. It's like planting a seed," said Jonny O. He is not only living in the house, but he hopes to grow alongside the organization. When asked about his future, he said he wants to expand his musical talent. While at the house, Jonny 0 even offered to play taps at veterans' services. Another veteran who just moved into the house said his choices led him to homelessness, but God's hand helped him to find the nonprofit. He's taking this generosity and wanting to pay it forward with this new start. "I want to help people like I've been helped. That would be in my mind what I would want to do when I leave here, would be to help people," said Mack Cleveland. The organization also looks at everyone's situation and needs. Not every homeless veteran falls under a template. Lord said they will work with other organizations to get all needs met. Since starting Heroes Hope they've helped over 40 veterans with housing and employment opportunities. The organization is always looking for volunteers. [SD] Good NAtured second Houseless Forum discussion of long-term strategies to combat homelessness (Argus Leader, SD) - full text Argus Leader [3/29/2025 10:59 AM, Vanessa Carlson Bender, 202K, SD] The discussion on the topic of homelessness in Sioux Falls continues, with this month's Houseless Forum at Good NAtured being held Wednesday evening. The monthly public forum, conducted by community organizer Jordan Deffenbaugh, Good NAtured owner Shannon Ward and others in the community, is open to all who wish to participate in 150 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023953 "real dialogue and collective action." Deffenbaugh opened the evening's event with a quote from Nassim Nicholas Taleb, author of "Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder," which states, "There are no solutions, only strategies to mitigate outcomes." "We use the word 'solution' a lot because it's sexy and simple," Deffenbaugh said. Deffenbaugh wanted to instead highlight the sustainable, long-term and gradual strategies the community and leaders are doing -- the "day in and day out." "You have to drink water every day. You have to eat. You have to walk. You have to do the thing day in and day out," Deffenbaugh said. Two Sioux Falls City Councilor members, Jennifer Sigette and Rich Merkouris, were in attendance during Wednesday's event. Continuing the format of the first Houseless Forum on Feb. 26, large sheets of white paper were placed on multiple tables, each with a question for attendees to write their answers anonymously. Post-it notes were utilized by individuals to express what kind of conversations the group as a whole wished to engage in. All responses are recorded in a spreadsheet and then "synthesized into a summary," BAM Institute of Civic Biodesign executive director Clint Brown explained. "The collected data is available to view for everyone, no matter who you are, who wishes to have access to it," Brown said. The forum also includes two 30-minute breakout sessions based on the top discussion points suggested by the group. The public forums will continue to be held on the fourth Wednesday of every month, with the next meeting April 23. Conversations focused on the hurdles, root causes, future opportunities and aspects not being discussed when it comes to homelessness. Some of the main challenges in addressing homelessness were identified as apathy from those who are not directly affected, as well as racism and systematic barriers, lack of programs and community involvement and social stigma. "It's a role of disgust in how we frame the look of it. We need smiles as we pass, not fear," one response read. There were many suggested strategies for how to address homelessness, such as resource-to-resource collaboration, fostering partnerships among nonprofits, businesses and schools, community-led leadership and probably the palpable, engaging directly with those who are unhoused to find out what they need and possible solutions. Sioux Falls NAACP Housing Committee chair June CopperStad said there is one strategy that applies in every scenario -- basic human needs. "You gotta eat, and we need a roof over our head, need to be safe," CopperStad said. "We just really need to get people to that baseline and be able to sustain that and support people there before we can really hope to accomplish anything else." Once those basic needs are met, CopperStad said, it's then a matter of climbing Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, such as mental health services, transportation, learning opportunities and community support. One suggestion was the concept of tiny home communities, similar to the Veterans Community Project concept in Sioux Falls. "I think it's an interesting concept of being able to build community at the same time as having housing in place that kind of puts community activity in place," Councilor Merkouris said. Another concept, councilor Sigette voiced, was a second safe home, which she said could happen in the next five years. Sioux Falls' current safe home has only 33 beds, which isn't enough, she said. "Fifty-four percent of the unhouse population are indigenous Native American. So, to do a safe home that focuses ... cultural things specific to them," Sigette said. What hinders 151 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023954 the second safe home from becoming a reality is partially due to finding someone at the leadership level to champion the project. "Nobody wants to step up because it's tough, right? I mean, you get beat up by taxpayers saying, 'Why should we do that?'" Sigette said. But then, the issue of funding hangs in the balance as well. "We see private investment in all types of development around our city. ... Why isn't there more of a private investment into public health?" Hurdle Life Coach Foundation founder and former Homelessness Task Force member Terry Liggins said. "Why is there only private investment into another restaurant or hotel?" This raised the question -- regarding what is not being discussed regarding homelessness -- of who benefits financially from the system as is. There was also the notion of public education to help the community better understand the root causes of homelessness and what preventative steps can be taken to reduce what CopperStad referred to as harm reduction, in the same sense that things like seatbelts and sunscreen are taught. "I also feel like teaching accurate history is important," CopperStad said. "We're taking genuine American history out of our schools, which is going to create a generation that can't understand the root cause of these issues and all they're going to see is the symptoms, and it's just going to make it even more of an uphill battle for our community, our culture, to understand why everybody deserves to have support." At the end of the evening, Liggins said it's events like Wednesday's forum that try to improve the overall experience of a public forum in order for community members to have their voices heard in a safe, non-intimidating way. "This is a safe, communitybased way to bring in a person with ideas, with experience and that we can get their input, we'll get it cataloged and we'll create record. And then we'll make sure it gets into in front of the people that it should and that they have the opportunity," Liggins said. "So if you keep coming and bringing people, that would be great." [KS] United Way Announces $3.2 Million Grant To Help With Housing Assistance (CommunityVoiceKS.com, Wichita, KS) - full text CommunityVoiceKS.com [3/28/2025 6:00 PM, Staff, 15K, KS] The Coalition to End Homelessness in Wichita/Sedgwick County was awarded $3.2 million in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), funding all projects currently supported in Sedgwick County. The Coalition, led by United Way of the Plains, is comprised of nonprofits, faith community, government entities, businesses, and other community advocates. Together, the Coalition works to resolve homelessness by identifying and eliminating barriers to housing, coordinating and providing client directed services and housing, and annually applying for HUD grant funding. Andy Houltberg, Coalition Chair and CEO of Breakthrough Episcopal Social Services, shared his thoughts on the continuing work. "Homelessness has a simple solution: housing. This funding allows us to serve our most vulnerable unhoused neighbors through supportive services and directly housing them, from the street or from a shelter. However, while the solution is simple, the roadmap to preventing and ending homelessness across the full community takes the full community, not any one entity. 152 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023955 The Coalition to End Homelessness strives every day to improve upon the work of the day before, committed to making homelessness rare, brief and nonrecurring for all our neighbors." United Way President and CEO Pete Najera emphasized the impact of this grant in advancing the Coalition's vital work. "As the lead agency for our community coalition to end homelessness, we are proud to facilitate this grant that supports so many of our community partners in our collective efforts to reach functional zero homelessness. This coalition continues to be a force for good for our unhoused neighbors." In case you need help with housing, here is a list of the agencies that will participate under the grant and the type of housing assistance they will provide: Catholic Charities -- Rapid ReHousing: Provides short-term rental assistance and supportive services to unhoused households. City of Wichita -- Housing First Evolution: Moves chronically homeless households into permanent housing and provides stability through indefinite rental assistance and supportive services. COMCARE of Sedgwick County -- Shelter Plus Care: Provides rental assistance and supportive services through community partners to chronically homeless and disabled homeless households. Humankind Ministries -- Villa Central and Rapid ReHousing: Provides low-income housing units in an existing apartment building with supportive services for chronically homeless households, and short-term rental assistance and supportive services to unhoused households. Mental Health of America of South Central Kansas -- Permanent Supportive Housing: Provides indefinite housing assistance through leased units and rental assistance for chronically homeless households and those with both a substance use disorder and a severe and persistent mental illness. Salvation Army of Wichita -- Transitional and Rapid ReHousing: Provides rental assistance, transitional housing, and supportive services to unhoused families with children, couples, and single women. United Methodist Open Door -- Family Rapid ReHousing: Provides short-term rental assistance and supportive services to unhoused families with children. United Way of the Plains -- Continuum of Care Planning Project, Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), and Coordinated Entry: Ensures the coalition can share quality data across agencies, track progress to end homelessness and comply with grant requirements. Also helps the coalition to prioritize the most vulnerable homeless households for resources first. [CO] Denver art project unites formerly unhoused people to address barriers of homelessness (KMGH-TV ABC 7 Denver, CO) - full text KMGH-TV ABC 7 Denver [3/28/2025 11:03 PM, Colin Riley, 1080K, CO] A collaborative art project has changed the lives of 18 formerly unhoused people at the St. Francis Center in Denver. St. Francis Center has served people experiencing homelessness since 1983, providing permanent and temporary housing as well as supportive services. Spearheaded by local artist Emma Balder, the art exhibit, "Heard to be Seen, Seen to be Heard," features a boulder-like sculpture, "Where Barriers Lie, Shelter Awaits," that took over 1,000 hours to complete. The exhibit serves not just as a display of creativity but as a powerful testament to resilience and hope. Darrin Johnson, a resident of St. Francis Center and participant in the exhibit, spent three years living on the streets of the Denver metro area. He described the emotional and physical scars that came from his 153 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023956 homelessness. "There's still scars from what I put myself through to become homeless," Johnson said. Johnson is working with the support services at St. Francis Center to find work and regain his independence. Emma Balder began her project in September 2024. She engaged residents in creating two abstract paintings, which were later cut up and rearranged around a boulder-like sculpture. Balder included therapeutic aspects in three work sessions with residents of St. Francis Center. "We also discussed some of these challenges that the residents are facing, the emotions associated with those challenges, and then the ways to overcome them," she said. "Abstract art can be really therapeutic... for the residents. It was a very cathartic experience." During the sessions, residents not only channeled their emotions into their artwork but also forged a sense of community. "We didn't feel homeless at that time or newly housed. Just we felt like part of the community," Johnson said. Greta Walker, a representative from the St. Francis Center, highlighted the importance of comprehensive support services in addressing homelessness. The center provides permanent housing, employment resources, and, notably, a space where residents can heal and connect through art. "Housing on its own isn't the solution. It has to come with wrap-around services and case management," Walker said. "This is really where the healing starts. It starts at St. Francis Center in our housing communities with our case managers. It really, that's just where the deep work really begins." Through these art sessions, participants shared their struggles openly, using "challenge cards" to write down the barriers they face in reentering society. "Getting the house is one thing, but there's a lot more barriers. Some people don't like being in that apartment by themselves. They just do not. They can't handle it," Johnson said. Balder, reflecting on her inspiration from hiking, explained that the boulder in the project symbolizes both obstacles and shelter. She said a boulder can be an obstacle on a path, but can also act as shelter during an unexpected Colorado storm. "I was thinking, `Well, how can our barriers be our shelters, and how can we find comfort and safety and security within the difficult things that we face on a day-to-day basis?' And so that kind of really became the guiding force of this project," said Balder. The culmination of the project created a powerful symbol of the participants' journeys and their desire to be seen and heard by society. "I was able to be part of something bigger than me, something that gave me pride," Johnson said. "I want to work. I'm capable of being self-sufficient again... I am going to take my lemons and make lemonade. I am." The exhibition showcasing this work is at Understudy Art Gallery, located at 890 C 14th Street in Denver. It will be on display from March 27 to April 27. Visitors can stop by Thursdays through Sundays from noon to 6 p.m., or by appointment. Admission is free and open to the public, allowing the community to gain insight into the struggles and strengths of those overcoming homelessness. Pencil drawings, created by the residents of St. Francis Center, are available for purchase at the exhibit. Balder is looking for a donor to sponsor the artwork's permanent placement at the St. Francis Center after its 154 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023957 time at the Understudy Art Gallery. [Editorial note: consult source link for video] [AZ] 12News gets answers after concern grows over homeless encampment near south Phoenix neighborhood (KPNX-TV NBC 12 Mesa, AZ) - full text KPNX-TV NBC 12 Mesa [3/28/2025 9:25 PM, Jade Cunningham, 1035K, AZ] There are growing concerns over an unsanctioned homeless encampment on a large, empty lot in south Phoenix. The lot, near Southern and 23rd avenues, is privately owned. People who live in the area say they've seen an increase in activity on the property over the past few months. "We noticed it about the first week of March," said a concerned resident who only wanted to be identified as Tina. "Especially throughout the last couple of weeks there've been a large increase in tents that are more and more visible. So it's becoming concerning.". "There've been a lot of developments from a shopping center to the supermarkets, we have a Sprouts here and that's great and part of why we invested," Jenifer JanniereMcPherson said. "We didn't think fast forward two years we'd have an encampment across from our property." The lot is attracting a large number of unhoused people and those who live around the property say there's even a fear about safety. "Well, there are people walking around at night breaking into cars," one man, who did not want to be identified, said. "I don't like it, something should be done." On Friday. 12News went to the lot and saw several tents, people bathing and trash piled around the lot. "No Trespassing" signs are also displayed but ignored. "I've been using tax records to see who owns the property to get ahold of the landowner to let them know how their land is being used currently because there's going to be a cost associated with cleanup," Janniere-McPherson said. "So, we're trying to notify them sooner than later.". Janniere-McPherson says she hasn't been able to make contact. She also tried contacting the real estate agent who sold the lot but never heard back. Others have also reached out to the city and police department, hoping for some headway there, but since it's private property, they say they were told there was only so much that could be done. Residents say they want the people on the lot to know there are resources that can be utilized. "It's concerning especially with summer months," Tina said. "I want to make sure they get the help this community deserves but for our community to be safe as well.". Phoenix police confirmed in March that there were three calls of service to the lot. The most recent came on March 20. They state that the people left the area. Now, eight days later, it's apparent the encampment is back. "It looks like it's getting worse," one man said. On Friday afternoon, a representative of the property owner returned calls from 12News and said they were not aware of the problem but would get it taken care of immediately. The City of Phoenix said in an email that they received a complaint back in mid-February about the property but were unable to reach the property owner. They're now in touch and have told the owner to clear the property by April 7. The full statement from the City 155 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023958 of Phoenix is below. The City of Phoenix first received a complaint at this address in mid-February. The City has been working diligently since then to get in contact with the property owner to address the issues, as this is private property. The Neighborhood Services Department is now in contact with the property owner and issued a Notice of Ordinance Violation (NOV) with a deadline of April 7 to address the issues. The City will provide education and resources to assist the owner and continue to monitor the property to ensure compliance. [Editorial note: consult source link for video] [AZ] City opens Phoenix Navigation Center, a new homeless shelter with close to 300 emergency beds (KJZZ.org, Phoenix, AZ) - full text KJ77.org [3/28/2025 9:19 AM, Kirsten Dorman, 161K, AZ] AUDIO. Using a mix of state and city dollars, including American Rescue Plan Act funds, Phoenix opened close to 300 emergency beds at a shelter in west Phoenix earlier this week. They'll provide people with a place to stay, plus access to services from mental and physical health, to job opportunities and training through partnerships. Rachel Milne, who directs the city's Office of Homeless Solutions, said it's the first cityfunded shelter in west Phoenix. "We've actually been meeting with our community advisory committee for almost a year now," she said. "I think we started meeting with them last summer." Guests can be paid to participate in neighborhood beautification projects, get help finding other jobs or programs, and even receive physical or mental health care services. "The 24-hour hotline, specifically, provides real-time response if they've got something going on in their neighborhood related to homelessness or the shelter itself," Milne said, adding that the city also made improvements to the area, like better street lighting. The timing of the new 71st Avenue location's opening, she said, is crucial with temperatures already starting to rise. "We have to have as many safe indoor places for people to go. [sic] And this site, just as all of our sites last year were utilized, we're going to have heavy referrals from heat respite sites into any of our open shelters this year," said Milne. "So adding this capacity right now, with the summer kind of looming right in front of us, is just incredibly important." Milne said the next move is to maintain the new Phoenix Navigation Center -- especially once Biden-era American Rescue Plan dollars dry up. [WA] Federal Way hotels for homeless to be fully open by fall 2025 (Kent Reporter, WA) - full text Kent Reporter [3/28/2025 6:55 PM, Keelin Everly-Lang, 24K, WA] Plans are finally moving forward for two former hotels that King County purchased to help shelter homeless individuals in Federal Way. Construction has begun on the hotel at 1400 S. 320th St. to prepare it for use as part of the Health Through Housing (HTH) Initiative by this summer. With the updated timeline, residents will first be able to move in this summer under a temporary certificate of occupancy, then at the full capacity of 86 units in the fall of 2025. 156 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023959 The Federal Way City Council received this update March 18 along with an update on the former Red Lion property on South 348th Street that is being turned into an emergency overnight shelter. This shelter is now also scheduled to open this fall ahead of the cold weather. Frances Nelson, HTH Section Manager, said the emergency shelter will have less capacity than originally intended, but this sacrifice will make sure it is in operation sooner and less expensive. "We are reducing the scope on that building just to stay within budget," Nelson told the council. The plan is to open with 56 rooms with double occupancy, meaning the hotel will have the capacity to shelter 112 people, Nelson said. The opening of the shelter has already been delayed by issues including meth remediation and extensive water damage from a burst pipe. In order to move the project forward as quickly as possible, the half of the building with the most water damage has been sealed off. The two properties will function quite differently. The HTH program is categorized as permanent supportive housing, which King County describes as "an evidence based approach to chronic homelessness that pairs affordable housing with supportive services like case management, transportation resources and health care services." (Read this in-depth FAQ.). Although the barriers to access this housing are low, residents will still need to be referred by an approved organization and go through an application process to evaluate whether they will be a good fit for the program. Up to 65% of the 86 total apartments available will be for people with strong ties to Federal Way, according to the program. The city council asked questions about resident code of conduct during the meeting, which the operator of the site, the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle, shared in 2O24 in the permitting paperwork. The Urban League's Operations Plan states that: "The Code of Conduct is legally incorporated into the lease agreements of residents at the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle Federal Way Permanent Housing. This incorporation means that adherence to these agreements is as binding as any other lease obligation. Violations of these rules can lead to legal and lease-related consequences, underlining their importance." This means that although residents have tenants' rights, their lease is different from a typical apartment, as it includes built-in resources and responsibilities as part of the overall Health Through Housing program. This conduct agreement submitted by the Urban League specifies "no loitering and disruptive behavior," includes a "prohibition on illegal activities" and "expectations of harmony and respect." Regular inspections are conducted by management to ensure housing policies are not violated. Residents are not even allowed an open flame such as a candle or incense in their apartments, and microwaves and cooking devices are only available in common areas, according to the plan. According to the Operations Plan, security personnel will be responsible for "managing and monitoring who enters and exits the facility," which will include "verifying identification, issuing visitor badges, and ensuring that only authorized personnel have access to certain areas." The Health Through Housing program helps individuals who are classified as chronically 157 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023960 homeless achieve "long-term housing stability and improve their health and well-being." The program focuses on increasing their self-sufficiency, helping them find employment, medical care, sobriety support, mental health needs and more. Once stable, residents will also be expected to pay one-third of their income in rent. The program will measure success by "the number of individuals moved from homelessness into stable housing and the percentage of those households who remain stably housed over time." The former Red Lion hotel will be a completely different structure and instead focus on emergency shelter, with shorter stays. [WA] State's successful homeless encampment removal program could see cuts (Seattle Times, WA) - full text Seattle Times [3/28/2025 12:45 PM, Greg Kim, 210K, WA] The Washington state Legislature has proposed budgets that would cut $30 million from the state's signature homelessness program, which would largely halt work to remove encampments on state property next to highways. Advocates say that's just one of many cuts homelessness programs could be facing. In 2022, the state innovated a new model for removing encampments -- creating subsidized housing and providing it to people living outside in areas that officials wanted to clear. Until then, people whose tents were cleared in encampment removals had to compete against everyone else trying to access scarce housing resources. Since then, Washington has closed more than 50 encampments in five counties, bringing nearly 80% of people from them -- almost 1,500 people -- inside. That is a significant improvement from how cities normally clear encampments, which, for the most part, moves people from one location outside to another. However, it's more expensive to house people than to move them around. The state has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on the Encampment Resolution Program, most of that on creating new housing. State officials said they heard criticism from cities that questioned whether it made sense to spend that much on a specific sliver of homelessness: people living in encampments on state property next to highways. With pandemic relief funding drying up and the state facing immense budget challenges, the state House and Senate proposed budgets this past week that would reduce the program's funding from $75 million to $45 million annually. Gov. Bob Ferguson responded to questions about cuts to the program by pointing out the tough overall budget environment -- an estimated $16 billion budget shortfall over the next four years. "We've got serious challenges ahead," Ferguson said in a statement, noting potentially drastic changes in federal funding under the new presidential administration. State lawmakers said the program had been successful at demonstrating a new way to resolve encampments without displacing people, but that they had many important priorities. "I think there's very strong support for the approach. I think the challenge is the limited resources," said Rep. Nicole Macri, D-Seattle, in an interview last fall. The state Department of Commerce, which oversees the program, said its primary goal now is to maintain the housing currently funded through the Encampment Resolution Program, and addressing new encampments would be limited to beds opening up from 158 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023961 people leaving. Some service providers fear encampment removals will continue but without using the new model of bringing people inside. "If we can't resolve encampments in the right way, there will be enormous pressure to remove them through just displacement," said Lisa Daugaard, co-executive director of Purpose Dignity Action, one of the organizations partnering with the state's Encampment Resolution Program. Alison Eisinger, executive director of the Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness, said she supported the state's model, but that there were broader concerns with a number of homelessness programs facing cuts. "The point isn't that this effective program is not going to be able to continue to bring new people in. The point is that multiple effective, good programs are not going to be able to bring new people in, and may lose the ability to maintain stability for the people they're currently serving," Eisinger said. Lawmakers must approve a final budget by April 27, the last day of session. [OR] After nearly 40 years serving homeless youth, Portland transitional housing program forced to close (Oregonian, OR) - full text Oregonian [3/29/2025 7:00 AM, Lillian Mongeau Hughes, 3861K, OR] Mallory Worley was all alone at 17. Adult after adult had given up on her. She was placed in foster care at age 6. Adopted at age 10. Kicked out of her adoptive home at age 16. Reunited with her biological mother that same year. And then quickly estranged from her again. By 19, she was couch surfing and staying with her stepbrothers in Portland. Then, she discovered she was pregnant. Finding herself with no other option, she applied to live at Bridge House, a transitional housing program for homeless youth run by longstanding Portland nonprofit Janus Youth Programs. "If I didn't have Bridge House, I promise you I would not be here today," Worley, now 21 and living independently, told The Oregonian/OregonLive. "(Bridge House) gives people a chance to really start over in life. It gives home vibes." On Friday, after nearly 40 years serving more than 500 young homeless people, many of them people of color or identifying as LGBTQ+, Bridge House closed due to lack of funding. Typically, Janus raises funds from private donors, the counties where it provides services, the state and the federal government. "Other years, you might go out and advocate and see if we can get extra money in," said Dennis Morrow, Janus' executive director. But this year, he said, with federal funding for social services highly unstable and the state and county facing their own budget woes, the effort to keep the program open seemed futile. State funding for homeless youth services has grown in recent years, but unless a bill that would authorize additional spending passes this session, those dollars will likely remain insufficient to save programs like Bridge House. Across the metro area, the funding instability at all levels of government is causing other homeless services and youth-focused programs to weigh cuts as well. Morrow said Bridge House has consistently won a competitive federal grant from the Family and Youth Services Bureau, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human 159 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023962 Services. He said organizations had to score 100 out of 100 on their grant applications to get funding and that the process took many months to complete. Morrow said most formerly homeless youth who stayed at Bridge House completed their high school education or GED, landed jobs and, ultimately, found a place to live on their own. In fact, in recent years, Bridge House has placed 84% of participants into selfsustained housing. The program's success rates were so high that its leaders were asked to present their model at a national conference for providers of services to runaway and homeless youth in December. With its track record, Janus has won the competitive three-year federal grant every time it has applied since 1986. But it doesn't seem likely this year, Morrow said, and not because the program has changed. "Federal grants right now -- we don't even know," he said. "We don't even have the application or know when that's going to come out or if it will come out." The little teal green house in Southeast Portland that has housed Bridge House participants for more than 30 years has bedrooms for seven residents between the ages of 16 and 24. There's space in the upstairs bedrooms for young parents to room with their children. The program provides a free place to live, food and wrap-around support for the youth living there, along with clear expectations for behavior. "They have everything," Worley said. "I'm talking about from lawyers to dentists to GEDs to going to job corps to parenting classes to human resources." She said residents were required to be working on their education or have a job. There were chores. She liked the gardening. And residents were taught how to get used to paying rent by putting 30% of anything they earned into a savings account each month. That money came back when you left, Worley said, and helped cover the cost of moving into a new place. Residents took turns making dinners on Wednesday nights and were given an allowance for special holidays to buy and share their favorite meals. "I wouldn't see Bridge House as a homeless shelter," Worley said, getting choked up as she spoke. "I would see Bridge House as a home." But without being able to count on the $250,000 in annual funding from the federal government, Morrow said Janus had no choice but to close the doors to that home. Local and state funding streams, even when combined with support from local donors, wouldn't have been sufficient to make up the $490,000 annual budget, Morrow said. Besides, to keep up with current wage expectations, he'd calculated the program would have needed another $60,000 a year on top of its current budget. A bill scheduled for a work session in the House Committee on Early Childhood and Human Services on April 3, could raise the level of state funding available for homeless youth services. House Bill 3079, which is sponsored by a slew of Democrats and two Republicans, would allocate an additional $34.3 million for the Youth Experiencing Homelessness Program, supportive housing services for youth and workforce development and retention support, according to the most recent amendment shared with The Oregonian/OregonLive. That would be on top of the $19.7 million to address youth homelessness in Gov. Tina Kotek's proposed budget, a slight reduction over the 160 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023963 previous biennium. The bill would also expand eligibility for supportive housing for youth to children younger than 18. Spending more on preventing and ending youth homelessness could pay off in the long run, according to a 2022 cost analysis by the state and the Corporation for Supportive Housing, a New York-based advocacy group. "If homelessness was ended for all youth in Oregon, the projected (savings) could total $66 million annually," the report states. All of this will come too late for Bridge House. Morrow said he's trying to make peace with the end of the program. The current residents have all moved out and most staff will land in other jobs at Janus, which also provides street outreach services and shelter beds in Portland and Vancouver. Started in 1972 as a program for drug addicted youth, Janus was officially named after the Roman god of transitions. But the idea was that it would also sound cool to young people at the time because it sounded like Janis, as in Janis Joplin. These days, Janus serves nearly 400 kids and young adults a year through its various programs. In addition to shelters for homeless youth, the program operates supportive housing programs for young people, including young parents, in Clark County, Washington. After Worley moved into Bridge House and had her daughter, things seemed better. She soon moved out with her baby girl. But the person she moved in with became threatening and she knew she needed to get away, for her own sake, and her child's. She reconnected with her support team at Bridge House and was able to move back. "They never judged a situation, any situation," Worley said. She said the staff were patient and understanding. "You don't live where we work, we work where you live," she remembers them telling her. Once, Worley had the flu and didn't make it to the bathroom before throwing up. A staff member swooped in to clean up and urged her back to bed. Worley couldn't believe she wasn't being asked to clean the puke up herself. "That was a shock when she did that." Worley said. "It was a shock that anyone was willing to help without you doing something first." She said she'd never experienced that kind of care from adults. And though she didn't make the connection directly, her explanation of the kind of mom she hoped to be tracked closely with the qualities she said she admired in the adults running Bridge House. "I always try to give her the mom I always wanted," Worley said of who she tries to be for her daughter. "Someone who's patient and calm. Not always yelling. Someone you don't have to be scared to go to when you've got a problem.". Oregon has among the highest incidences of youth homelessness in the nation, according to the 2024 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report put out by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The exact number of homeless children in the state is unclear though. The Oregon Department of Education found that 21,478 students in kindergarten through 12th grade were homeless in the 2022-23 school year, the highest number ever. Meanwhile, a federally mandated count of homeless people in Oregon in January 2023 161 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023964 found that 5,106 people under age 25 were homeless, in what appears to be a severe undercount given the Department of Education figure. (Because brain development isn't complete until 25. the oldest someone can be and still be considered "youth" is 24.). Whatever the actual number of young Oregonians without a permanent home, there is not enough state funding to address the problem, according to Doug Riggs, director of Alliance4Kids, an advocacy organization for homeless youth. "There was $25.5 million (for homeless youth services) in the 2023-25 biennium, which is greatly appreciated and a lot more than we were spending just a few years ago," Riggs said. "But it still pales in comparison to the (about $1.4 billion) spent on adult programs.". To Morrow, failing to budget enough money for a program that works so well for the youth it serves is nonsensical. The best way to prevent adult homelessness, Morrow argued, is to pull kids out of homelessness. By his calculation, every boy pulled out of homelessness saves taxpayers a lot of money that might otherwise have been spent on public services if that boy became a homeless adult man. Morrow said helping girls leave homelessness saves even more money, since so many young women have their own children. He's said he's learned that none of these kids are a lost cause and investing in them now can change their lives, and their children's lives, forever. "People don't understand," Morrow said. "They think a kid is on the street because they're dumb. But if you're surviving on the street, you've got to be smarter than average." One young woman who lived at Bridge House 20 years ago is now a doctor, he said. That's unusual. Few people become doctors, no matter how they grew up. But he wants to be clear that even that outcome for these kids is not impossible. Riggs, the homeless youth advocate, said that now, as the state faces an unabated homelessness crisis, is the time to continue to invest in preventing and ending youth homelessness. "'Oh kids are resilient, we can come back to them,- Riggs said people think. "No. Kids are at a critical time in their development. And if we lose them, we lose the ability to help them for decades." Worley and her child moved into their own apartment last week. Now, Worley is looking for a warehouse job. She likes warehouse work because she's strong and she likes the feeling of power that comes with the physical labor. She's not worried. Jobs are easier to find than housing, she said. And she always has her food handler's license - something Bridge House encourages every resident to get -- to fall back on if needed. Worley's primary goal, no matter what job she lands, is to give her child a safe and stable home. [OR] Oregon city at heart of high court homelessness ruling blocked from enforcing camping ban (Associated Press) - full text Associated Press [3/28/2025 9:20 PM, Claire Rush, 48304K] An Oregon judge issued a preliminary injunction Friday blocking the city at the heart of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on homeless encampments from enforcing its camping rules unless it meets certain conditions, as part of a lawsuit filed by advocates. Under the decision by Josephine County Circuit Court Judge Sarah McGlaughlin, Grants Pass must increase capacity at city-approved sites for camping and ensure they are physically accessible to people with disabilities. 162 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023965 Unless those conditions are met, the order bars the city from citing, arresting or fining people for camping on public property; from forcing people to leave campsites: from removing campsites that are not clearly abandoned; or from prohibiting camping in most city parks. The order still lets the city enforce rules banning sleeping on sidewalks and streets or in alleys and doorways. Mayor Clint Scherf told The Associated Press he was "disheartened" by the decision, and Grants Pass information coordinator Mike Zacchino said via email that the city was "reviewing all aspects to ensure we make the best decision for our community." The lawsuit was filed by Disability Rights Oregon, which accused the city of discriminating against people with disabilities and violating a state law requiring cities' camping regulations to be "objectively reasonable." Plaintiffs also included five homeless people in Grants Pass. Grants Pass, a small city of about 40,000 along the Rogue River in the mountains of southern Oregon, has struggled for years to address the homelessness crisis and become emblematic of the national debate over how to deal with it. Its parks in particular became a flashpoint, with many of them becoming the site of encampments blighted by drug use and litter. Last June, in a case brought by the city, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that communities can ban sleeping outside and fine people for doing so, even when there are not enough shelter beds. That overturned a California-based appeals court decision that held that camping bans when shelter space is lacking amounted to cruel and unusual punishment under the U.S. Constitution's Eighth Amendment. Officials from across the political spectrum filed briefs in that case saying they were hamstrung in their ability to deal with encampments. After the high court ruling, Grants Pass banned camping on all city property except locations designated by the City Council, which established two sites for the town's hundreds of homeless people in a bid to move them from the parks. Upon taking office in January, the new mayor and new council members moved to close the larger of the two sites, which housed roughly 120 tents, according to the complaint. Meanwhile the smaller one saw its hours of operation reduced to between 5 p.m. and 7 a.m., meaning people had to pack up their belongings every morning. The two sites were frequently crowded, with poor conditions and inaccessible to people with disabilities due to loose gravel, according to the complaint. "It is unconscionable to me to allow people to live there like that," City Council member lndra Nicholas said before the vote to close the larger site. After the lawsuit was filed, the city reopened a second, smaller site and extended the time people could stay to four days. McGlaughin's order says the city must increase capacity to what it was previously before the larger site was closed. Tom Stenson, deputy legal director for Disability Rights Oregon, called the ruling a victory. "This is not a radical solution. The court is basically saying, `Go back to the amount of space and places for people who are homeless that you had just three months ago,- he told AP. Homelessness increased 18% last year nationwide, driven mostly by a lack of 163 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023966 affordable housing as well as devastating natural disasters and an increase in migrants in some parts. [OR] Protest against Old Town hotel owner turns violent, as homeless aid effort splits neighborhood (Oregonian, OR) - full text Oregonian [3/28/2025 8:52 PM, Zaeem Shaikh, 3861K, OR] Standing on a corner in Portland's Old Town, at least 50 people gathered Thursday evening, huddling close together as they waited their turn to grab a free meal. On a row of tables an assortment of rice, vegetables, potato chips and chocolate cake would become a late lunch or dinner for the people waiting at Northwest 5th Avenue and Glisan Street. "Would you like a water bottle?" a volunteer asked a man. A loosely connected group calling itself the Community Free Store PDX organized the grassroots resource distribution and food service for homeless Portlanders, and has done so in Old Town and Lair Hill regularly in recent weeks. But tensions over the group's practices -- they have blocked public streets and taken over a private parking lot to distribute their goods -- has drawn the ire of some nearby residents and business owners and sparked a backlash that has spilled over to Portland City Hall and the police. Later on Thursday, a demonstration outside The Society Hotel, whose owner publicly described the group's behavior as "just shy of domestic terrorism," turned violent when police said protesters tried to force their way into the lobby, pushing open a door that struck a pregnant front desk clerk and attacking a hotel security guard who tried to help her. Police arrested two people -- 42-year-old Nicole Middleton of Milwaukie and 30year-old Rhythm Kenaley of Portland -- but it's not clear if they were directly tied to the community group. The debate on the Community Free Store burst into wider public view March 6, when the group's evening distribution event drew a heavy police response. According to police, participants were blocking the street and access to a private parking lot and refused to move after a small number of officers asked them to. "Finally, the officers had no other options but start writing tickets to people out in the street," spokesperson Mike Benner wrote in an email. "A couple of dozen members of the group began to loudly threaten and encroach upon the officers, preventing the officers from safely doing their work." The officers then called for backup. "Due to the potential civil disturbance, the incident commander requested additional resources, which is why so many officers were assigned to the call," Benner added. In an Instagram video later, Portland Councilor Angelita Morillo accused Portland police of wasting resources by descending on the free store and using force to make them stop distributing aid. "This is not an appropriate use of city funds," she said. This week, she doubled down on her remarks at a public meeting and called the response "incredibly heavy-handed if there's nothing violent going on." Councilor Eric Zimmerman, who represents Old Town, took a different approach. "There is no shortage of hygiene kits and meals and materials that are being given away in Old Town," Zimmerman said in an interview Friday. "I'm not sure another group needs to come in and do it." Blanchet House, a nonprofit that serves homeless people, sits just a block from where the free store set up Thursday. 164 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023967 The nonprofit serves three meals a day and gives out clothing and supplies daily. Nearby, Portland Rescue Mission also provides two meals a day to anyone in Old Town. Jessie Burke, owner of The Society Hotel and chair of the Old Town Community Association, said she wanted the group to follow the rules and not block access to roads unannounced. When residents approached the group with their concerns, she said free store participants hurled insults. On Thursday evening, participants declined to answer questions from The Oregonian/OregonLive. Scott Kerman, the executive director of Blanchet House, said he's inspired by the fact that people want to help. But he feels the tension, too. "The tension in our neighborhood has definitely gotten stronger. I don't know exactly why that is," Kerman said. "I know people are frustrated -- it's been a hard four or five years for everyone, including people we serve." [CA] Congress reestablished its caucus to address homelessness. Rep. Nanette Barragan, its co-chair, outlines the goals (Orange County Register, CA) - full text Orange County Register [3/28/2025 5:34 PM, Linh Tat, 1413K, CA] Continuing to lead discussions about how to solve the nation's homelessness crisis, Rep. Nanette Barragan, D-San Pedro, recently announced that the Caucus on Homelessness will resume in the current session of Congress. The group's goal is to analyze the complex factors that contribute to homelessness, educate members of Congress about federal programs that serve the homeless, advocate for continued funding for these programs and explore policies related to housing and services for people experiencing homelessness. The caucus had been inactive for several years before Barragan and a few of her House colleagues reestablished it during the last congressional session. "I wanted to bring renewed attention and focus to the issue and find a platform for members across the country to highlight legislation, ideas, and challenges facing communities," Barragan said. The L.A. County legislator will co-chair the caucus alongside Democratic Reps. Suzanne Bonamici of Oregon, Sylvia Garcia of Texas and Delia C. Ramirez of Illinois. Four other Southern California lawmakers have also joined the caucus: Reps. Ted Lieu of L.A. County, Lou Correa of Orange County, Mark Takano of Riverside County and Sara Jacobs of San Diego County. All current caucus members are Democrats, but Barragan said the group welcomes anyone with positive ideas, including Republicans. Nationwide, nearly 771,500 people experienced homelessness on any given night in 2024 the most ever recorded according to the latest Annual Homelessness Assessment Report by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. California alone has over 187,000 homeless people, nearly a quarter of the nation's homeless population, according to the HUD report. And Los Angeles County where Barragan is from leads the state in the number of folks experiencing homelessness: L.A. County reported a homeless population of more than 75,000 while the city of L.A. had over 45,000, based on a 2024 homeless count. Official results from the 2025 homeless count are expected to be released later this spring or summer. Orange County's latest homeless population is estimated to be about 7,300. 165 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023968 Riverside County, which conducts a count every other year, reported a homeless population of about 3,725 people in 2023. And an estimated 3,055 people were homeless in San Bernardino County in 2024. "Housing insecurity often stems from one bad break that can happen to any of us an unexpected medical emergency that bankrupts a household, lack of affordable housing, an exceptionally high cost of living, or a lack of care and support for the veterans in our communities," Barragan said. "Everyone deserves to be housed, but this basic human right is out of reach for too many in the United States." Read on to find out more about Barragan's goals for the caucus. Questions and answers have been lightly edited only for clarity or brevity. Q: What specific ideas do you have for tackling the root causes of homelessness? How much would it cost to implement such solutions, and how would the federal government pay for them? A: There is no shortcut that will immediately address homelessness on a national level. The challenges are similar, but still varied in communities across the country, so a "one-size-fits-all" approach will not work. If we know the root causes of homelessness, we must invest to resolve those causes. We need to invest in affordable housing, fight for the people's right to receive wages that allow them to make ends meet, increase mental health services and make sure we are better assisting our veterans so that they may receive the care they require. The total cost of these solutions and the role that the federal government will play in implementing them will be a key focus of the Caucus on Homelessness. Q: A lot of people are concerned about the economy and potential cuts to social safety net programs that could push more Americans to the brink of homelessness. What key programs would you fight to keep intact if cuts are made to the federal budget? A: Government services such as Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (food stamps) are all essential programs that help millions of Americans to remain housed. House Democrats are dedicated to ensuring that these programs continue to aid millions of Americans. Other key programs that we will fight to keep intact are the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher, Continuum of Care and Emergency Solutions Grant programs. Q: How confident are you that this caucus will be able to move the needle on homelessness issues, given how divided Congress is? Similarly, how confident are you that solutions proposed by Congress will get President Donald Trump's seal of approval? A: Tackling the issue of homelessness will be an uphill battle and challenging to resolve, especially when so many on the other side of the aisle prioritize the wealthy over hardworking American families. House Democrats believe that housing is not a right that we can compromise on and are determined to fight to invest in affordable housing so that Americans may continue to have a roof over their heads. Good ideas, with buy-in from states and local governments and communities, can move the needle in the Republican Party and the (Trump) administration. Good ideas to address our homelessness challenge should not be partisan. Many Republican officials at the state and local level are looking to solve these same challenges. 166 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023969 Q: What do you expect this caucus to accomplish in the next year? What's your No. 1 tangible goal for the caucus? A: To address the root causes of homelessness, we need to make investments in areas that are lacking. Unfortunately, with the current administration, accomplishing something this year will most likely mean defending critical programs from drastic cuts and pushing for increased funding where we can. This means saving funding for and safeguarding housing programs such as Home Funds and Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Programs, as well as defending key policies like (the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's) Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Rule and Equal Access Rule that would promote equitable housing access and reduce the number of unhoused people in the country. Proactively, I'd like for the caucus to look at state and local programs that have made real progress and spotlight and amplify those efforts here in Congress and back home in our districts. [CA] Federal judge questions LA leaders about wasteful homeless spending following audit (ABC7.com, Los Angeles, CA) - full text ABC7.com [3/28/2025 1:31 AM, Josh Haskell, 4625K, CA] An audit ordered by Federal Judge David 0. Carter of Los Angeles' homeless spending found a lack of data and financial systems used to keep track of homeless programs, causing waste. On Thursday, Judge Carter summoned Mayor Bass, L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, LAHSA and other officials to ask them why there continues to be no accountability. "Nobody is asking our providers what they did or what services they performed. We may have providers who committed fraud and we may never know. We may have providers that provided excellent services and we'll never know," said Judge Carter. "If we're so short on money, why aren't these providers being sued...These parties owe you that money. Are they waiting for us to get senile or die? Go and get that money." Judge Carter didn't call for a receivership to take control because he said the city is broke. The LA Alliance for Human Rights who brought the case disagreed. "The city isn't going to be bankrupted by a receivership. There's a model for this which is the California prison system, was failing constitutionally as the city and county are doing here. A receivership was declared and took control of the California prison healthcare system. That did not bankrupt it. In fact, it made it run more efficiently and better," said Matthew Umhofer, an attorney for the Alliance for Human Rights. The elected officials in attendance told the court they agreed with many of the findings in the audit but already knew the system was broken. "I noticed some of the methodology they used in understanding how we do mental health services, provision of mental health services, mental health, I felt like there was a lack of understanding in how they came to some of the conclusions," said Supervisor Kathryn Barger. "Examining the finances of any operation is always good to do to check to see how we can be more efficient. What it doesn't do is answer the question of how do we get people off the street and how do we keep people from getting on the street in the first place. So, that's really what we want to focus our time on," said Marqueece Harris Dawson. L.A. City Council President. "You've inherited an incredibly difficult task," Judge Carter told Bass and Barger before 167 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023970 turning his attention to others tasked with addressing homelessness, including the state. "Get Gavin down here. He has a blog and he's busy blogging. I'll request him here and embarrass him," said Judge Carter. "The audit showed there were a lot of problems. We already know this and we are doing everything we can to address these problems. I think that this was a productive hearing, but we know we have much, much more to do," said Mayor Bass. [CA] Judge to L.A. Leaders - `I Am Your Worst Nightmare' in Scathing Homeless Spending Rebuke (Santa Monica Mirror, CA) - full text Santa Monica Mirror [3/28/2025 12:53 PM, Staff, 53K, CA] Carter Warns of Court Intervention if City and County Fail to Fix Broken Systems. U.S. District Judge David O. Carter, famous for his rulings against the West Los Angeles VA and UCLA in favor of veterans, on Thursday sharply criticized Los Angeles city and county officials over long-standing failures to properly track and manage billions of dollars in homeless services funding. He called the system broken and urged immediate reforms to ensure accountability. The judge, who was out of patience, said, "We pay your bills. Figure this out." to a group that included Mayor Karen Bass, City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson, L.A. County Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger and City Controller Kenneth Mejia. Carter added, "I am your worst nightmare. I can make your lives miserable." The rebuke came during a hearing convened by Judge Carter following the release of a scathing independent audit that found the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) lacked adequate data systems and financial oversight despite handling more than $2.5 billion in public funds aimed at addressing the region's homelessness crisis. "Nobody is asking our providers what they did or what services they performed," Carter said. "We may have providers who committed fraud, and we may never know. We may also have providers who did excellent work, and we'll never know that either." Judge Carter questioned why city officials had not pursued legal action against underperforming or potentially fraudulent service providers. "If we're so short on money, why aren't these providers being sued? Are they waiting for us to get senile or die?" he asked. While the judge stopped short of imposing a court-appointed receiver to oversee the city's homeless response -- citing the city's fragile financial condition -- he strongly criticized the lack of transparency and oversight, particularly at LAHSA, which has been the subject of multiple audits since 2007 highlighting similar failings. "This is a slow train wreck," Carter said, noting that the situation has persisted across multiple administrations and oversight efforts. Mayor Karen Bass, L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, and representatives from LAHSA attended the hearing and raised concerns about the audit's methodology and said it failed to offer clear recommendations for resolving the issues. "I felt there was a lack of understanding of how they came to some of the conclusions," said Barger, chair of the L.A. County Board of Supervisors. Mayor Bass echoed the need 168 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023971 for systemic change, emphasizing that addressing homelessness goes beyond housing alone. "Of course, people need to be housed, but that's not enough," Bass said. "There needs to be comprehensive services, and those services need to be based on outcomes -- how well did that person do?". Bass, however, rejected Carter's suggestion that she allow L.A. City Controller Kenneth Mejia to conduct a performance audit of her signature Inside Safe homelessness initiative. City attorneys argued that the city charter requires the mayor's consent for such an audit -- a position disputed by Mejia and the co-author of the charter language. Attorney Matthew Umhofer, representing the LA Alliance for Human Rights -- the group that initiated the legal case against the city and county -- urged the court to consider appointing a receiver with budgetary control, comparing the current crisis to the one that led to federal oversight of California's prison healthcare system. "The judge's patience has worn thin. Our patience has worn thin," Umhofer said. "If the city and county aren't going to act, the court must." Despite resistance from city leadership, Carter ordered Bass to coordinate directly with the controller to find a way forward on oversight. Whether that audit will proceed remains uncertain. Carter concluded the hearing by underscoring the urgency of the moment. "Folks, you've got to solve this -- or else the court is going to step in." [CA] `Disingenuous: S.F. lawmaker blasts Mayor Lurie over Bayview homeless shelter plans (San Francisco Chronicle, CA) - full text San Francisco Chronicle [3/28/2025 7:09 PM, J.D. Morris, 5046K] San Francisco's plans to expand homeless services in the Bayview district are drawing increasingly severe criticism from the neighborhood's elected representative, who says his constituents have been betrayed by Mayor Daniel Lurie. Lurie's administration intends to open 60 cabins for unhoused people at 2177 Jerrold Ave. on Tuesday. But Supervisor Shamann Walton, who represents the area, is incensed because he said the mayor is also pressing ahead with plans to add many more shelter beds at the site -- instead of the 20 safe parking spots for people living in RVs that were originally promised by the city. Officials haven't decided exactly how much additional capacity they will bring to the Bayview project, which is called Jerrold Commons. But the city homelessness department confirmed to the Chronicle that it will likely include a combination of congregate shelter and more tiny cabins, to be installed over a ninemonth period. Walton said Friday that the larger homeless facility, which would help Lurie meet his goal of adding 1,500 interim housing units, is "not what the community agreed on" before the mayor took office. He noted that the Bayview has a high number of people living in RVs on the street, a problem that worsened after the city recently shuttered a safe parking site at Candlestick Point. And he said the city's vision for the Jerrold Avenue location suggests that Lurie's administration will "lead by making arbitrary decisions" regardless of how those affected by them feel. Walton's widening rift with Lurie over the shelter plans represent some of the strongest political pushback the mayor has received since he was inaugurated in January. 169 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023972 And it comes as Lurie tries to fulfill his promise to institute a major expansion of the shelter system during his first months on the job. The mayor previously passed legislation to accelerate city contracting for projects related to homelessness, and his aides have said they're making progress on meeting the 1,500-bed goal, with 160 beds opened and another 700 being planned as of this month. Yet Walton has objected to what he sees as Lurie's commitment to warehousing homeless people in his district, where much of the city's dwindling Black population lives. He said community members were OK with the 60 cabins and 20 parking spots originally envisioned for Jerrold Avenue -- but not the larger expansion with no parking that Lurie now wants. "It looks like they're saying, `We don't care about the Bayview community. We will do whatever we want and not listen to constituents and not listen to leadership,Walton told the Chronicle on Friday. "It's just sad that this is the way this new administration seems they want to operate." Lurie is "committed to breaking the cycle of homelessness and rapidly standing up interim housing beds so we can get people off the streets," his spokesperson Han Zou said in a statement. "We're working and collaborating with Supervisors on this and will continue to do so," Zou said. "As part of the efforts, we are working with various city departments to establish an effective plan to address RVs." The city abandoned the RV parking plans for the Jerrold site in an effort to "maximize capacity and serve more people in need," according to Emily Cohen, a spokesperson for the homelessness department. "The Jerrold Commons is a key part of Mayor Lurie's effort to expand interim housing beds for people living on the streets and a tool for improving the overall street conditions throughout San Francisco," Cohen said in an email. Cohen said her department had "engaged in a robust community engagement process" since August 2023 and would continue to "work closely with community stakeholders to ensure that this project is an asset." City data shows that while District 10, which Walton represents, had 17.6% of the city's homeless population as of the latest official tally. it only had 11.8% of the shelter beds. Still, Walton has urged Lurie to spread services out more evenly across the city. Some districts -- particularly on the west side -- have little or no shelters. A successful San Francisco Board of Supervisors resolution from Walton this month called on Lurie and his homelessness department to "ensure that new shelter sites are fairly distributed, sustainable, and supported by their respective neighborhoods." The resolution said that the districts where homeless shelters are currently concentrated "are predominately home to communities of color and lower-income residents, further exacerbating systemic inequities and disproportionately impacting those already marginalized." Walton reiterated those concerns in his Friday interview with the Chronicle. "They're putting shelters and the unhoused community only in certain parts of San Francisco," he said. "That's what segregation looks like. We'll put stuff here that we would never put anywhere else." Lurie's handling of the Bayview site runs counter to his previous stated desire to 170 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023973 collaborate with supervisors, Walton said. "I want them to admit that they're going to make unilateral decisions, this is how they're going to lead and they don't care about community voices," Walton said of the mayor's office. "Don't smile in my face and say 'I love working with all the supervisors' and then do whatever the heck you want to do. That's disingenuous." [CA] Activists push back on planned Oakland homeless encampment sweeps (KNTV-TV NBC San Jose, CA) - full text KNTV-TV NBC San Jose [3/28/2025 9:31 PM, Velena Jones, 1273K, CA] The City of Oakland is gearing up to clear out all homeless encampments at Peralta Park and Lake Merritt next week. Many who live around the lake are cheering the plan, but advocates are pleading with the city to call off the sweeps. "My question is why are they continuing to conduct sweeps and displace people on a really intense level and at a really frequent scale, but there are not enough shelter beds, and there are not enough places for people to be," said Freeway, an advocate with the Oakland Homeless Union. Construction crews will begin working on a revegetation project at Peralta Park starting Tuesday. Notices announcing the clearing of encampments under the 12th and 10th Street bridges have been posted. City officials estimate that 15 to 20 people live at the park. However, Freeway said they believe dozens more are around the impacted area. A recent county estimate shows that Oakland has more than 5,000 unsheltered residents, and advocates say there are not enough shelters or support for all those in need. Freeway notes the services provided are often limited and not accessible to most. "These quote on quote solutions are not realistic with the majority of people and even if they were there is not enough of them," they said. The city said it plans to offer services and shelter to anyone displaced in the clear-out. The city also said the clear out and revegetation project are necessary to close outstanding environmental regulatory permits. Residents who live near the lake have mixed feelings about the planned sweep. "I have lived here a long time and many of the people that I have seen throughout the years and I don't know what is going to happen to them," said Claire Spafford, "I have kids, we recreate around the lake a lot and it will be awesome when it is super awesome. But its not great for the people who get to play at the expense of people who are getting pushed out.". Fabius Jones said they think the sweeps will help the city. "I think it is a good thing as long as they have a decent place to place these people. But if you just move them to another town, another city, the sidewalk, they are just going to come right back," Jones said. The city will close the encampment on April7 and Peralta Park is expected to be close until fall. [Editorial note: consult source link for video] [CA] Laguna Beach community shows support for existing homeless shelter in canyon (Los Angeles Times) - full text 171 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023974 Los Angeles Times [3/28/2025 5:23 PM, Andrew Turner, 13342K] Laguna Beach is taking a long look at the future of its homeless services, and at least for now, the alternative sleeping location in the canyon owned and funded by the city will continue to run as it has. A large crowd inside City Council chambers waited nearly three hours for the topic to come up on the agenda, one that at first blush left the door open for the closure of the shelter. City Manager Dave Kiff got out in front of the discussion, saying he would not be recommending closing the alternative sleeping location (ASL) -- located at 20652 Laguna Canyon Road -- resulting in a round of applause just before the council went to break. When the panel returned, though, Kiff opened the item by saying it was one of several tough discussions the community could expect to have as the city sorts out its priorities ahead of the next fiscal year. "I don't think our shelter resources need to be the region's resources," Kiff said. "We've already stepped up well, as Laguna knows. We're home to a youth shelter, the Friendship Shelter and the ASL, which is over 70 beds, if my count is correct, and I worry that we genuinely can't afford to be anything but Laguna-focused in the long term. "Why have this discussion now? I think part of our approach today is to be prepared for something we think is likely going to happen, and that is an increase of arrivals of unhoused residents from other areas that are heavier on enforcement [of anti-camping ordinances] than we are, and who don't have a shelter or day program services." Kiff recommended sunsetting the daytime program at the ASL, which operates between noon and 3 p.m. daily. During that time, individuals not enrolled in the overnight program can have immediate needs met, including food, laundry and a shower. They can also receive case management services. Jeremy Frimond, an assistant to the city manager, said the program serves an average of about 13 people a day. The daytime program was introduced in February 2019, discontinued because of the coronavirus pandemic, and then brought back in 2023. Approximately 30 new participants that were not enrolled in the overnight program used the daytime services during the last quarter of 2024 and the first quarter of 2025, among the lowest of any quarter since the program's inception. Frimond anticipated that expenses would increase. "Funding is uncertain, so we were not planning on federal funding coming through in the ways that it has the past several years," he said, suggesting the cost of the daytime program could go from $100,000 to more than $250,000. Data shown in a presentation noted the city saw an increase in unsheltered individuals in the most recent Point-In-Time counts, from 28 in 2022 to 46 in 2024. "It's staff's opinion that that's an overstated number for this community," Frimond said. "When we spoke to the county about it, they said they did a lot of estimating, and there is a margin of error across the entire county on that." The City Council voted unanimously to continue operating the ASL in its current capacity beyond June 30. It also authorized staff to extend the contract with Friendship Shelter, which operates the facility, for up to six months. 172 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023975 The ASL has been operating with 30 beds and five emergency beds for those enrolled in the overnight program. Additionally, the council directed staff to complete a homeless needs assessment within 60 days, to bring back criteria for placing people in the ASL, and to request information regarding the operation of the shelter. Mayor Alex Rounaghi and Councilwoman Sue Kempf will also be part of an ad hoc committee to work with staff on issues related to homeless services. There was ample frustration from the council that more is not being done by neighboring cities in the southern part of Orange County to address homelessness. "So far, we're pulling it off, but we have more needs now," said Kempf, tackling the issue from a financial standpoint. "If you expect every city to do something about this, it's not going to happen, and that's what we've seen happen. It doesn't happen, except for here. It frustrates me to no end that the county is not helping us more with this because they can have wraparound services, and they can provide much more robust support than we can in our little town." Kempf noted that keeping the community safe means keeping it safe on multiple fronts. Kiff brought up a couple of costs that need to be accounted for: fuel modification and utility undergrounding for fire safety. Police Chief Jeff Calvert said the city's park rangers have documented over 50 new homeless individuals in the community since October. "Through interviews, we've learned that many of these individuals were directed to our ASL by neighboring cities, rehabilitation centers, social service agencies and organizations like City Net and Telecare," Calvert said. "Word of our ASL services is clearly spreading, leading to an influx of homeless individuals from surrounding areas. Furthermore, since the Grants Pass [v. Johnson] ruling, both proactive and reactive enforcement calls have increased by 54% at the ASL, and over 30% in the surrounding area. This surge is placing a strain on our resources." Mia Ferreira, director of services for Friendship Shelter, pointed to data presented by city staff to state that the discussion was being built around a hypothetical scenario. "If people are coming because of Grants Pass, or coming in general because people are telling them to come here, we would see an increase in numbers," Ferreira said. "We're not seeing an increase in numbers. I just want to dispel that myth here.". Dawn Price, executive director of Friendship Shelter, focused on the impact of the ASL in helping to transition people into housing. "I want you to remember we've housed hundreds of people during the life of the ASL," Price said. "Since 2019 alone, it's been almost 300, but we housed people before that, too. . ..Last year, we achieved an unbelievable statistic in that 100% of the people that we had in our housing stayed in our housing that whole year. We are wrapping services around so tightly that we are losing very few people." Councilwoman Hallie Jones said the city shouldn't have to make a choice between compassion and community safety. "I think we're developing a little bit of a false and binary choice between being safe and really treating our most vulnerable community members with dignity and respect and giving them the resources that they need," Jones said. "I don't think that's a choice we have to make. I think we get to do both." Laguna Beach also contracts for homeless 173 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023976 services with Be Well OC. That contract is set to expire in September, though city staff expect to be in front of the council concerning the feasibility of an extension in May. Councilman Bob Whalen said that while the city will have to make decisions about what to fund, he had a "gut" feeling that homeless services needed to remain on the list. "Nobody else is carrying any water on this in south [Orange] County," Whalen said. "They haven't for years, for decades it's been all us, but the fact that it's all us and the fact that others aren't doing their fair share shouldn't change the outcome on what we should continue to do." Mayor Alex Rounaghi hoped to bring leadership in surrounding communities to the table. "We need to solve homelessness. We could put our whole general fund into this issue, and we would not make a dent," Rounaghi said. "What we really need is regional collaboration. I think it's time to bring all the south [Orange] County mayors and city managers here -- in this room, in Laguna Beach -- and let's just have a conversation about how they can play a role in helping to collaborate." [CA] Six Arrested in Homeless Encampments Between Escondido & Harmony Grove in San Diego County (Sierra Sun Times, CA) - full text Sierra Sun Times [3/28/2025 3:55 PM, Staff, 52K, CA] March 28, 2025 - San Diego County Sheriffs Office officials report that several people have been arrested due to criminal activity at a homeless encampment in the North County. On Wednesday, March 26, deputies from the Sheriff's Homeless Assistance Resource Team (HART) conducted a joint operation with the Escondido Police Department in response to ongoing community complaints regarding unauthorized encampments and public nuisance issues. The large encampment spanned both the City of Escondido and the unincorporated county area of Harmony Grove. Sheriff's HART Deputies and Escondido Police Officers had previously engaged with the individuals experiencing homelessness in the area, offering access to a wide range of resources, including shelter, mental health services and substance abuse treatment. Additionally, individuals were warned that camping on private property was not permitted. As part of the operation, deputies and officers arrested six individuals for trespassing, outstanding warrants and possession of drugs. In response to community concerns about excessive trash and debris originating from vehicles parked in a residential neighborhood, two vehicles were also towed. The City of Escondido's Public Works Department responded and hauled away multiple truckloads of trash and debris. The San Diego County Sheriff's Office remains committed to a balanced approach of outreach and enforcement, working closely with community partners to connect individuals in need with available services while addressing criminal activity that impacts public safety. [CA] Veterans Transition Center's Lightfighter Village in Marina complete (Monterey Herald, CA) - full text 174 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023977 Monterey Herald [3/28/2025 5:35 PM, James Herrera, 58K, CA] Years in the making, Lightfighter Village in Marina has been completed, marking a milestone for the Veterans Transition Center in creating a place homeless veterans will be able to live in perpetuity, with no transitional requirements, while they continue to receive case management and access to support services. Kurt Schake, CEO of the Veterans Transition Center, the nonprofit organization that has been serving homeless veterans and their families since 1998, said his organization is "elated" about the completion of the project. "We now have the ability to serve more veterans," said Schake, who added that with seven different VTC housing programs, there are now 184 beds for veterans. Lightfighter Village is a 100% affordable, the three-story, 71-unit housing structure on 2.3 acres situated on Hayes Circle in Marina that was approved by the city of Marina in November 2018 and has been planned for about a decade. The Lightfighter Village project is a partnership between the Veterans Transition Center and EAH Housing Inc. "The completion of Lightfighter Village is a proud and meaningful moment for EAH Housing," said Chief Real Estate Officer at EAH Housing Welton Jordan. "This community isn't just about providing housing, it's about honoring our veterans with the stability, dignity and support they deserve." Schake said the first tenants started to move into the 70 units this month with one unit reserved for the manager of the complex. According to EAH Housing, it is actively leasing up the property now and planning a grand opening for fall in conjunction with Veterans Day. "Seeing residents move in and begin rebuilding their lives makes all the hard work worthwhile. This project's success is a testament to the power of collaboration, made possible by our partnership with the Veterans Transition Center and the support of local, state and federal leaders," said Jordan. "Lightfighter Village proves that when we come together with a shared mission, we can create real, lasting change for those who served our country." Jordan said in an earlier report that since 2015, EAH Housing has worked in partnership with the city of Marina and the Veterans Transition Center of California to bring much needed affordable veteran housing to Monterey County. "As the general contractor on this meaningful project, we had the privilege of helping bring this vision to life -- constructing a supportive, high-quality community featuring studio and family apartments along with amenities such as a fitness room, computer lab, meditation space, pet wash station and more," said Huff Construction Company earlier this week in a post on social media. Huff Construction went on to say thank you to its client, EAH Housing, and co-developer, the Veterans Transition Center of California, for trusting Huff Construction Company, Inc. to build Lightfighter Village. "We're honored to contribute to a community that gives back to those who have served.," said Huff Construction. Lightfighter Village is within a half-mile of transit, employment, shopping and the Veterans Affairs/Department of Defense outpatient clinic as well as the Veterans Transition Center headquarters at Martinez Hall on what was once the Fort Ord Army 175 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023978 base. The military installation was shuttered under the Base Realignment and Closure Act of Congress in 1994. Land from the closed Army base was conveyed to the cities of Marina, Seaside, Monterey. Del Rey Oaks and the County of Monterey. Lightfighter Village was fully funded for about $50 million from a number of sources including National Equity Fund/Local Initiatives Support Corporation Grant, Monterey County -- No Place Like Home California Department of Housing Community Development, No Place Like Home Capitalized Operating Subsidy Reserve, California Housing Accelerator Tier 2, Veterans Housing and Homelessness Prevention Program, HUD Sec 811 Capital Grant and Federal Home Loan Bank -- and San Francisco Affordable Housing Program. EAH Housing is a nonprofit corporation which develops, manages and operates affordable housing for low-income families, older adults and persons with disabilities, special needs or both, in California and Hawaii. It was founded in 1968. EAH Property Management operates all properties in the EAH development portfolio and will be managing Lightfighter Village. Of the total number of units, 64 will be studio apartments at roughly 415 square feet, and seven two-bedroom units of about 850 square feet, including one manager's unit. Each unit features energy-efficient appliances, window coverings and walk-in closets. The structure will include a community room, garden, bike parking, on-site parking, manager's office, computer lab, a pet wash station, laundry facility, meditation room, fitness room and resident lounges. Lightfighter Village is pursuing GreenPoint Gold certification, showcasing a strong dedication to sustainability and environmentally friendly practices, according to EAH Housing. It is one of three EAH affordable housing developments in Monterey County. Lightfighter Village is named after the 7th Infantry Division of the U.S. Army that was primarily based at Fort Ord and would be part of the 10 acres of land the Veterans Transition Center uses for its operations including its emergency, transitional permanent housing programs and other services for veterans. Schake said that over the past 12 months the Veterans Transition Center's housing programs are at 92% occupancy. By the end of April, Schake said, the number of beds available in the VTC's housing programs will increase by eight to 192 beds when two accessory dwelling units are built on property nearby to Lightfighter Village. The ADUs are made possible with seed money from the RW Family Foundation ($150,000), matching funds from the VTC for $150,000, and a state grant through the County of Monterey for $382,000. Infrastructure is currently being placed before the ADUs can be located at the site with the $682,000 ADU project expected to be occupied by late May. [CA] Homeless prevention funds Why some programs were saved but others face cuts (LAist, CA) - full text LAist [3/28/2025 5:00 AM, David Wagner, 954K, CA] L.A. County leaders approved a new $908 million annual homelessness budget this week, a small chunk of which -- about 2% -- will go toward programs that aim to stop people from becoming homeless in the first place. But some programs still face budget cuts. 176 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023979 The background: Despite L.A. County voters deciding in November to double homelessness funding, lower sales tax revenue from weakening consumer spending and the loss of one-time state funds have led to "difficult recommendations in this year's budgeting process," a spokesperson with the county's Homeless Initiative told LAist. What's new: The L.A. County Board of Supervisors voted this week to restore funding to some homelessness prevention programs. But county officials must now look for cuts elsewhere in the budget to make up the difference, and some programs that give legal aid to renters facing eviction are still facing elimination. Why it matters: There has been a growing consensus among experts that L.A. will not solve its homelessness crisis only by moving people from the streets into shelters and apartments. Los Angeles County leaders approved a new $908 million annual homelessness budget this week, preserving a small chunk -- about 2% -- for programs that aim to stop people from becoming homeless in the first place. That decision by the county's Board of Supervisors reversed some planned budget cuts to homelessness prevention programs, but they still voted to eliminate other related funding. As a result, prevention advocates say, many people at risk of losing their housing could struggle to get legal help. The fraught debate over balancing the budget comes shortly after L.A. County voters decided to double a sales tax that funds homeless services. Despite the passage of Measure A in November, a spokesperson with the county's Homeless Initiative told LAist that lower sales tax revenue from weakening consumer spending and the loss of one-time state funds have led to "difficult recommendations in this year's budgeting process." The county's budget proposal originally included $21 million in cuts to homelessness prevention efforts. That came as a surprise to some homeless service providers and elected leaders. There is a growing consensus among experts that L.A. will not solve its homelessness crisis only by moving people from the streets into shelters and apartments. They say as long as more people keep falling into homelessness, the number of people living on the streets will not go down. Members of the county Board of Supervisors seemed to acknowledge that reality Tuesday, when they argued that prevention programs need to be preserved. " This board has consistently said that it's always more cost-effective to keep people in the housing that they're already in," said Supervisor Lindsey Horvath. "That's really what prevention is about." The board voted to continue funding prevention efforts, as well as other programs specifically for youth exiting foster care, by up to $26 million. But reversing those cuts will require making cuts to other parts of the budget. The Board of Supervisors only identified $5 million in cuts to a housing acquisition program. They'll have to find other cuts in order to restore prevention funds. The next step will come April 1, when L.A. County Homeless Initiative officials must report back to the Board of Supervisors about plans for new cuts to other parts of the budget. One cut still moving forward is a $3 million elimination for legal services that help people fight evictions, resolve disputes with landlords, fix their credit and expunge their 177 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023980 criminal records. Mandi Manji, a policy director with the Inner City Law Center, said that although it was encouraging to see county leaders restore some prevention funding, the current budget eliminates funding for his organization's Lawyers Preventing and Ending Homelessness Program. "Unfortunately, it is likely that this program will cease to exist post July without additional support," Manji said in an email to LAist. Prevention takes many forms. Other providers can offer clients rental assistance, or help fixing a car they need to get to work. The Inner City Law Center focuses on providing lawyers to help renters fight evictions and other housing crises. Attorney Mary Boyd said she and other Inner City Law Center lawyers are now helping people who lost income due to January's wildfires. "While there are some protections in L.A. County, they can't catch everything," Boyd said. "So we're there to kind of stand in the gap." Boyd said lawyers can also help negotiate payments for overdue rent and craft settlements that ensure landlords will not put an eviction on someone's record. She said this approach ends up saving the county money because once someone gets evicted, it becomes much harder and more expensive to help them find new housing. People who have received prevention aid and legal assistance told LAist the help wasn't just a band-aid. They said it helped them get back on their feet, able to pay rent again. One Inner City Law Center client named Tiffany lost her job during the pandemic. She said despite filing new job applications constantly, she couldn't find work -- and her application for unemployment benefits took five months to be approved. She fell behind on rent, and said she was getting eviction notices when she finally connected with Boyd. Tiffany said after Boyd worked out a deal with her landlord to cover her back rent and stay housed, she was able to find a new job in nonprofit administration. "I'm in a place where I'm thriving again," she said. "But had I not survived long enough to get here, that would have been the end of my story." LAist is not using Tiffany's full name because she doesn't want to jeopardize her housing in the future. She said if she hadn't received assistance at the right time, she believes she would have become unhoused. Tiffany said she remembered thinking: "If I don't get some sort of help, I'm going to die on the street. ... Funding programs like the Inner City Law Center is so important and paramount in keeping people alive." Will a new agency take up the mantle of prevention? County homelessness officials say prevention efforts were never going to be phased out completely. They said prevention aid is built into other programs, and they point to the new L.A. County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency, or LACAHSA, which is tasked with funding its own prevention efforts. Board chair Rex Richardson, who is also the mayor of Long Beach, told LAist the affordable housing agency is required under Measure A to spend most of its budget on producing new housing. But it will also pay for things like eviction defense and rent relief. 178 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023981 However, Richardson said the agency was not intending to duplicate programs previously funded by the county. Before this week's budget vote, he worried the agency could struggle to reach its goal of reducing homelessness inflows by 20% if the county cut its prevention budget. "What voters voted for with Measure A was more of a comprehensive prevention strategy, not back-filling budget cuts," Richardson said in an interview with LAist. "Now isn't the time to go backward. Now's the time to lean in and we all focus on prevention." Richardson said he was encouraged that county supervisors voted this week to restore prevention funding. But now, county homelessness officials will have to make up the difference by finding cuts to other homeless services. Boyd, the Inner City Law Center attorney, said it is possible that future LACAHSA funding could support her organization's prevention work -- but that is by no means guaranteed. "This just leaves us with question marks, which makes it difficult for us to figure out whether we can continue to serve clients," Boyd said. Sheelah, another Inner City Law Center client who did not want to use her full name in this article, said the program helped her avoid an eviction after she fled to L.A. from an abusive relationship in another part of California. "There are good people, hard-working people, who do need help at some point," Sheelah said. "Other people deserve that as well, just as I did. Taking that away, you could be stopping a very productive family or person becoming part of Los Angeles." [CA] Housing for homeless families coming in September (Benito Link, CA) - full text Benito Link [3/28/2025 8:00 AM, Juan Pablo Perez Burgos, 42K, CA] San Benito County is in the final stretch of completing a 16-unit housing development for homeless families, mostly funded by the state and located at the county-owned Migrant Center. Designed to help ease the county's rising homeless crisis, the project is set to be completed and ready to be occupied in September. Enrique Arreola, deputy director of the San Benito County Health & Human Services Agency, told BenitoLink that the county began planning the project four years ago. It will house up to 48 people and is the county's first step in providing housing for very low income households, as called for by the Housing Element in the county's General Plan. "This is a great project because it really gets people out from homelessness into stable housing, permanent housing," Arreola said. "It's not only just getting them into housing, but it's also giving them the support to remain housed." The development offers two types of housing. Five units are designated as transitional housing, where families can stay for up to a year. During this time, Arreola said, social workers and county staff will provide families support and assist them in finding permanent housing. These units were built with a $1.1 million grant from the Homeless Emergency Aid Program, administered by the California Interagency Council on Homelessness. The remaining 11 units will provide permanent housing. They were funded by a $2.4 179 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023982 million grant from the California Department of Housing and Community Development's Homekey project. Through Homekey, California has built more than 15,000 homes. Tenants in these units will pay rent based on their income and receive services to support their transition from homelessness. Since the five transitional housing units were planned four years ago, they were counted in the county's previous Housing Element. The 11 permanent housing units mark the first of the 246 units for very low income households that San Benito County must plan for over the next six years in unincorporated areas of the county. To complete the project, the county contributed between $400,000 and $500,000 in matching funds, according to Arreola. Each unit will come equipped with a refrigerator, a washer and cable TV. Arreola told BenitoLink that tenants will have access to a range of support services, including counseling, addiction treatment, job search assistance, financial literacy and tax preparation. "We want this to be affordable and for them to remain housed and at the same time to receive the services they need," he said. We need your help. Support local, nonprofit news! BenitoLink is a nonprofit news website that reports on San Benito County. Our team is committed to this community and providing essential, accurate information to our fellow residents. Producing local news is expensive, and community support keeps the news flowing. Please consider supporting BenitoLink, San Benito County's public service nonprofit news. [CA] To understand homelessness, listen to homeless people. Here's what I learned (Los Angeles Times, CA) - full text Los Angeles Times [3/30/2025 8:00 AM, Carla Hall, 13342K, CA] When I began covering homelessness for the editorial board of the Los Angeles Times, a service provider told me something that has guided me to this day: "If you meet one homeless person, you've met one homeless person." So in addition to writing about homelessness policy and fights over housing, I wanted to hear the stories of people I encountered in my neighborhood and around the city. I wrote about the well-kept man who lived in an RV outside my condo building with his fluffy white dog. I urged my concerned neighbors to help him get services, not get him towed. (One neighbor, a lawyer, was kind enough to do free legal work for him.) Eventually he drove off the street and never returned. I met a woman sitting on a sidewalk outside a wine store on an industrial stretch of Cotner Avenue one early evening before the Fourth of July in 2019. Her name was Michelle, she was in her 50s, and she told me she just wanted a shelter bed for the night. Just released from a hospital, she was still wearing her hospital ID bracelet. She had no cellphone because an abusive ex-fiance had smashed it, she said. I called the nonprofit help hotline, 211, but the only thing the operators could find for her was a bed in the Antelope Valley -- far from where we were on the Westside. After a while, Michelle slumped down and said she wanted to go back to the hospital. The owner of the wine store and a staffer walked outside to see what was going on. I expected them to complain. Instead, they asked how they could help. I called an Uber to 180 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023983 take her to the hospital. When the car arrived, the owner of the store pressed cash into the driver's hand, asking him to take care of her. When I got back to work after the holiday, Michelle had called my office phone and left a message thanking me and saying she was OK. I never heard from her again. The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority now has a computerized system that tracks many shelter beds across the county in real time. It was rolled out to service providers this month and will be made available to the 211 hotline system in July. Another time, I befriended a neatly dressed man who sat on a bench and politely panhandled outside a Whole Foods store in Santa Monica. James, in his mid-50s, had lost a job at a big retailer, and when his unemployment benefits ran out, he became homeless. James told me all he wanted was to rent a room in a house somewhere. He watched as luxury cars whizzed by and said surely someone had an empty room to offer him. Eventually a service provider found him a room in a six-bedroom apartment just west of USC. I visited once and brought him groceries. He shared the kitchen and dining area with the rest of the residents. At one point we heard a woman yelling at someone. "People here are crazy," he told me with some chagrin. This was not the room of his dreams. I lost touch with him after that visit. And then there was Joshua, a homeless man I have kept in touch with for years. I was the foreperson on a jury that found him guilty of a misdemeanor battery charge on a Metro train in 2019. I was curious about his life and why he had gotten into trouble. After the trial ended, I spent hours on the phone with him, sporadically, as he violated his probation, went back to jail then emerged again, usually with a new phone number. He found a trade school and took computer classes wanting to learn some kind of skill that would help him find a job. Eventually, he said, an instructor told him he was too unprepared to take the course and she couldn't devote the time necessary to help him catch up. These days, he exists on General Relief ($221 a month) and CalFresh food benefits delivered on an EBT card. He has spent nights sleeping on benches and trains and more recently on buses where he has found sympathetic drivers who chat with him and look the other way when he doesn't pay the fare. I repeatedly urged him to go to a shelter but he refused, saying they weren't safe. I have listed the reasons why it was worth a try. "I know you want better for me, Miss Hall," he said once, hearing my exasperation. "It won't always be like this." I want better for all of them -- the unhoused people I met and those I never did. Don't we all? They don't have to be heroic figures to deserve housing, any more than the people who already live in housing are heroic. I can't guarantee that none of these folks ever napped on your lawn or, worse, went to the bathroom on it. But such cases only underscore that society should provide for every person's basic needs to be met with dignity -- eating, sleeping and other bodily functions. (And I have written editorials calling for more public toilets throughout the city.) We should want better for all people who are this impoverished, who got waylaid possibly by mental illness or substance abuse -- but above all by poverty. They are hamstrung by an economy in which housing is a commodity, an investment that skyrockets in value for no reason beyond that it is scarce and therefore increasingly valuable to its owner and decreasingly accessible to the vast number of Angelenos who can't afford thousands of dollars a month in rent. 181 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023984 There are 75,000 unhoused people in the county of Los Angeles. (About 45,000 of those live in the city of L.A.) They all need permanent housing. I once spoke to an assembly of students at a private school alongside Emily Martiniuk, a woman who is formerly homeless. She started by asking the students -- in elementary grades and junior high -- what they wanted to be when they grew up. Hands shot up as she ticked off various professions. "Now," she said, "how many of you want to be homeless?" Every journey into homelessness is different. The one thing every unhoused person shares is this: No one intended to be homeless. In Martiniuk's case, crippling illness and depression caused her to lose her job and her family. "My life fell apart," she told the students. But with medical care and help from social workers, she found permanent supportive housing, then another apartment subsidized by a housing voucher, and now speaks often to various groups and elected officials about her experiences. I've spent years and thousands upon thousands of words arguing for measures that would increase funding for both the services and housing that homeless people need -- the sort of services that helped Emily. I have scolded people for opposing homeless housing in their neighborhoods -- even when they voted for the measures that would set aside funds for it -- and embracing anti-camping ordinances as the way to get homeless people out of their neighborhoods. Anti-camping ordinances don't make people vanish. They simply get pushed to someone else's neighborhood. "Homeless housing" is a misnomer, really. It instantly eliminates the problem that it names, because as soon as people step into their apartments, they cease to be homeless. Those who suffered from mental illness or substance abuse -- and crushing poverty -- still will have those struggles, of course, but now they can face them with the knowledge of a secure place to sleep every night. That matters. Think of a problem you have faced -- and how much harder it would have been if you had had no place to sleep, shower, store your possessions or use the bathroom. In this last piece I write as a member of this honorable editorial board that has long cared about people and their fate in Los Angeles and beyond, I challenge you to care about providing homes to people who need them. I challenge you to welcome new affordable housing when it's proposed in your community, because as an Angeleno witnessing this crisis, you know how many lives that housing could change -- how many lives it could save. Hold Los Angeles politicians accountable not by insisting they keep these developments out of your neighborhood but by demanding they build more of them in all our neighborhoods. Los Angeles cannot thrive if there is one community of people safely in homes and another forced onto the sidewalks. Fair Housing Judge reverses DOGE efforts to cancel HUD fair housing grants (Real Deal) - full text Real Deal [3/28/2025 1:00 PM, Holden Walter-Warner, 1053K] A federal judge halted a DOGE-led effort to cut $30 million worth of grants earmarked for fair housing programs. The Massachusetts judge this week ordered the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to restore 78 grants issued through the Fair Housing Initiatives Program, Inman reported. The department will not be able to cancel the same grants again, according to the order. Judge Richard G. Stearns gave HUD until Friday to 182 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023985 issue a notice to employees about the reinstatement of the grants and submit a compliance report. The judge's order only lasts two weeks from March 27, after which point HUD can cancel FHIP grants so long as it's consistent with Congress' prior apportionments. "We are grateful for [Tuesday's] decision granting a temporary restraining order, halting the wrongful and unlawful termination of FHIP grants to fight housing discrimination," National Fair Housing Alliance president and CEO Lisa Rice said in a statement. HUD abruptly terminated or delayed grants, leaving some without contracts or reimbursements since the beginning of the year. The termination was directed by President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, according to HUD's termination letter to the group. Earlier this month, four members of the NFHA sued HUD and DOGE over the allegedly unlawful cancellation of the grants, leading to this week's order. Separately, Rep. Maxine Waters and Sen. Elizabeth Warren are leading opposition to HUD's cost-cutting plan, which includes the cancellation of fair housing grants and the layoff of 50 percent of the agency's staff. They and hundreds of other legislators sent a letter to HUD secretary Scott Turner demanding information such as staffing statistics, planned layoffs and the status of pending fair housing complaints. They also want to know more about the activities of DOGE at the agency. Turner had until Thursday to respond to the letter and schedule a briefing but has not publicly addressed the missive. US Regulators Plan to Withdraw Overhauls to Anti-Redlining Rules (Bloomberg) full text Bloomberg [3/28/2025 1:10 PM, Sally Bakewell, 16228K] Top US banking regulators plan to withdraw an overhauled rule meant to tackle redlining and boost lending to lower-income areas after industry groups sued to block the updated legislation last year. The Federal Reserve, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency said they plan to rescind the Community Reinvestment Act final rule, which was issued in 2023 as an update to the decades-old legislation. The regulators intend to reinstate the prior CRA framework, they said in a statement Friday. "The agencies will continue to work together to promote a consistent regulatory approach on their implementation of the CRA," they wrote. The effort to revamp the CRA -- which was aimed at addressing discriminatory lending practices by banks and federal agencies -- had faced criticism from both industry and consumer advocates. Banking trade groups sued regulators to block the overhauls last year, arguing they were complex and would actually discourage banks from lending. Meanwhile, critics have said the changes didn't go far enough. President Donald Trump has been pushing to purge diversity, equity and inclusion policies from the federal government and corporate America, issuing executive orders banning the practice and asking agency heads to identify targets. The head of the US Federal Housing Finance Agency this week ordered an end to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac programs designed to help economically or socially disadvantaged groups get on the housing ladder. 183 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023986 Under the rule, US banks are obligated to partner with and finance community groups and low-income borrowers to help reverse the effects of redlining, the practice that historically excluded minority groups from banking and real estate services. In late 2023, regulators updated the rules to cover online and mobile banking services. That means the grades that regulators give firms for lending to low- and moderate-income communities won't be based just on the locations of physical branches. The overhaul also stiffened other criteria for big lenders. Banking trade groups had argued the new criteria for rating lending could make it too hard to achieve a high score. The American Bankers Association, US Chamber of Commerce and the Texas Bankers Association were among the groups that filed the lawsuit against the regulators in the Northern District of Texas in February last year, asking the court to vacate the final rules. According to an FDIC document, the revamped rule was halted following the litigation. Federal banking agencies seek to rescind 2023 CRA rule (HousingWire.com) - full text HousinoWire.com [3/28/2025 5:32 PM, Sarah Wolak, 354K] Three federal banking regulators announced their intent to issue a proposal that would rescind the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) final rule issued in October 2023. Friday's announcement involves the Federal Reserve, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC). The agencies plan to reinstate the CRA framework that existed before October 2023. "The agencies will continue to work together to promote a consistent regulatory approach on their implementation of the CRA," the agencies wrote. The October 2023 final rule was the first major revision to the 1977 anti-redlining law in nearly three decades. The original rule obligated U.S. banks to partner with and finance community groups and low-income borrowers to reverse the effects of redlining. Among other things. the revised rule sought to modernize the CRA by including mobile and online banking in assessments of products and services. It also would have reduced the number of product lines evaluated under a retail lending test to closed-end home loans, small-business loans and small farm loans. The agencies' move to withdraw the rule follows a lawsuit from industry groups that sought to block the updated legislation. A federal judge in Texas issued a preliminary injunction to halt the changes shortly before they would have gone into effect last April -- although most provisions under the revised CRA would have applied on Jan. 1, 2026. Regulators plan to withdraw overhauls to anti-redlining rules (National Mortgage News) - full text National Mortgage News [3/28/2025 12:14 PM, Kyle Campbell, 28K] Bank regulators are backing down from the fight over their recent reforms to the Community Reinvestment Act. The Federal Reserve, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency will propose rescinding the CRA rule they finalized in October 2023 and reverting to their previous review standards, according to a press release issued Friday morning. In the statement, the agency cited concerns about "pending litigation" against the rule. They also pledged to "work together to promote a consistent regulatory approach on their implementation of the CRA." The 2023 rule was the first substantial change to the 184 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023987 banking agencies' implementation of the 1977 civil rights legislation in roughly three decades. It had been years in the making, advancing in fits and starts over multiple presidential administrations. At face value, the reforms were meant to modernize how regulators define assessment areas and evaluate banking activities, but banking groups say the new framework exceeds the limitations of the law. The original CRA framework sought to measure how well banks engaged low-income communities immediately surrounding their branches, based on the assumption that most deposits came from customers in the immediate vicinity of those physical locations. To account for the advent of online and mobile banking, the agencies' new rule expanded CRA assessment areas to where banks do significant business. In February 2024, several banking groups -- including the Independent Community Bankers of America, the American Bankers Association, the Texas Bankers Association and Independent Bankers Association of Texas -- sued the agencies in federal court. They argued that the changes increased the complexity and compliance costs associated with the CRA by creating "boundless" assessment areas. The move to withdraw the final rule is the latest sign that banking agencies are questioning how well their rules can stand up to legal challenges in light of recent landmark court cases, including Loper Bright v. Raimondo, the 2024 ruling that upended the principle known as Chevron Deference, in which agencies were deemed uniquely qualified to interpret their own authorizing statutes. Late last year, the Fed announced its intention to revise its annual stress testing practices ahead of a potential legal challenge, noting that the "framework of administrative law has changed significantly in recent years." Banking groups filed a lawsuit regarding the Fed's stress testing practices one day later. The rescission of the CRA rule is also the latest defeat for the Biden era regulatory agenda under the Trump administration. Earlier this week, the Senate voted to block the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's overdraft rule. Congress is also looking to overturn a CFPB rule barring medical debts from appearing on credit reports. Elsewhere in the government, the Securities and Exchange Commission withdrew its Staff Accounting Bulletin 121, which limited banks' ability to hold crypto assets in custody. Various lawsuits and enforcement actions against banks and other financial institutions have also been dropped in recent weeks, including the SEC's case against Kraken, which was withdrawn Thursday. The banking agencies' announcement did not specify when they would begin the process of withdrawing the new CRA rule. In the past, Fed Chair Jerome Powell has said the central bank would hold off on major regulatory undertakings until new regulatory heads were installed at the FDIC and OCC. CFPB cites DEI in push to kill $105k settlement with mortgage broker (Inman) - full text Inman [3/28/2025 10:18 AM, Matt Carter, 98K] The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has asked a judge to undo a settlement it reached in a fair lending case against a now-defunct Chicago mortgage broker, claiming 185 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023988 an internal review of the case determined the broker was unjustly targeted because of his political views. The CFPB -- which has dropped nine pending consumer lawsuits initiated before President Trump began his second term in office -- went a step further Wednesday, filing a motion to vacate the Nov. 7, 2024 settlement with Townstone Financial Inc. and its owner, Barry Sturner. Townstone was accused of discouraging Black residents from applying for loans on an AM radio show and podcasts. But an internal review of the case determined that the CFPB "abused its power" in pursuing the case order to "further the goal of mandating DEI in lending," Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought said in a statement Wednesday. In its motion to vacate the settlement, the CFPB sought to refund the $105,000 fine paid by Townstone, and do away with requirements that the company (or its successors) implement additional policies, procedures, education and training of employees to prevent discrimination for five years. Vought and his top deputy at OMB, Dan Bishop, are leading the Trump administration's efforts to downsize the CFPB, with Vought serving a dual role as the CFPB's acting director. The CFPB's motion to vacate the Townstone settlement was signed by three OMB attorneys, including Mark Paoletta, who was appointed by President Trump in November as OMB's general counsel. In that role, Paoletta was expected to "work closely with [the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE] team to cut the size of our bloated government bureaucracy, and root out wasteful and anti-American spending," Trump said in an announcement. After the November election, Elon Musk -- the public face of DOGE -- posted, "Delete CFPB," on his social media platform, X. "There are too many duplicative regulatory agencies." Although the Trump administration's attempts to fire most of the CFPB's 1,700 employees have been delayed in court, "virtually all pending investigations have been brought near to a standstill," ProPublica reported Wednesday, citing anonymous sources, court records and internal emails. Vought and Paoletta have allowed seven ongoing CFPB lawsuits to move forward, but investigators working on other pending cases, "can't speak with lawyers representing companies that have been subpoenaed, interview witnesses or take other significant actions" without Paoletta's approval, ProPublica reported. After several years of investigation, the CFPB sued Townstone in July, 2020 -- the final year of the first Trump administration, when the bureau was led by Trump appointee Kathy Kraninger. In an amended complaint against Townstone that fall, CFPB attorneys maintained that statements made by hosts of the company's AM radio call-in show and podcasts discouraged prospective Black applicants from applying for mortgages, violating the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA). In a 2016 episode, for example, Sturner allegedly said that between Friday and Monday, it's "hoodlum weekend" on the South Side of Chicago, and that police are "the only ones between that turning into a real war zone and keeping it where it's kind of at." From 2014 to 2017, Black applicants accounted for only 1.4 percent of the 2,700 mortgage requests fielded by the lender in the Chicago market, compared to 9.8 percent of applications taken by its competitors, the CFPB alleged. The case attracted national 186 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023989 attention, in part because of arguments that Sturner's free speech rights were under attack. A public interest law firm, The Pacific Legal Foundation, helped defend Townstone in court. The Competitive Enterprise Institute argued in a Wall Street Journal op-ed that in going after Townstone, "the CFPB is signaling that it may attempt to punish anyone who complains about neighborhood crime." The case dragged on for more than four years before Townstone settled in November, without admitting or denying the allegations against it. "Townstone settled to escape the crushing burden of many more years in litigation," Pacific Legal Foundation attorney Steve Simpson, one of Townstone's lawyers, said in a statement. "Now we know that CFPB knew -- or should have known -- it had no case and targeted Townstone for its speech. Justice demands that this settlement be vacated." In its motion to vacate the settlement, attorneys for the CFPB said its internal review of the case was prompted by two executive orders issued in January by President Trump. Executive Order 14149, "Restoring Freedom of Speech and Ending Federal Censorship" directed agency heads to "identify and take appropriate action to correct past misconduct by the Federal Government related to censorship of protected speech." Executive Order 14147, "Ending the Weaponization of the Federal Government," accused the Biden administration of engaging in "a systematic campaign against its perceived political opponents ... in the form of investigations, prosecutions, civil enforcement actions, and other related actions." "Pursuant to the President's directive, the Bureau's new leadership undertook a review of agency records concerning recent enforcement actions, including this one," CFPB attorneys said in their March 26 motion to vacate the settlement. "The Bureau discovered within its internal case files indications that the Bureau commenced and continued its investigation and litigation without a substantial predicate of actionable facts and targeted codefendants Townstone and Townstone President and CEO, Barry Sturner, based on constitutionally protected speech." The CFPB used audio analytics mining software app, Nexidia, to comb through more than 78 hours of AM radio programs and podcasts published on social media, they said, identifying six comments totaling 16 minutes that CFPB staff determined "could be interpreted as inappropriate, incorrect, or insensitive." "This was a flagrant misuse of government resources to destroy a small business that did nothing wrong," Bishop, Vought's deputy at the OMB, said in a statement. "For the crime of protected political speech, this firm was targeted and harassed for years by this rogue agency. We are righting this wrong and protecting the First Amendment." The CFPB had maintained that the speech in question was not protected by the First Amendment because it was advertising. But that issue had yet to be ruled on when the case was settled. The core issue in the case was whether the CFPB's interpretation of Regulation B -- the language drafted by regulators to implement the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) -- goes beyond the intent of Congress in passing the legislation in 1974 and in updating through amendments over the years. Attorneys for Townstone scored a win in February 2023, when U.S. District Court Judge Franklin Valderrama agreed with their position that the ECOA only prohibits 187 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023990 discrimination against actual loan applicants -- not "prospective applicants." But the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit disagreed with that interpretation, sending the case back to Valderrama's court, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, in July. Attorneys litigating the case notified the court on Oct. 22 that they had "entered settlement negotiations in earnest," and on Nov. 1 - four days before the 2024 presidential election -- entered a proposed settlement with the court. Trump was reelected on Nov. 5, and Judge Valderrama approved the settlement two days later. Marx Sterbcow, one of the attorneys who represented Townstone, said the Townstone "settled in ruin, paying $105,000 it couldn't afford. The company is now gone, a victim of agency overreach." "For Barry Sturner, his family, and Townstone's employees, the damage is personal," Sterbcow posted on Linkedln Wednesday. "The CFPB's baseless claims sullied their reputations--labels that stuck despite their innocence. Today's motion, which I urge the court to grant swiftly, starts to correct that by vacating the judgment and refunding the penalty." Judge Valderrama on Wednesday granted Paoletta and other attorneys representing the CFPB standing to appear before his court in Illinois, but minutes of the hearing noted that, "At this time, the case remains closed." The CFPB fined a lender for discrimination. Now it wants to give the money back. (Yahoo! Finance) - full text Yahoo! Finance [3/30/2025 10:00 AM, Jordan Weissmann, 48775K] Late last year, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau reached a settlement with a small mortgage lender based in Chicago, Townstone Financial, fining the company for discriminating against Black homebuyers and discouraging them from applying for loans by bad-mouthing the city's heavily African American South Side on the radio. Though Townstone was a minor firm, the case was a major court victory for the government, which described it as a blow against "modern-day redlining" -- the practice of refusing to lend in minority neighborhoods. In a surprise move this week, however, the CFPB asked a court to undo its settlement and dismiss the case, claiming it had discovered "significant undisclosed problems" with the investigation that led to the suit, which it said had "trampled" on Townstone's First Amendment rights. What's more, the agency asked the judge for permission to return $105,000 that Townstone already paid in penalties. Under Trump, the CFPB has dropped a slew of lawsuits that it filed late in the Biden administration, including ones against Capital One, the organization that runs Zelle, Rocket Homes, and other major financial institutions. But its decision in Townstone has dumbfounded former officials and consumer advocates, who struggled to think of any other example of the government attempting to scrap an enforcement case it had already effectively won and offering to refund a penalty. "I've never seen anything like it," said Sam Levine, the former head of consumer protection at the Federal Trade Commission during the Biden administration_ Lisa Gilbert, co-president of the progressive activist organization Public Citizen, called the action "both bizarre and appalling." Adding to their sense of shock: The CFPB originally filed its case against Townstone in 2020 during Trump's first term under his own handpicked director, Kathy 188 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023991 Kraninger. Some consumer protection activists said they were concerned about the precedent the CFPB's request might set, since it would likely encourage other companies to try reopening old, settled cases. "I would go to the Trump administration and say, hey, you did this for Townstone Financial, can you do this for our settlement too?" said Christine Chen Zinner, senior policy counsel at Americans for Financial Reform. The CFPB did not return a request for comment. The Townstone case largely focused on comments its executives made on an in-house weekly podcast and AM radio show they used for marketing, "The Townstone Financial Show." The government argued that it was essentially an extended infomercial, where the firm's owners and employees talked about issues around mortgages and homebuying -- and occasionally took shots at Black neighborhoods in Chicago and surrounding Cook County. In one episode, for instance, Townstone's co-founder and CEO described Friday through Sunday on the South Side as "hoodlum weekend" and said the police were the only ones preventing it from turning into a "war zone." On a different occasion, a host said that walking through the South Side at 3 a.m. would deliver "the same rush" as skydiving. In others, the host said that people needed to "drive very fast" and not "look at anybody" in the nearby, mostly Black city of Markham and called a Jewel-Osco in downtown Chicago "Jungle Jewel." They added that the grocery store was a "scary place" because it was packed with "people from all over the world." The CFPB argued that Townstone's remarks signaled it wasn't interested in issuing mortgages in Black and other minority neighborhoods, running afoul of regulations under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act that ban lenders from discouraging potential customers from applying based on race, including in their advertising. A lower court judge initially dismissed the case, finding that those regulations went beyond what Congress had intended when it passed the law. But the US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit reversed and let the suit go forward, eventually leading to a settlement and fine. Though Townstone did bring up a defense that its show was protected by the First Amendment, the issue was never actually litigated. The appeals court win and penalty made "clear that people are protected from illegal redlining even before they submit their application," then-CFPB Director Rohit Chopra said last November. Conservative groups had long seen the case as an injustice, however. In 2023, researchers at the Competitive Enterprise Institute published an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal arguing that the CFPB was misusing antidiscrimination laws to essentially censor speech about crime in Chicago, and compared the comments from Townstone's executives to when the city's own mayor recalled having to shield his children "from bullets that fly right outside our front door." This January, the group argued in the Washington Examiner that Trump's CFPB should "take the unusual but warranted step of rescinding" the fine that Townstone paid and "perhaps provide compensation to the firm for the disruption of its business." The CFPB, which has largely shut down operations under the second Trump administration, now says the suit should never have been brought. On Wednesday, it filed a motion in which it said officials had conducted a review of the suit's history and 189 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023992 found that Townstone had been unfairly "targeted" based on "constitutionally protected speech." The motion accuses investigators of essentially cherry-picking a handful of comments on the company's show, pointing out that the government used audio analysis software to find 16 minutes of content from more than 78 hours of tape. The CFPB also never found any potential borrowers who actually claimed to have been discouraged from taking a loan, it noted. In a statement Wednesday, the acting CFPB Director Russ Vought suggested that the agency's reversal was part of the administration's broader effort to undo diversity, equity, and inclusion policies in the public and private sector. "The CFPB abused its power, used radical 'equity' arguments to tag Townstone as racist with zero evidence, and spent years persecuting and extorting them -- all to further the goal of mandating DEI in lending via their regulation by enforcement tactics," he said. Progressive consumer advocates told Yahoo Finance that they were fearful the case signaled it would now be open season for lenders who want to discriminate against borrowers. "Dropping this settlement sends a crystal clear message to businesses that discriminatory conduct is somehow now allowed," said Public Citizen's Gilbert. It is unclear whether US District Judge Franklin Valderrama, who is overseeing the case, will grant the government's request to roll back its own settlement. If he does, it may set a template for the Trump administration to try to undo other old settlement deals. John Berlau, the Competitive Enterprise senior fellow who advocated for the case to be reversed, said he thought it was unlikely that Trump would try to upend many old settlements. The Townstone executives were "victims of an egregious, unconstitutional prosecution" that required extraordinary action, he argued. Commercial advertisements usually receive a lower level of protection under the First Amendment than political speech. But Berlau said that Townstone's program was no different than other podcasts run by business owners aimed at a general audience. "I think this sends a powerful message to agencies not to weaponize the law against free speech rights," Berlau said. [NY] Fair housing suit against Elliman, agents dismissed with prejudice (Inman) full text Inman [3/28/2025 1:42 PM, Lillian Dickerson, 98K] A fair housing lawsuit first launched against Douglas Elliman and several of its agents in 2023 has been dismissed by a federal judge with prejudice. The suit filed by Section 8 voucher holder and homebuyer Shaniqua Newkirk, who is Black, alleged that agents at the New York-based luxury firm violated the Fair Housing Act in either failing to respond to her requests for assistance in finding housing or simply not helping her with her Section 8 voucher. Because the case was dismissed with prejudice, Newkirk will not be allowed to bring the claims forward again in a future lawsuit. "We disagree with the Court's reasoning in dismissing the Complaint," Andrew Miltenberg, an attorney for Newkirk, wrote in a statement sent to The Real Deal. "We believe that there is a clear and compelling basis for the lawsuit and are considering our appellate options." Attorneys for Newkirk did not immediately respond to Inman's request for comment. Douglas Elliman said it was pleased with the judge's ruling, which came in on March 13. 190 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023993 "We are thrilled to see these predatory and baseless claims rejected by the court and that the well-earned reputations of our agents and our firm have been affirmed," a spokesperson for Douglas Elliman said in an email to Inman. "The dismissal of this lawsuit underscores Douglas Elliman's zero-tolerance policy against any unlawful discrimination. We pride ourselves on our agent training programs, which include rigorous education on fair housing laws." The judge's dismissal says that Newkirk and her attorneys failed to file an amended complaint by the court's deadline, even though that deadline was extended twice, ultimately to Feb. 27, 2025. On March 5, defendants in the case requested the court dismiss Newkirk's claim with prejudice, a few days after which the court ordered Newkirk to show cause as to why it should not be dismissed after failing to comply with court orders. By March 12, Newkirk had consented to the court's dismissal. Steven Siegel, another attorney for Newkirk, said in a letter to Judge Marrerro on March 12 that he and other counsel "did not find any authority to reinstate the cause of action" in the case. He also acknowledged that the court had found further reason to dismiss the case "including a failure to demonstrate Plaintiff's damages." Newkirk had alleged that she started reaching out to agents at the firm based on a list of New York City's top agents in June 2021, seeking assistance in finding an apartment with her Section 8 voucher. But many of the firm's agents either ignored her outreach or suggested that they were not the best agent for the job since their specialization was at the high-end of the market. Because she was not able to connect with an agent or find alternative housing before her voucher expired, she was "forced to remain in a decrepit rodent and vermin-infested apartment," the complaint said. Elliman agent Madeline Hult Elghanayan, a scion of the Elghanayan family of real estate developers, wrote in an email to Newkirk, "I only specialize in luxury real estate transactions and don't even know what sec 8 means." Some of the firm's other well-known current and former agents that were named in the lawsuit include Holly Parker, Eleonora Srugo of Selling the City, Noble Black, Tamir Shemesh, Frances Katzen, and embattled (and now imprisoned) brother-brokers Tal and Oren Alexander. The lawsuit also alleged the luxury firm violated city laws by only minimally displaying information about fair housing and anti-discrimination, rather than following the city's mandate to display such information "prominently and conspicuously." "Only at the very end of the homepage in tiny font under the heading of State Disclosures is a link," the complaint said. "Defendants are more concerned with their luxury brand than they are with following the law." Douglas Elliman has called the claims "predatory and baseless" since the lawsuit was first reported on in 2023. [PA] Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule cut, PHRC responds (NorthCentralPA.com, Williamsport, PA) - full text NorthCentralPA.com [3/28/2025 4:00 PM, Staff, 101K, PA] The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission (PHRC) has publicly announced its disagreement with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)'s decision to cut the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule of the Fair Housing Act. The Fair Housing Act (FHA) has two provisions: the enforcement provision that seeks to hold 191 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023994 landlords, property owners, property managers, real estate agents, lending institutions, and government officials accountable for acting against the Act. The second, the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) rule, was developed to undo the systematic segregation of housing to provide access and opportunity for all Americans. "This decision undermines decades of progress in promoting equitable access to housing for all individuals, regardless of their race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status," said PHRC Director of Fair Housing and Commercial Property Caroline Griffin Eister. "The AFFH rule was a critical tool that encouraged communities to actively address systemic discrimination and promote inclusive practices in housing policy. By rescinding this regulation, we risk perpetuating inequalities that have long plagued our society." HUD Secretary Scott Turner defended the decision, saying that the action will cut red tape and let state and local governments more autonomy in development and zoning. PHRC argued that this is an unwise decision based on the following historical examples: 1908: Los Angeles City Council passes first municipal zoning ordinance in the U.S. It lumps laundries, mostly run by Chinese entrepreneurs, into the industrial category to keep the Chinese out of white neighborhoods. (Source: Zoning in the United States). 1910: Baltimore, Maryland adopts first racial zoning code. Blacks aren't allowed to live in white neighborhoods and vice versa. 1924: The U.S. Commerce Department publishes "The Standard State Zoning Enabling Act" (SZEA), a model law for U.S. states to promote zoning regulations. Fifty-five thousand copies are sold, and 19 states pass laws based on it. (Source: Color of Law: A forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America, Rothstein, 2018). 1926: Euclid v. Ambler Realty: The U.S. Supreme Court rules that municipal zoning regulations in Euclid, Ohio are constitutional. Soon after it becomes standard. Many U.S. cities eventually zone 75 percent or more of their residential land for single family homes, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle, Portland, Minneapolis, and Charlotte. (Sources: Segregation by Design: Local Politics and Inequality in American Cities; Village of Euclid v. Ambler Realty Co.; Cities Start to Question an American Ideal: A House With a Yard on Every Lot). "Secretary Turner's decision is counter to the spirit of the FHA, as it seems to rely solely on the reactionary enforcement section of the act," said PHRC Director of Enforcement Adrian Garcia. "Moreover, this action seems to ignore the historic pattern of systemic segregation within our country's zoning practices. From its inception zoning laws have always sought to exclude individuals based on their protected class. Secretary Turner by his action to repeal AFFH rule and leave more autonomy to the local governments has therein provided permission to continue the segregation of neighborhoods and ignores the fundamentals fairness, and opportunity. It is our belief that the administration would be better well served to assemble a panel of fair housing experts to reexamine its decision to rescind the AFFH rule and to truly define what housing equality means by allowing experts to develop a well-thought-out process to ensure that systemic exclusion and segregation not be the product of their decision." PHRC highlighted existing zoning laws in Pennsylvania that worsen exclusionary practices: Extensive single-family zoning, large lot sizes, setback requirements, other restrictions creating low density. Limits on the number of bedrooms. Bans and moratoria on construction of multifamily housing. Zoning that prohibits "public housing," low-income 192 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023995 housing, multifamily housing, subsidized housing. Zoning restrictions across a community limiting multifamily development to two family units, accessory units, and similar limitations. Land use practices imposing high fees or other costs for infrastructure or other improvements on multifamily developers. Restrictions on the siting or operation of group homes for people with disabilities. "In Pennsylvania we remain committed to fostering inclusive communities where everyone can thrive," said PHRC Executive Director Chad Dion Lassiter, MSW. "It is essential that we continue to advocate for fair housing policies that ensure equal access and opportunities for all. Government agencies, community organizations, and individuals must work together to combat discrimination and promote equity in our housing." In 2023, the PHRC released "The State of Fair Housing in the Commonwealth of PA." The white paper makes actionable recommendations for PHRC staff, commissioners, legislators, and fair housing partners. The document's key recommendations are: PHRC Commissioners should pursue implementing source of income protection through regulatory process. State legislators should improve housing condition protections for tenants through strengthening the Landlord-Tenant Act of 1951 to include statewide code enforcement. State legislators should improve housing access for Pennsylvanians by increasing funding for affordable and middle-market housing. PHRC should actively monitor housing situations for issues impacting fair housing choice; identifying issues through advisory councils and local partners and pursuing agency-initiated complaints when merited. Under the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act (PHRA), housing discrimination can happen in the process of renting, buying, selling, or obtaining a loan. The PHRC, the state's civil rights enforcement agency, urges anyone who has experienced acts of housing discrimination to file a complaint by calling 717-787-4410. Additional information and resources are available through PHRA's website. [PA] Gainey clamps down on housing discrimination as Trump rolls back federal protections (Pittsburgh Tribune Review, PA) - full text Pittsburgh Tribune Review [3/28/2025 12:01 AM, Julia Burdelski, 1413K, PA] Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey is vowing to fight housing discrimination in the city, even as President Donald Trump rolls back such protections. Gainey on Friday signed two executive orders meant to ensure everyone has equal access to housing, regardless of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation or whether the government helps pay their rent. "Housing rights are under attack by President Trump and his allies," Gainey said during a press conference in the City-County Building. Gainey's actions comes after Trump has repeatedly targeted a provision of the Federal Fair Housing Act called Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing, or AFFH. The rule, enacted under President Barack Obama, required cities that receive federal funding work to end segregation and expand housing choices for protected classes of people. Trump eliminated the rule during his first term. In a 2020 social media post, he wrote, "I am happy to inform all of the people living their Suburban Lifestyle Dream that you will no longer be bothered or financially hurt by having low income housing built in your neighborhood... Your housing prices will go up based on the market, and crime will go 193 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023996 down. I have rescinded the Obama-Biden AFFH Rule. Enjoy!" President Joe Biden reinstated the rule when he took office, only for Trump to again overturn it. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner in a press release last month said the regulations amounted to a "zoning tax" that increased the cost and decreased the supply of affordable housing. "By terminating the AFFH rule, localities will no longer be required to complete onerous paperwork and drain their budgets to comply with the extreme and restrictive demands made up by the federal government," Turner wrote. Gainey ridiculed the change. "Make no mistake, Pittsburgh, they're trying to take away our civil rights," Gainey said. Trump's revocation of the rule has worried LGBTQ people, said Kaiah Scott, program coordinator of QMNTY, a group which supports that community. The protections the Trump administration eliminated had afforded housing protections to LGBTQ people. "This is a scary moment in our country," Scott said, calling Trump's actions "nothing short of devastating." What the orders do Gainey Friday sought to reassure Pittsburghers that protections at the city level will still be enforced -- and even expanded -- regardless of Trump's actions. The mayor signed an executive order to prohibit landlords and developers who accept funding from the city or its agencies from discriminating against low-income people who have subsidized housing vouchers, often called Housing Choice Vouchers or Section 8 vouchers. The non-discrimination requirement will be included in all future contracts with housing providers accepting money from the city. That includes those who get funds through the Urban Redevelopment Authority, said Jake Pawlak, director of the Office of Management and Budget. Because it applies only to housing providers who accept public funding, Pawlak said, officials believe it will be enforceable. A law the city passed in 2015 that would've barred anyone from discriminating against voucher holders was struck down by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Violators will see their funding revoked, Pawlak said. Pawlak said the city's law department is analyzing whether the rule also could apply to developers who get tax breaks or purchase land from the city below market rate. A separate order Gainey signed Friday will require housing providers receiving city funding to sign an agreement acknowledging they will abide by Pittsburgh's existing antidiscrimination rules. The city's Commission on Human Relations already has power to enforce those regulations, but Pawlak said officials want to ensure developers and landlords recognize up front that those rules still apply even if federal regulations are scaled back. Pawlak said some developers may be more familiar with the federal regulations. The goal of the executive order, he said, is to make sure they know about the city's nondiscrimination rules and understand the city can enforce them regardless of what the federal government does. The commission last year took on 22 new housing discrimination cases, said Rachel Shepherd. the agency's executive director. Of those, 14 ended with a settlement, four are currently in the courts and the rest were deemed to 194 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023997 "lack probable cause," meaning the commission didn't find enough evidence of discrimination to move ahead with the case. No questions Both executive orders will go into effect in 30 days. They will apply only to new city contracts, though the city may also implement such requirements on agreements that are amended after the new regulations take effect. Gainey did not take questions during the Friday press conference where he signed the orders. Olga George, a Gainey spokeswoman, told TribLive the mayor was unable to discuss details of the orders he had just signed. The city over the last three years has provided funding for 1,414 housing units, including for-sale and rentals, Pawlak said. He anticipates the city will continue funding housing at a similar pace. "We're monitoring as closely as we can emerging developments in D.C. and looking at what we can do to make sure we step up as the federal (government) rolls back," he said. [PA] Pittsburgh Mayor Gainey seeks to enhance anti-discrimination housing protections (90.5 WESA, Pittsburgh, PA) - full text 90.5 WESA [3/28/2025 5:27 PM, Julia Maruca, 170K, PA] Executive orders are more typically associated with the federal government -- and recently, with the extensive changes being made to it by President Donald Trump. But on Friday, Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey signed two executive orders of his own -- which he says will enshrine housing discrimination protections in city policy. Part of the goal is to blunt the impact of Trump's own actions. "We are fighting to ensure that fair housing laws that may get rolled back in D.C. [do] not impact what we do here locally," Gainey said Friday. "Let's be clear: Trump and the MAGA machine are using executive orders to move fast and break the federal government and producing an enormous amount of human suffering in the process. I'm using the executive orders to fight, to strengthen our local safety nets and protect our civil rights." Under the new policies, landlords and developers who take city dollars will need to formally certify their compliance with local anti-discrimination provisions as described in the City Code. Developers who receive public city subsidies also will not be allowed to refuse subsidized housing vouchers, commonly known as Section 8 vouchers, and won't be able to discriminate against tenants in general based on their source of income. That includes Social Security, disability benefits and child support. The moves, Gainey said, were partially in response to the ongoing rollback of antidiscrimination protections by the Trump administration. They also align with the mayor's ongoing "Keep Pittsburgh Home" initiative aimed at promoting affordable housing. Using executive orders to create such a mandate appears to be unusual for a Pittsburgh mayor, and could prove controversial. Executive orders have generally been used in the past to create set policies within city government itself, or to set in motion a task force or other process that will be codified in subsequent legislation. A call to Craig Kostelac, president and owner of the Landlord Service Bureau, which has opposed earlier efforts by the city to impose rules on rental properties, was not returned Friday afternoon. But Gainey's initiative Friday is not the first time the city has tried to make accepting Section 8 vouchers mandatory -- and those measures have previously faced legal challenges. 195 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023998 Back in 2015, Council President Dan Lavelle introduced legislation forbidding landlords from discriminating against tenants' source of income -- meaning that landlords wouldn't have been allowed to refuse subsidized housing vouchers, commonly known as Section 8 vouchers. But the Apartment Association of Metropolitan Pittsburgh filed suit against the city, and successfully argued that forcing landlords to accept the vouchers was too burdensome, and that the city did not have the right to impose additional bureaucracy on their businesses. After a yearslong court battle, the state Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Apartment Association in 2021. Lavelle said linking the rule to anyone who receives city taxpayer funds is a way to still accomplish some level of anti-discrimination, even if it only applies to landlords and developers who take city money. He said he spoke with Gainey about how to make these protections happen. "The mayor essentially said, look, don't let the perfect get in the way of the good," Lavelle said. "There's good we can do, and let's build upon that." When asked whether he was concerned that landlords might just decline city resources to avoid following the rule, Lavelle noted that the city's Urban Redevelopment Authority, on whose board he serves, already requires landlords who receive its funds to follow this policy. Alongside tax subsidies, funding from the URA is one of the ways that landlords can receive taxpayer money. "We just started to roll it out with the various projects that we have with the conversion projects downtown," he said. "This fortifies it, because it's not in all our documents or in all of our subsidies." The previous legislation that Lavelle put forward did not require developers to commit to following local anti-discrimination laws, as Gainey's orders do, he noted. [OH] The Fair Housing Center issues statement on canceled grants (PointandShoreland.com, OH) - full text PointandShoreland.com [3/28/2025 6:58 AM, Staff, OH] Late in the evening on February 27, the Fair Housing Center received a letter from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) indicating that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) had decided to abruptly terminate current grant contracts that it entered with the Fair Housing Center. The letter provided no explanation. "With no prior notice, we were told that two important ongoing grant contracts that provide direct services to Lucas and Wood County residents were terminated by DOGE," said George Thomas, CEO and general counsel of the Fair Housing Center. Several fair housing organizations have filed a class action against HUD and DOGE. With the recent lawsuit filing. the Fair Housing Center has issued the following public statement about the grant cancelations: Fair Housing laws ensure everyone has an equal opportunity for housing. But those crucial civil rights laws quickly become meaningless without agencies that investigate and help victims to enforce the law. Fair housing agencies, like the Fair Housing Center, provide this basic direct service for Americans. Housing discrimination often results in homelessness and makes an already tight housing market even more difficult to access for marginalized members of our community. Many Ohioans may face housing discrimination but do not understand their rights. It is critical that Ohioans have basic information about their rights and 196 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0023999 responsibilities under the Fair Housing Act, especially now. The two grants that DOGE and HUD canceled were to help Lucas and Wood county residents understand housing discrimination and their rights. One grant focused on racial discrimination and opposition to the development of affordable housing. Thomas explained: "This grant came at an important time as our nation faces a housing crisis and an increase in housing discrimination. We just saw KKK flyers distributed in the Wood County area. This grant was designed to allow us to provide outreach and education to these same areas to help address exactly these kinds of terrible new trends." The other grant focused on helping the Lucas and Wood county residents understand housing discrimination after the Supreme Court's decision in Bostock vs. Clayton County. "Following the court's ruling in Bostock vs. Clayton County, illegal housing discrimination includes discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. No Ohioan should be denied housing because of their sex, but not everyone knows this update to the law," said Thomas. "We planned to update our educational materials, provide outreach and educate Lucas and Wood county residents on this development." The Fair Housing Center was not alone in facing cuts. Many other fair housing agencies across the nation faced similar abrupt terminations. Several fair housing organizations have filed a class action lawsuit; the Fair Housing Center is a member of this class. "We thank the Reiman Colfax law firm and the National Fair Housing Alliance for their leadership in this effort," Thomas said. Our offices remain open and ready to assist victims of housing discrimination. Residents may reach us at 419-243-6163. "We want to be very clear that our services remain available for Lucas and Wood county residents. We are extremely disappointed with the sudden and bizarre cancelation of these education and outreach grants, but residents should understand that they can still contact us for help," said Mr. Thomas. [TX] Abbott Launches Fair Housing Investigation Into Muslim `EPIC City' Development (The Texan, TX) - full text The Texan [3/28/2025 3:15 PM, Cameron Abrams, 23K, TX] Gov. Greg Abbott has announced that another state agency will be investigating a controversial real estate development in North Texas, this time for "potential discrimination" in violation of the Texas Fair Housing Act. The East Plano Islamic Center (EPIC) and its "EPIC City" development have come under increased scrutiny in recent weeks. The Josephine-based development is planned to cover more than 400 acres of land, which will include more than 1,000 homes, a mosque, and schools. The announcement video for the community states it is designed to "[bring] Islam to the forefront" and will "celebrate diversity and promote unity . . . to foster a sense of belonging and inclusivity for all residents regardless of their background." Just days ago, Abbott announced that he had directed the Texas State Securities Board 197 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024000 to investigate and uncover "potential failures to comply with applicable state and federal securities requirements, including protections against fraud." He also issued a cease and desist letter from the Texas Funeral Service to "immediately stop all illegal funeral service operations." Attorney General Ken Paxton also said he had opened a Civil Investigation Demand (CID) regarding EPIC and its investment firm, Community Capital Partner (CCP) LP, stating that it has "raised a number of concerns." Now, Abbott is directing the Texas Workforce Commission to begin investigating EPIC for "potentially breaking state fair housing laws by refusing to sell or rent housing to certain groups based on religion or other protected traits." The Texas Fair Housing Act prevents discriminatory sale or rentals of real estate based on race, color, religion, sex, familial status, or national origin. Concerns regarding EPIC City have been swirling for several months. In February, the Dallas Morning News received comment from CCP saying it would abide by the Fair Housing Act and "will not enforce blanket bans on any group of people, but we will conduct thorough individualized assessments of prospective buyers to ensure they align with our goals of safety and security." [TX] Gov. Abbott says group behind Muslim-centric neighborhood is potentially discriminatory (Dallas Morning News, TX) - full text Dallas Morning News [3/28/2025 4:18 PM, Adrian Ashford, 2778K, TX] Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the group planning to build a Muslim-centric neighborhood, which has ties to the East Plano Islamic Center, is potentially discriminating against nonMuslims. The Texas Workforce Commission has opened an investigation into EPIC, a large Plano mosque, and the group behind EPIC City, the development project near Josephine, about 40 miles northeast of Dallas, Abbott said in a Friday news release. "Texas vigorously safeguards the freedoms granted to American citizens in the U.S. Constitution, including the freedom of religion," Abbott said. "To that end, the Texas Workforce Commission opened an investigation into the group behind the proposed EPIC compound who are potentially breaking state fair housing laws by refusing to sell or rent housing to certain groups based on religion or other protected traits." The Texas Workforce Commission investigation is one of at least four investigations targeting EPIC or EPIC City. Those include an investigation led by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and investigations led by the Texas State Board of Securities and the Texas Funeral Service Commission. The mosque's board of directors did not immediately respond to an email request for comment, and a call to its current board president was not immediately returned. Representatives for Abbott declined to share additional details. EPIC City is a planned development of more than 1,000 homes. a K-12 faith-based school, a mosque, elderly and assisted living, apartments, clinics, retail shops, a community college and sports fields. Last year, some members of EPIC formed Community Capital Partners, a for-profit entity managing the EPIC City project. Community Capital Partners told The Dallas Morning News in February that the organization would adhere to the Fair Housing Act, which prohibits the denial of housing 198 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024001 to a person based on their religion and other protected classes. The organization stated it "will not enforce blanket bans on any group of people, but we will conduct thorough individualized assessments of prospective buyers to ensure they align with our goals of safety and security." Yasir Qadhi, the resident scholar at EPIC, told The News in February that EPIC City is open to anyone, regardless of religion. "We have to dispel this notion that this is an exclusive community; it is open for all, and anybody who's interested is more than welcome to apply," he said. "Obviously, we understand that it's going to have a greater appeal to those of a certain background," he said. "If certain people want to live in a community where there is a faith-based mosque or temple or synagogue that's walking distance, why should they not be allowed that freedom?". On Friday, the Texas Workforce Commission stated: "It is illegal discrimination to refuse to rent, sell, negotiate, or set different terms, conditions or privileges for sale or rental of housing because of race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, or national origin. "It is also a violation of law to make, print, or publish any notice, statement or advertisement with respect to the sale or rental of a dwelling that indicates a preference, limitation or discrimination or the intention to make a preference, limitation or discrimination," the commission stated. "Based on information made publicly available by the developers of East Plano Islamic Center (EPIC) City, the Texas Workforce Commission is initiating an investigation into EPIC and its affiliated entities to determine if any fair housing laws are being violated by the EPIC City developers," the commission stated. A representative for the Texas Workforce Commission said the commission would not comment on pending or active investigations. On Thursday, Abbott said the Texas State Securities Board is investigating EPIC "for potential failures to comply with applicable state and federal securities requirements, including protections against fraud." Abbott alleged that the group behind EPIC City may be "misleading investors." The Texas State Securities Board confirmed it is investigating EPIC. "The Texas State Securities Board is conducting a thorough investigation to ensure Texans are protected from financial harm that is alleged to have been caused by EPIC," Abbott said. "This is part of an ongoing investigation into allegations of illegal activities by EPIC. All entities in Texas must follow state law, not Sharia law." Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced on March 25 that his office is investigating whether the development project violates Texas consumer protection laws. Paxton is seeking information relevant to that investigation. "Under my watch, there will be zero tolerance for any person or entity that breaks Texas law," Paxton said. Representatives for Paxton did not provide more details regarding the investigation. lmran Chaudhary, president of Community Capital Partners, told The News in a statement that the group will work with Paxton's office. "We understand that there has 199 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024002 been a lot of rumor-milling and misinformation circulated by many who are uninformed," he said. "We look forward to working with the Attorney General to ensure that we are in legal compliance every step of the way and educating the broader community about our project." In February, Abbott posted about the development on X: "To be clear, Sharia law is not allowed in Texas. Nor are Sharia cities. Nor are `no go zones' which this project seems to imply. Bottom line: The project as proposed in the video is not allowed in Texas." Sharia is the moral code for followers of Islam, but the interpretation and administration varies based on different sects, communities, countries and individuals, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations. There is no single Sharia code, similar to how there is no uniform body of law for the thousands of Christian sects throughout the world. On March 26, Abbott called on EPIC to cease and desist all funeral service operations. Abbott said in a news release that the mosque is operating a funeral home without an establishment license in violation of a Texas law that lays out the requirements for licensed funeral services. Adrian Ashford covers faith and religion in North Texas for The Dallas Morning News through a partnership with Report for America. [TX] State Investigating Muslim Compound for Fair Housing Violations (Texas Scorecard, TX) - full text Texas Scorecard [3/28/2025 4:57 PM, Brandon Waltens, 73K, TX] Gov. Greg Abbott announced yet another investigation Friday into the controversial East Plano Islamic Center, this time by the Texas Workforce Commission for potential violations of the Texas Fair Housing Act. According to the governor's office, the probe focuses on whether the center, known as EPIC, and its affiliated entities may be refusing to sell or rent housing based on religion or other protected characteristics--a direct violation of state and federal anti-discrimination laws. "Texas vigorously safeguards the freedoms granted to American citizens in the U.S. Constitution, including the freedom of religion," said Abbott. "To that end, the Texas Workforce Commission opened an investigation into the group behind the proposed EPIC compound who are potentially breaking state fair housing laws by refusing to sell or rent housing to certain groups based on religion or other protected traits." The housing development has advertised itself as an exclusive conclave for Muslims. The investigation adds to a growing list of legal and regulatory actions being taken by the state against EPIC and its planned 402-acre development in Collin County, commonly referred to as EPIC City--a compound centered around a mosque, Islamic school, and residential community. Earlier this week, Abbott announced that the Texas Funeral Service Commission has issued a cease-and-desist order for allegedly operating an unlicensed funeral home. The Texas State Securities Board is also investigating EPIC for potential financial fraud and securities violations. Attorney General Ken Paxton, meanwhile, said his office is probing for possible consumer protection violations. The project has drawn national attention from critics who say it could function as an exclusionary, religious-based enclave operating outside of American law. Abbott has firmly stated that Sharia law is not allowed in Texas and has vowed to protect Texans 200 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024003 from any entity seeking to violate state laws under the guise of religious or cultural autonomy. EPIC did not respond to a request for comment. Federal Housing Administration and Multifamily Housing Loan Think How Trump's housing policies could reshape mortgages (National Mortgage News) - full text National Mortgage News [3/30/2025 5:12 PM, Christopher Whalen, 28K] Uncertainty has replaced transitory as the new buzz work for American business, whether you talk tariffs, taxes or government mortgage finance. As a result, the mortgage industry was relieved when FHFA Director Bill Pulte told Diana Olick at CNBC that he is not considering a reduction in the conforming loan limit. As the housing market grapples with economic headwinds and shifting political priorities, the mortgage industry is bracing for potential policy changes that could reshape lending, regulation, and risk management. "There are no plans to do anything as it relates to the conforming loan limit," said Pulte. The limit for conventional loans currently stands at $806,500, an increase of $39,950 (or 5.2%) from 2024. Why was this writer and many others in the industry worried about this potentially catastrophic eventuality? First, because conservatives in Washington have been talking about rolling back the GSEs for decades. As I discussed in a recent blog post in The Institutional Risk Analyst: "When members of the mortgage industry ask what the Trump Administration intends for the GSEs, our response is simple: ask Peter Wallison at American Enterprise Institute (AEI). Back in 2018, Peter wrote an important paper that argued in favor of downsizing and even eliminating the GSEs via administrative action. The conventional loan limit would be reduced and the market above the cap would be turned into a private, bank only market that is not to-be-announced (TBA) eligible. That is, conventional loans would no longer be risk-free assets guaranteed by Uncle Sam." Now, it goes without saying that the mortgage industry has not historically spent a lot of time cultivating relationships with conservatives in Washington. With the election of President Donald Trump, however, conservative views of the GSEs and mortgage finance more generally have surged back to the fore. Welcome to Trump II. For example, Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY), who chairs the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Financial Institutions, called the CFPB under the Biden administration and former Director Rohit Chopra an "Orwellian predator," Claire Williams reports. There reportedly are many lenders that negotiated extortionate settlements with Chopra's CFPB under the administration of President Joe Biden that are now seeking to have these CFPB orders rescinded. But the second, larger reason for intense industry concern about a cut in the conforming loan limit is a softening in the economy and weakness in the upper end of the real estate market. There is a growing backlog of unsold single family homes above the national average of around $400k. 201 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024004 "It's been almost 18 years since the start of the last housing crisis and a majority of Americans believe one is on the horizon, a Clever Real Estate survey found," Brad Finkelstein reported. "The builders are not selling homes, they are renting them," notes a retired Goldman Sachs banker who lives in southern Virginia. "Huge apartment complexes are going up everywhere. The towns and counties are allowing investors to build enormous projects, but there is not the demand to clear it. Couple of recent sales have fallen through. This happened in 2008. Everyone felt house rich and then it collapsed." Because of the growing overhang in higher-priced single-family and also multifamily developments, investors are starting to reduce exposure to financials and related stocks. Meanwhile, headcount reductions at HUD and the FHFA are seen in the industry as portends of a reduction in capacity to do new business, both in terms of new loans and also the resolution of a growing pile of distressed assets. Given deteriorating market conditions, Director Pulte's comments were most welcome, especially given the relative dearth of public information available on Trump housing policy. Behind the scenes, however, there is a recognition that things are changing compared to the years of easy money and massive deficits during the Biden years. Several themes are emerging in the Trump administration, however, that are important for the housing finance industry and investors. First, the inclination of the Trump team seems to be focusing on a narrow list of priorities and leaving other possibilities for later. The possible "reform" or release of the GSEs, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, does not seem to be on the list of top 25 priorities. First there is no problem to fix. Second, administrative action. . And third, the income from the GSEs is an important source of revenue to support Republican tax-cuts. Bottom line: Second, whereas Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and progressives in the Biden Administration spent much of their time fretting needlessly about the systemic implications of nonbank mortgage servicing firms, the Trump team is more likely to rebalance the equation in favor of focusing real risks from banks, complex funds and financial firms. The states which actually regulate the nonbanks, one insider tells NMN, will be given primary responsibility for oversight of independent mortgage firms. Lastly, as part of a reform of the GSEs and also HUD, all "mission" lending will apparently be confined to the FHA/VA/USDA market, while the GSEs will serve the more traditional conventional borrower. Given the. already implemented by Director Pulte at the FHFA, we'd expect all of the failed efforts by the Biden Administration to use the GSEs to promote low income lending to end. Likewise, the credit risk transfers by the GSEs ought to be ended as well. Current CRT pricing and high attachment points make no sense at all. It needs to be said the most diligent loan officers in the mortgage industry will direct lowincome, high-LTV borrowers to the FHA market because that is where the best execution for the consumer is almost always found. The absurd Washington political narrative that says that the GSEs, which price loans based upon credit score and LTV, can be meaningful to low-income borrowers is more progressive fantasy than market 202 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024005 reality. The FHA, on the other hand, does not risk-price loans. Even if Director Pulte rolls back ill-considered the loan level pricing adjustments made by his predecessor at FHFA, the FHA market is still going to be the best execution for most low-income borrowers. But as the US economy slows in coming months and the cost of credit rises, the GSEs will discover that some of those relatively low income borrowers who migrated to the conventional market as home prices rose dramatically over the past five years will now default or migrate back to the FHA market as home prices correct. During the past four years of COVID, ultra-low interest rates, and aggressive fiscal policy by the Biden Administration, the economy benefited from vast excess cash flows. These monetary and fiscal flows tended to overstate the true level of economic growth and employment, while suppressing the visible cost of credit defaults. Now these factors are being reversed as the Trump Administration seeks to shrink the public sector. And the Fed is backing away from any interest rate cuts in 2025, meaning that this will indeed be a year of uncertainty. Do Bill Pulte and the other confidants of President Trump understand what is going to happen in housing this year and next? Correspondents Regain FHANA Market Share in 4Q (Inside Mortgage Finance) Inside Mortgage Finance [3/28/2025 11:57 AM, Staff, 5K] In the fourth quarter of 2024, correspondent mortgage aggregators recaptured the market share lost to wholesale-brokers in the preceding quarter, according to a new Inside FHA/VA Lending analysis of survey data. The analysis is based on lenders that reported origination channel details on $78.91 billion of government-insured loans in the October-December period. Correspondent production made up 46.1% of the group's government-insured volume, a gain of 287 basis points in market share. That gain came from mortgage brokers, who shed 288 bps while retail lenders preserved their market share. The shift was driven by the three giants of the segment: Freedom Mortgage, PennyMac Financial and United Wholesale Mortgage. The trio represented more than half of the group's volume. 5 Common Reverse Mortgage Myths, Debunked (Money) - full text Money [3/28/2025 10:35 AM, Lindsay Van Someren, 1344K] Many Americans are retiring with less cash than they would like. But in some instances, that can be offset by unexpectedly large -- yet welcome -- boosts in their home values. Financial planners frequently recommend reverse mortgages to help qualified older folks supplement their income in retirement. But misconceptions are commonplace. "It's not a tool for everything," says Zachary Barton, certified financial planner and founder of Barton Financial Group. "If you use it appropriately, it's a great tool." Industry experts and knowledgeable homeowners often concur. In a 2024 Opinium survey, 62% of older homeowners agreed that reverse mortgages offer more financial freedom in retirement, provided that they knew how they worked. Here are some of the misconceptions about reverse mortgages. including how they arose and how you can separate fact from fiction. Myth #1: Reverse mortgages are shady Over the years, financial regulators have introduced many consumer protections when it comes to reverse mortgages, particularly for Home Equity Conversion Mortgages 203 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024006 (HECMs), which are the most common kind. For example, there is now a pathway for spouses to stay in the home if they are not listed on the loan, and lenders must take extra steps upfront to limit borrowers from running into trouble down the road. Today's reverse mortgages are a far cry from the late-night infomercials of the '90s, but that reputation has not been easily shaken. "Everyone seems to have a general uneasiness," Barton says. "I don't feel like the product was bad. They were just missold." When he thinks a reverse mortgage might be a good fit for a client, he often introduces the idea over the course of a few meetings. That gives clients time to process their feelings after seeing the numbers about how it might boost their own retirement plan and ultimately come to a decision that they are comfortable with. Myth #2: Reverse mortgages are a last resort If reverse mortgages cannot be trusted, according to common sentiment, then the only people who use them must be out of options. However, these secured loans can provide much-needed cash flow for people who do not have other assets to draw on in retirement. But generally, it is better to use reverse mortgages as a way to diversify overall retirement portfolios, similar to how you would diversify your investment portfolio. In fact, when set up properly, they can be a boon to retirees who have perfectly adequate savings. It is possible to set up a reverse mortgage to provide steady monthly payments that cover fixed expenses like your property taxes and insurance for as long as you live, offering an extra layer of security you otherwise would not get with invested savings. You can also set up a reverse mortgage as a revolving line of credit that you can draw on as needed -- for instance, when a market downturn results in investment losses. Doing so can reduce the likelihood of having to sell stocks in your portfolio when it is down, according to Barton. "And when you do that," he says, "you can actually reduce how much you need to have in retirement." But the biggest testament comes from a 2016 study by the Financial Planning Association that looked at how different retirement portfolio options would play out over time. The simulation showed that homeowners taking out a reverse mortgage line of credit at the start of their retirement doubled their odds of success (i.e., not running out of money) over the course of a 30-year retirement. Without a reverse mortgage, the model portfolio stood a 40% chance of having enough cash over a three-decade retirement. However, with a reverse mortgage, those odds bumped up to 8O%. Myth #3: Reverse mortgages are expensive This is an issue Barton says he comes across often, adding the caveat that "expensive" is relative. Reverse mortgages do have upfront costs, not unlike mortgaging a property. That can add up to several thousand dollars, but with a reverse mortgage, you can roll those costs into your loan amount. But unlike a traditional mortgage, borrowers are not required to make recurring payments. That is the main reason many borrowers choose a reverse mortgage, after all. Instead, the loan balance ticks upward in the background, with interest and fees being added each month. The balance isn't settled until after you are out of your home, 204 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024007 but you -- or your estate -- generally will never owe more than your home is actually worth, no matter how large your balance grows. Myth #4: Your heirs won't inherit your home Another common misconception about reverse mortgages is that your heirs won't be able to inherit your home after you are gone. But there is nothing in reverse mortgage loan documents that excludes heirs -- and in fact, they may even get certain benefits in keeping the home. When the time comes, your heirs get to decide what to do with your home: sell it, turn it over to the lender or pay off the reverse mortgage to keep it, usually by getting a new mortgage of their own. If the reverse mortgage balance grows larger than your home is actually worth -- as is possible -- then your heirs only have to repay 95% of its value to sell or keep it. In other words, they might get a 5% discount on your home. Importantly, heirs are not required to sell the home to satisfy the loan balance. They have the option of repayment with cash or by taking a new mortgage. "I do think people worry about that too much. Most of the time, people's adult children don't want to move into a house that their 85-year-old parents were living in. They're gonna sell it," Barton says. "So then, what's the difference between selling a house that has a reverse mortgage on it, versus a traditional mortgage that's just not paid off?" Myth #5: You won't own your home anymore Another common myth is that reverse mortgage borrowers no longer own their home. As is the case with a normal mortgage, you are the legal owner of the home, title and all. But when you have a mortgage -- forward or reverse -- your lender also has a lien on your home. That allows them to foreclose on your home if you do not meet the terms of your contract. With a reverse mortgage, that includes: Living in your home full-time: Many reverse mortgages end when borrowers move into full-time adult care or pass on. By then, you no longer need the home anyway. Staying current with home repairs: You have to keep your home in a safe, orderly and livable condition. Make sure you can pay for regular maintenance and upkeep. Keeping up with property taxes and insurance: You need to keep up with societal obligations and keep your home protected from disasters, too. "If you have a reverse mortgage .. . it should decrease the chance that you can't pay your taxes," Barton says. In that regard, a reverse mortgage can actually help you stay in your home for a longer, not shorter, amount of time. Public and Indian Housing [CT] Shippan Place, subsidized apartment building in Stamford, due for renovations (CT Insider, CT) - full text CT Insider [3/30/2025 5:00 AM, Robert Marchant, 1474K, CT] The Shippan Place Apartments, a subsidized residential complex built in 1979, will see new ownership and renovations this month. The 148-unit apartment building near Cummings Park is all rent-subsidized under Section 8 contracts. That government program provides rental subsidies to eligible families to pay for housing in the private market. The Jonathan Rose Companies, a national company that owns and manages affordable 205 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024008 and mixed-income housing, closed on the ownership of the Shippan Place property and two other sites this month. The real estate company acquired Forest City Realty Trust's affordable housing business, which operates in seven states. According to a statement from Jonathan Rose, the existing contracts with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will continue for 20 years, and the deed-restricted affordability clauses will be extended from 30 to 40 years. Extensive renovations are planned. The Shippan Place acquisition was carried in partnership with Connecticut Housing Finance Authority, which provided a $35.8 million permanent loan. In addition, KeyBank Community Development Lending and Investment provided $22.9 million in direct Federal Low Income Housing Tax Credit equity and $16.6 million in construction financing to the project. "KeyBank is dedicated to helping the individuals and communities that we serve thrive," said KeyBank Community Development Lending Vice President Seaver Rickert. "Shippan Place exemplifies the power of public and private partnership and the importance of not only building new affordable housing, but also preserving our existing communities." The building offers leases for one-bedroom units for well below the city's median at about $1,800 a month, according to city authorities. The structure is eight stories tall. [CT] Car Crashes into Building in Preston Connecticut (WTIC - Audacy.com, CT) WTIC - Audacy.com [3/29/2025 4:44 PM, Robert Brown, 3439K, CT] An investigation is underway involving an out of control car whiched crashed into a building in Preston. Emergency responders arriving at the scene of the crash early Saturday afternoon at Lincoln Park road extension. Fire officials say the building turned out to be a community center for the Preston Housing Authority. Fortunately there was no one in the building at the time. Authorities say no injuries were reported. [CT] Vehicle crashes into building at Preston housing complex, officials say (CT Insider, CT) CT Insider [3/29/2025 6:25 PM, Richard Chumney, 1474K, CT] A vehicle crashed into a building at the Lincoln Park housing complex on Saturday, leaving a large hole in the building, officials said. Emergency crews responded just after noon to the apartment complex on Lincoln Park Road Extension for a reported crash, according to the Connecticut State Police. Photos shared on social media by the Preston Fire Department show the front of a Jeep lodged into the side of a building at the complex, which is managed by the Preston Housing Authority. Police said EMS responded to the scene but that no injuries were reported in connection with the crash. It was not immediately clear what caused the wreck or if the building sustained structural damage. [NY] Public housing tenants call for cleaner, safer conditions (WTen.com, NY) - full text WTen.com [3/28/2025 6:15 PM, Carina Dominguez, 581K, NY] VIDEO. Public housing residents in Arbor Hill recently organized a tenants' union 206 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024009 because they said they want safer and cleaner living conditions. On Friday, more than two dozen of those residents showed up to the Albany Housing Authority to deliver a letter. Tammera Holland has lived at Ida Yarbrough for 12 years. She said it was 'okay' when she first moved in but now, "I'm tired. I'm done. I'm done with this building. It's not safe anymore," said Holland. The housing complex has 224 units. Many of the residents that rallied at the Housing Authority on Friday said homeless people sleep in the lobby and the stairwell. They said a lot of people who are not residents engage in unsavory activities when the sun goes down. "I don't even be here hardly. I barely come home, cause I don't wanna be in the midst of .. if I come in the building, somebody might be in there getting ready to shoot somebody or whatever, or stab somebody. I don't wanna be involved with that. I really don't. So I try my best to stay away," said Holland. "I just want to speak about some of the other conditions as well, as far as the courtyard and the seniors that we have here that are in wheelchairs, and the blind people that are tripping over the bricks that are laying out here," said Providence. They showed us emergency exit doors that do not open. They said pests are also a major concern. "It's like they don't care about us down here. Nobody don't seem to care about us down here and it's sad," said Holland. In the letter they demanded the Housing Authority unlock the emergency exit doors and they want a safety officer on the premises to address the "rampant issues of violence, drug use / drug trafficking". "I be wanting my grandkids to come, but I can't. I can't let them come here like that, with this building like it is. I just can't and it hurts. It hurts me," said Holland. That's why 86 residents signed a letter demanding cleaner and safer living conditions. Holland hand delivered it to the Housing Authority. The tenants were joined by their elected representative, Albany County Legislator Sam Fein (6th district). "I wanted to be there with them because I wanted the tenants to know that I am there with them and I'm willing to do whatever I can to get the housing authority to take action. And I want the Housing Authority as well to know that I'm there, so that they know that there are elected officials, as well, behind them," said Fein. In a statement the Albany Housing Authority said, "The Albany Housing Authority always puts the safety and well-being of its residents first. We are constantly working to address resident concerns, noting that a building of this size and age needs consistent maintenance. Many of the concerns raised by the tenants have already been resolved, and the others are already being addressed. We always welcome a constructive dialogue with residents, and the correspondence received today was the first time many of these issues had been formally brought to our attention by the union." "I just hope things start changing for us. I want to live in a safe environment. I want to be able to do cookouts. I want to be able to have little things going on with my friends and family. I got a granddaughter that's a singer. I wanna do a little thing out here for her," said Holland. Tenants of Idra Yarbrough held a tenant meeting, to bring all residents up to speed, in the community room on Friday at 6:00 P.M. [NY] Tenants demands action from Albany Housing Authority over poor apartment conditions (CBS 6, NY) - full text CBS 6 [3/28/2025 7:47 PM, Briana Supardi, NY] VIDEO. Rodent infestations, mold, and locked emergency exits, that's just a few of the 207 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024010 issues tenants of the Ida Yarbrough Apartments in Albany say they deal with, voicing their frustrations over what they describe as unsafe and unsanitary living conditions. Despite repeated complaints to the Albany Housing Authority, tenants say little has changed, prompting them to form a tenant union to demand action. For many tenants, the conditions inside the apartment building have become unbearable. "I can hear mice in the walls. You can hear them in the walls like having a party," said Sharon Providence, a tenant. Pictures and videos provided by tenants show mice feces scattered across the hallways, hoards of insects, and locked exit doors. "My concerns are the seniors and the blind people. There are bricks falling off the steps, there's dog crap in the hallway at the only door we can get in and out from," said Providence. "There's one way in and one way out," said. Providence, highlighting the lack of proper exits. The tenants also fear for their safety. "People have been killed out here, and in the hallway. Imagine one of us coming out walking around coming out to go to the store and some madman come in there shooting. We're going to get it because we have no where to run," she said. In response to these ongoing issues, tenants have organized a tenant union with the assistance of Albany County Legislator Sam Fein and United Tenants. On Friday, they marched into the Albany Housing Authority and presented their list of demands, which includes hiring a security officer, improving sanitation, fixing accessibility issues, and enforcing lease policies like no big dogs. "One of the shocking things is that these buildings were just renovated, so people had a lot of hope that they'd be living in much better conditions," Fein expressed. The Albany Housing Authority responded with a statement, saying, "The Albany Housing Authority always puts the safety and well-being of its residents first. We are constantly working to address resident concerns, noting that a building of this size and age needs consistent maintenance. Many of the concerns raised by the tenants have already been resolved, and the others are already being addressed. We always welcome a constructive dialogue with residents, and the correspondence received today was the first time many of these issues had been formally brought to our attention by the Union. We look forward to an upcoming meeting with the tenants, as well as meetings with law enforcement to ensure resident safety." The Housing Authority said they have sent letters to the tenants to address some of the issues expressed. [NY] Unfreezing New York's Projects (City Journal, NY) - full text City Journal [3/28/2025 4:00 AM, Howard Husock, 539K, NY] The imposing brick blocks covering much of the territory from West 16th to 27th Streets, between Ninth and Tenth Avenues in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood, superficially have much in common with the rest of the city's sprawling, dilapidated public housing system. From July 2023 to July 2024, the 2,070 apartments making up the Fulton & Elliott--Chelsea Houses projects suffered more than 200 elevator failures, and the ElliottChelsea portion lost heat and hot water in the middle of January. On a tour of the campus, the leaders of the Fulton & Elliott--Chelsea tenants' associations point out rat holes and show me photos of the homeless people who sleep on the roof--testament to the ease with which a nonresident can walk through the building's unlocked front doors. The buildings' conditions are an insult to the legacy of their namesakes: Robert Fulton, 208 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024011 inventor of the steamboat; and John Lovejoy Elliott, a Progressive-era reformer and founder of the Hudson Guild settlement house, which aimed to improve the lives of the immigrant poor. Yet the Fulton & Elliott--Chelsea Houses differ from the city's 333 other public housing sites in one critical way: these towers are slated for demolition. For the first time since Robert Moses introduced the controversial "superblock" concept to American urban planning, a New York public housing project will not only be replaced but reimagined as an entirely new neighborhood. The new development will combine rich and poor residents, pocket parks, and storefronts. Planners envision a dynamic streetscape with apartments, bisecting streets, and shops reminiscent of the vibrant Chelsea Market nearby. And the buildings will be managed not by the city's Housing Authority but by a private entity, with a management team that includes Related Companies, one of New York's most experienced real-estate firms. Miguel Acevedo, president of the Fulton Houses Tenant Association and a resident of the complex for 60 years, looks forward to the end of the isolation that he says project residents experience. He notices the apprehension of the artists and upscale residents of the gleaming new condos in Chelsea when they approach the boundaries of the projects. "You can see that they avoid it. They say, `Oh, that's the projects.' " Fulton resident (and former Elliott-Chelsea resident) Hector Vasquez adds: "A lot of new buildings went up, and we were kind of isolated. Basically, nobody wanted to go to our neighborhood. We were like, off-limits kind of thing, like the bad zone." The planned new development still faces bureaucratic hurdles, including an environmental review. But as Acevedo puts it, "They can't start soon enough." The project has already cleared its toughest political challenge: securing the approval of residents, who are treated in New York politics much like property owners. After years of participating in a "working group," residents ultimately endorsed the demolition of their current homes. "At first, there was fear: Where would residents go while the buildings came down?" Acevedo acknowledges. But the idea of rehabilitation lost appeal as tenants assessed the dire state of their buildings. Jonathan Gouveia, the New York City Housing Authority's executive vice president for real-estate development, explains: "They saw that things were far worse than expected. Water and heating lines were so degraded you could squeeze them, and they'd crumble. Replacing them meant dealing with asbestos and relocating residents." It became clear that replacing Fulton & Elliott-- Chelsea would cost less than repairing them--a reality likely true for many of New York City's public housing projects. The New York City Housing Authority refers to the $1.5 billion plan as "replacement" housing, but that's just semantics: it will mean the demolition of Fulton & Elliott--Chelsea and the phased relocation of more than 5,000 tenants, who will also gain the right, if they choose, to switch to another NYCHA property or to leave public housing altogether and still retain government support, via housing vouchers. More is at stake here than just the fate of the site itself. Fulton & Elliott--Chelsea Houses have established a new development model for New York's public housing sites. The land would become, with certain conditions, part of the city's private residential and commercial real-estate market. Businesses, once barred from the projects, will have 209 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024012 opportunities to take root; streetscapes currently bereft of storefronts will be filled in by 12,000 square feet of commercial space. Nonsubsidized tenants will move in and move out, in sharp contrast with residents in the city's public housing units, who stay, on average, for 20 years. For the first time since its creation in the 1930s, in other words, New York's vast public housing system, by far the nation's largest, has the prospect of being "unfrozen"--put to a use other than public housing. NYCHA has finally realized that, though it is chronically short of the resources needed to renovate its buildings, many dating back to the authority's early days, it is rich in valuable land that can be developed for other purposes in ways that both benefit tenants and help satisfy New York's demand for new housing. From the Brooklyn waterfront to Manhattan's Upper West Side, from the Lower East Side to the mid-Bronx, NYCHA, like many American public housing authorities, owns valuable real-estate sites on which it can invite new construction, and even permit new streets to break up the isolated superblock model it inherited from the antiurban theories of Swiss modernist Le Corbusier, who dreamed of a "city without streets." The ElliottChelsea Houses, as it happens, were designed by William Lescaze, himself a Corbusier protg. The Fulton & Elliott--Chelsea projects, though not themselves a pure superblock (they retain some bisecting streets between them), set an example for repurposing the vast open spaces of the so-called public housing campuses across the city--and, indeed, across the country. This is central to NYCHA executive Gouveia's vision: transforming Fulton & Elliott-- Chelsea from an isolated "eyesore"--so typical of classic public housing projects--into an integrated part of the community, where the presence of traffic, pedestrians, and shoppers will reduce the opportunity that isolation provides for crime. Across New York's hundreds of public housing sites, home to some 500,000 residents, crime and gang violence have often been major problems. By bringing public housing land into the broader real-estate market, the transformation promises more than a physical upgrade; it marks a cultural and economic shift. The plan echoes Jane Jacobs's 1961 proposal in The Death and Life of Great American Cities for "salvaging projects." She urged cities to reweave isolated housing developments into the urban fabric, strengthening neighborhoods in the process. Fulton & Elliott--Chelsea's redevelopment represents a win for Jacobs's vision of cities over that of her nemesis, Robert Moses, whose slum clearance and highway projects displaced 200,000 New Yorkers. The demolition of the Fulton & Elliott--Chelsea towers also reflects an underappreciated accomplishment of New York mayor Eric Adams, who overcame opposition from leftliberal groups like the Legal Aid Society, which pushed to renovate the complex as traditional public housing. Legal Aid attorney Lucy Newman criticized the initiative as "not resident-led" and claimed that it would "uproot thousands of vulnerable New Yorkers." Such views often prevail in city politics--but not this time. "These buildings are not worth saving," says Gouveia, citing issues like mold, asbestos, and lead paint, problems endemic to much of the city's public housing. Acknowledging this hard truth signals a new willingness to adopt imaginative solutions for what has long been known as "NYCHA Land"--a vast, stagnant city within the city. One reason the Legal Aid Society failed to block the Fulton & Elliott--Chelsea redevelopment is the persuasive influence of Jamar Adams, founder of Essence 210 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024013 Development, which NYCHA selected to handle the replacement housing in partnership with Related Companies, his former employer. A former pro football player for Seattle and Philadelphia, Adams grew up in public housing in Charlotte. "Talking to the residents is like talking to my aunts or cousins," he says, describing the redevelopment as the only practical solution for immediate improvements. With a touch of irony, he adds that he'd respect the opposition's insistence on rehabbing the current buildings-if they'd agree to "switch houses with a Fulton tenant and wait for improvements while lobbying Congress and the White House for rehab money." Elderly tenants, he notes, understand that they'd likely die before such funding materialized. Per Adams, if capitalizing on the value of public housing real estate makes obvious sense anywhere, it's at Fulton & Elliott--Chelsea. Surrounded by the art galleries, upscale home-furnishing stores, high-end condos, and trendy eateries of Chelsea, the site is in a neighborhood that followed the classic urban-regeneration cycle after artists began reclaiming its old factories decades ago. Andy Warhol once lived in the Chelsea Hotel, just blocks away on 23rd Street. The High Line, west of Fulton & Elliott--Chelsea, is now a tourist magnet and neighborhood amenity, while the nearby Meatpacking District--once notorious for prostitution--now offers an array of high-end restaurants, including Japanese, Mexican, German, and Italian. Chelsea's gentrification makes demolishing and replacing Fulton & Elliott--Chelsea not only feasible but also financially viable. Building on public land does come with challenges. Adams notes that developers must pay higher, union-scale "prevailing wages" and navigate lengthy processes like ULURP (Uniform Land Use Review Procedure). This environmental review is essential to gain approval for taller, denser buildings that would otherwise violate skyline-view regulations--even as private highrises proliferate nearby. But the site offers a rare commodity in Manhattan: a large, already-assembled parcel under a single owner--the housing authority. Had developers needed to purchase the land, the project would likely have been unaffordable, given the city's valuation of the site at $265 million. And the new development will include 3,500 market-rate apartments, allowing Essence and Related to charge rents that reflect the area's high demand. Chelsea market rents aren't modest: one listing advertises studio to two-bedroom units starting at $5,850 a month, a range that Adams confirms is realistic for the planned units. Many nearby apartments, listed at $12,000 a month on Zillow, illustrate the potential for high returns. These premium rents will make it possible to cross-subsidize 850 "permanently affordable" units, as New York requires, without relying on the nearly $300,000-per-unit subsidy that the city typically allocates for such housing. Even the affordable units will generate significant revenue. They're designated for households earning up to 80 percent of Manhattan's area median income, which the census reports as $95,866. That translates to monthly rents of up to $2,500. Unfreezing public housing real estate should work elsewhere in Gotham, too, especially in the city's many superblock projects where developable land is available. The site of Baruch Houses on the Lower East Side, for example, is valued by the city at $111 million, and that of the Vladeck Houses, another lower Manhattan project, is valued at $61 million. Public housing sites abound in other neighborhoods where private apartments attract high rents. In Brooklyn, Ingersoll and Farragut Houses are near the 211 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024014 Brooklyn waterfront and high-end brownstone neighborhoods; Wyckoff Gardens is in fashionable Park Slope; the Pelham Parkway Houses are in the middle-class mid-Bronx; and the Amsterdam Houses are located on the wealthy Upper West Side, not far from Central Park. Just eliminating ubiquitous NYCHA parking lots would make large tracts available for development. Only the most isolated projects in the poorest zip codes, such as Brownsville, would be unlikely to benefit from unfreezing, and even these could be physically improved, since developers, such as those at Fulton & Elliott--Chelsea, must lease their land from NYCHA--and make annual payments to do so. NYCHA has not specified the dollar amount of that payment, but it could be enough, at least in theory, to cross-subsidize upgrades or replacement buildings at projects in less affluent areas. Gouveia emphasizes that the Fulton & Elliott--Chelsea approach will not be "copy and paste" for sites around the city. "Each site is different," he notes. One unusual aspect of Fulton & Elliott--Chelsea, for example, is the fact that it includes two small mid-rise buildings: one with just 36 units; and the other with 85 occupied apartments. These will be demolished first, as the task of relocating their current tenants in vacant apartments elsewhere in the complex is manageable. The demolition will occur in phases, as tenants are relocated, new buildings erected, and tenants moved into the new apartments that become available. The experienced private developers will be responsible for interim repairs on the old, leaky buildings still standing. NYCHA itself has proved both ineffective and corrupt in managing these tasks. The overall replacement and demolition task will be harder in complexes that include only larger buildings. But even though public housing's hundreds of sites differ, a shared goal can be identified for most of them: breaking up the antiurban superblocks and reknitting the neighborhoods that the projects ripped apart. Such "re-streeting" can mean new storefronts, small private homes, and pedestrian traffic that would help spawn viable neighborhoods more like those torn down long ago to make way for the projects. Again, the hope is that less isolation--and accompanying Jacobs-style "eyes on the street"-- might help deter crime and disorder. The goal of combining physical improvement with connecting the projects to their surrounding neighborhoods could be extended to public housing across the country. At least one other big-city housing authority is doing something similar. The Philadelphia Housing Authority has destroyed the two 18-story towers of the Norman Blumberg project and is in the process of replacing them with a mix of buildings and storefronts, similar to those planned for Fulton & Elliott--Chelsea. More commonly, however, dangerous and decrepit public housing towers-such as the infamous Robert Taylor Homes on Chicago's lakefront--have simply been demolished. In many cases, only vacant land remains, as in the so-called State Street Corridor in Chicago. "How is it that in the center of one of the nation's largest cities there are empty fields that stretch for miles, isolated houses surrounded by vacant lots that have gone untouched for a decade or more?" South Side Weekly asked in 2017. "Why would a government agency whose mission is to provide housing for vulnerable citizens retain all this vacant land when it has plenty of surplus funding with which to build homes? Moreover, why would it do so at a time when the demand for housing among the city's poor people is so great?". 212 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024015 True, there is no guarantee that the Fulton & Elliott--Chelsea approach will succeed. After all, public housing towers, now despised, were celebrated when the ribbons were cut. Past efforts to fix public housing have often gone disastrously wrong, such as the 1980s push for low-rise developments with front stoops designed to create "defensible space" and deter crime. The signature example, Brooklyn's Marcus Garvey Houses, became infamous for gang violence. Could Fulton & Elliott--Chelsea face a similar fate? There's also no assurance that the market-rate apartments, critical to the project's financial viability, will continue to attract high-paying tenants willing to live alongside lowincome neighbors. Mixed-income developments in other countries, too, confront challenges: in downtown Johannesburg, for instance, luxury apartments were subdivided for poorer residents, including migrants, after high-income tenants moved out. Walking past such buildings, I quickly crossed the street to avoid gangs loitering out front. Historically, residents of sharply different income levels have tended to choose separate neighborhoods. Moreover, Fulton & Elliott--Chelsea's strategy of "unfreezing" NYCHA real estate is unlikely to be that widely replicated. Of NYCHA's 335 sites, only 62 have been approved for conversion to federal Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD)--style projects. Most properties are slated for rehabilitation, not replacement, under New York State's Housing Preservation Trust. Here, NYCHA's historically dysfunctional, unionized, and often corrupt management is likely to persist. Residents are entitled to vote on whether management remains public or becomes private, an option resisted by many NYCHA employees who are also tenants. One example: the Nostrand Houses in Brooklyn recently voted to keep NYCHA as its manager, despite NYCHA records showing that the project lost heat and hot water last December and that elevator outages are routine. One must hope that Fulton & Elliott--Chelsea is a first nontraditional step not only toward physical changes but a range of policy improvements to a system in which 56 percent of tenants stay for more than 20 years, including 20 percent at more than 40 years, with a waiting list numbering some 267,000 people; where rent rules discourage residents from marrying or boosting their earnings because doing so would raise their rent; and where nearly 30 percent of tenants are "overhoused" and have more bedrooms than they need, even as the city's perennial housing crisis continues. Developer Adams, who characterizes his firm as seeking "social impact," is keen on a culture change as well as physical upgrades for the projects. Except for the elderly and disabled, he embraces the idea of a time limit for new tenants, for whom public housing would be a support but not a terminus-as it was for him and his own family. He's eager to tell the story of his less affluent relations who've moved up from the projects to owning single-family Habitat for Humanity Houses in Rock Hill, North Carolina. He hopes that NYCHA might adopt a rent policy that combines a fixed payment that doesn't increase with income with a savings plan to help tenants prepare to own a home upon exiting the projects. To make that exit successful, Essence and Related plan to promote better nutrition and health care through a clinic that it will include in the new development. Make no mistake: this is a radically different vision from that of the original public housing champions like Robert Moses and Eleanor Roosevelt, who saw government as the long-term, public utility--style provider of housing for most of the population. One can 213 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024016 make a good case that public housing is the leading example of Progressive-era overreach--and failure. But meantime, NYCHA is New York's largest landlord: something must be done to improve its residents' lives and put an end to their quasiinstitutional isolation. Fulton & Elliott--Chelsea is only a start, but it's an important one. [NY] Florida woman scammed rent from NYCHA while living 1,000 miles away, prosecutors say (Gothamist, NY) - full text Gothamist [3/28/2025 2:40 PM, Staff, 2180K, NY] A Florida woman is facing years in prison if convicted of subletting her subsidized Bronx apartment while telling city authorities she was making as little as $24 a year. Australia Gonzalez, 65, collected rent payments from tenants in her subsidized apartment in the Bronx from 2019 to 2024, according to the city's Department of Investigation. She's accused of filing affidavits stating she was unemployed, making her eligible for thousands of dollars in federal rental subsidies. In reality, prosecutors say, she was living in balmy Hialeah, Florida just outside Miami, while collecting rent money from subletters more than 1,000 miles away. The Bronx apartment was paid for through the federal Section 8 rental assistance program that's meant for low-income residents as an alternative to homelessness, according to investigators. Cops arrested Gonzalez in the Bronx Thursday, according to records. Prosecutors say she tricked NYCHA into overpaying her rent to the tune of more than $50,000. "This defendant, a Section 8 recipient, obtained tens of thousands of dollars in rental subsidies to which she was not entitled, by omitting and misrepresenting to NYCHA key facts about her residency and household income, according to the charges," Department of Investigation Commissioner Jocelyn E. Strauber said in a statement. Gonzalez collected rent from tenants in her Bronx apartment starting in November 2019, with one tenant paying $800 a month while another who moved there in April 2022 and stayed until November 2023 paid between $750 and $800 a month, prosecutors allege in court records. Gonzalez pleaded not guilty in Bronx Criminal Court on Thursday to a slew of charges including filing a false instrument and grand larceny, according to court records. She was released without bail and is due back in court in May. A lawyer for Gonzalez declined to comment on the allegations. [NY] Woman accused of illegally subletting Section 8 housing in NYC (PIX11, NY) full text PIX11 [3/28/2025 7:19 PM, Dominique Jack, 1709K, NY] A woman in Florida was arrested and charged in connection with illegally receiving financial benefits from Section 8 while subletting an apartment in the Bronx, according to the New York City Department of Investigations. Australia Gonzalez, 65, was charged with grand larceny, petit larceny and offering a false instrument for filing, authorities say. The New York City Housing Authority paid more than $50,000 in benefits to Gonzalez between 2019 and 2024 for her Bronx apartment while she was actually living in Florida, investigators report. "This defendant, a Section 8 recipient, obtained tens of thousands of dollars in rental subsidies to which she was not entitled, by omitting and misrepresenting to NYCHA key facts about her residency and household income, according to the charges," said DOI Commissioner Jocelyn E. Strauber. In the criminal complaint, Gonzalez is accused of 214 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024017 subletting the apartment to two people who paid between $750 to $800 in rent. She reportedly failed to report that income to NYCHA and even claimed that she was unemployed, resulting in Gonzalez receiving more in housing benefits, investigators say. The Section 8 Housing Voucher Program, is meant to provide rental assistance to lowincome families. NYCHA administers the largest Section 8 program in the country. If convicted, Gonzalez could face almost 30 years in prison. Her next court date is set for May. [NY] Report: Woman accused of NYC rent scam while living in Hialeah (Local10.com, Miami, FL) - full text Localio.com [3/29/2025 1:58 PM, Chris Gothner, 858K, FL] A woman is facing years in prison after New York authorities said she claimed to be unemployed and got Section 8 rental assistance for an apartment in the Bronx -- which she then subleased while, in reality, she lived more than 1,000 miles away in Hialeah. That's all according to New York City news outlet Gothamist. It reports that Australia Gonzalez, 65, faces years in prison after being accused of scamming the New York City Housing Authority. She was reportedly arrested in the Bronx on Thursday. Gothamist reports that Gonzalez is accused of claiming to make as little as $24 a year of tricking the housing authority into overpaying her rent by more than $50,000 from 2019 to 2024. Her charges include filing a false instrument and grand larceny -- and she's due back in a Bronx courtroom in May, the outlet reports. [NY] Southampton Town Board Approves Funds to Help Build Affordable Housing (Dan's Papers, NY) - full text Dan's Papers [3/28/2025 11:57 AM, Emma Grimes, 28K, NY] During a meeting on Tuesday, March 25, the Southampton Town Board unanimously approved the use of Community Housing Funds (CHF) -- a fund created by a tax on real estate transfers and approved in 2022 -- to build more affordable housing. The funding, totaling out at just above $3.4 million, will support three projects from the Town of Southampton Housing Authority (TSHA) that will create 14 new single-family homes which will remain affordable "in perpetuity." The largest of the approved projects will create nine single-family, 1,200-square-foot homes that will be available to purchase by first-time home buyers. TSHA requested $1.5 million in CHF assistance to help with the land acquisition and closing costs to purchase the 3.3-acre property at 90 North SeaMecox Road in Southampton's North Sea area. According to a recent public hearing on the proposal, each of the nine homes will have three bedrooms, two full bathrooms, and a one-car garage. "To ensure accessibility and affordability, the homes will be sold through a lottery exclusively for first-time homebuyers with incomes not exceeding 80% of the Area Median Income," according to Curtis Highsmith, the executive director of the Southampton Town Housing Authority. "The land will remain under the ownership of the Town of Southampton Housing Authority, and a homeowners' association or cooperative association will be established to manage and oversee the property. The governing documents of the association will incorporate resale provisions to maintain the project's affordability in perpetuity. Additionally, each home will adhere to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to 215 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024018 accommodate residents with mobility limitations." TSHA will also receive another $1.75 million in CHF assistance to help with the land acquisition and closing costs of 205 North Sea-Mecox Road in North Sea. The housing authority will develop four single-family, ranch-style, 1,200-square-foot residences on a two-acre abandoned site. The three-bedroom, two-bath houses, also with one-car garages, will also be available to first-time home buyers making no more than 80% of the AMI. The anticipated price for each unit is expected to be $380,000. "The TSHA's development plan for this project is closely aligned with the development of 90 North Sea Mecox," Highsmith says. The land will also remain under the ownership of the TSHA, and a homeowners' association or cooperative association will be established. Lastly, the board approved $200,000 of CHF assistance to develop the property at 140 Maple Avenue in Flanders. TSHA has received zoning approval to build a threebedroom, two-bath rental home with a two-car garage and a one-bedroom apartment above the garage, available to rent separately. During Southampton's March 11 public hearing on these projects, Kara Bak, the director of Housing and Community Development, introduced and explained each housing proposal. "Although this is just a drop in the bucket compared to the overall demand," Bak said, "it demonstrates that the newly established Community Housing Fund is fulfilling its purpose to expand access to affordable homes." Applicants who are interested in applying for these homes must enter into a lottery. Further information regarding the start of construction and the expected timeline of when the homes will be ready for occupancy are not yet available. The housing authority has also entered into a contract to purchase the Easterner Motel in Shinnecock Hills for $2.7 million, with plans to redevelop it for senior citizens. The Town of Southampton approved using the Community Housing Fund to finance the acquisition of 645 East Montauk Highway on March 11. The motel is made up of a collection of cottages on 1.9 acres with seven studio units, one one-bedroom unit and a pair of two-bedroom cottages, along with a pool. The preexisting, non-conforming property was most recently on the market for $2.995 million. "The proposed development involves demolishing the existing structures, upgrading the septic system, and constructing 10 600-square-foot, one-bedroom, project-based housing units specifically designed for seniors aged 62 and above," Highsmith explains. "The units will be constructed using modular units and will adhere to all American with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards." However. zoning regulations prohibit the development of the property, so a zoning change has been made to the Town of Southampton's Planning Board. [NY] 97-year-old woman says NYCHA apartment infested with mice (News 12 Bronx, NY) - full text 216 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024019 News 12 Bronx [3/28/2025 5:31 PM, Lindsay Tanney, 236K, NY] VIDEO. A 97-year-old woman says her NYCHA apartment on Dewey Avenue is infested with mice. Claire Cullen, who has been living in the building for over 65 years, says there are bite marks in the rubber underneath the door. Cullen's son Michael says the mice are getting in through cracks between the floor and the door. They say NYCHA has not helped, other than putting a flat threshold between the door and floor. Michael says that did not help the problem, and they need an elevated threshold to close the gap and keep the mice out. "You have to have traps, sprays, whatever they want to put, let them do whatever to clean them out," Cullen said. Michael said there are currently seven mice traps in the apartment. He's had to get rid of close to 10 mice so far, and he doesn't know how much longer he can put up with the burden. News 12 reached out to NYCHA, and while News 12 was there, the building's super showed up to take a look. He said he will seal the door and fix this problem. [PA] PHA acquires 381 homes in Germantown for $75.9 million (Philadelphia Inquirer, PA) - full text Philadelphia Inquirer [3/28/2025 6:00 AM, Jake Blumgart, 2629K, PA] The Philadelphia Housing Authority acquired four properties totaling 381 units of housing in Germantown, part of a larger plan to acquire private-sector buildings across the city. "These are strategic investments to provide more housing options for PHA-assisted residents, and we get to do that in an area of Germantown that is quickly becoming gentrified," said Kelvin Jeremiah, CEO of the housing authority. PHA purchased the four properties known as the Greene Manor Apartments Group for $75.9 million from private sellers. The agency would not reveal the names of the property owners. The four properties PHA just acquired in Germantown are: 67 units at The Fairmount (357 W. Johnson St.), 56 units at The Gardens (6439 Greene St.), 91 units at The Tudors (259 W. Johnson St.), and 167 units at The Vue (6350 Greene St.). "The units are spectacular, having just been renovated," said Jeremiah. "They're in a good area." All the buildings host one-bedroom units or studio apartments, but unlike many newly built multifamily buildings they also have a large selection of two-bedroom units. The Tudors even includes eight three-bedrooms, which are rarely built. Jeremiah said the buildings would be using project- and tenant-based rental assistance programs to ensure that lower-income residents could afford the newly acquired buildings. This is part of a larger strategy from PHA, which has found that buying private-sector housing is much cheaper than building new homes, especially in the midst of an apartment glut in some areas of the city. Earlier this year, the agency announced that they would be acquiring 2,000 units of private-sector housing in corners of the city where lower-income Philadelphians increasingly struggle to afford rent. Jeremiah says that buying a unit costs around $300,000 while building a new one can cost up to $600,000. "For every unit we build, we could buy two," said Jeremiah. "So it makes financial and fiscal sense for us." Jeremiah emphasized that PHA's plans would accord with Mayor Cherelle L. Parker's push to build or rehabilitate 30,000 units of housing during her tenure, which was the subject of a major speech earlier this week. "I applaud PHA for continuing its 217 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024020 complementary effort to expand and preserve its housing portfolio," said Parker in a statement. "Having been born and raised in the city's Northwest, I'm particularly thrilled for the Germantown community, which -- like many Philadelphia neighborhoods -- has a tremendous need for affordable housing." Last year, PHA also acquired the largely abandoned properties of Germantown Settlement, a politically connected affordable housing developer that collapsed in 2020. The agency acquired 116 housing units that way -- only 16 were still occupied -- and Jeremiah said that they are still in the midst of an environmental review with HUD -- the federal housing agency -- before they can move forward with rehabilitation. [PA] Philly housing authority buys multifamily portfolio for $76M (Real Deal) - full text Real Deal [3/28/2025 3:03 PM, Holden Walter-Warner, 1053K] Philadelphia's housing authority made a sizable acquisition as the city seeks to build and preserve 30,000 affordable units. The Philadelphia Housing Authority acquired a 381unit multifamily portfolio in Germantown for $75.9 million, the Philadelphia Business Journal reported. The deal for the Greene Manor Apartments Group -- which spans four properties -- works out to about $200,000 per unit. PHA plans to renovate the units and earmark a majority of them for affordable housing. PHA president Kelvin Jeremiah said the acquisition cost was cheaper for the city than developing its own units. The properties involved in the deal were the 167-unit The Vue at 6350 Greene Street, the 91-unit The Tudors at 259 West Johnson Street, the 67-unit The Fairmount at 357 West Johnson Street and the 56-unit The Gardens at 6439 Greene Street. Sellers included Greene Manor Investors, Duval Manor Associates and Fairmount Apartment Investors. Under previous ownership, the multifamily buildings were each home exclusively to market-rate units. With the city taking over, PHA plans to make 60 percent of the units available to those using Section 8 housing vouchers or those earning up to 30 percent of the area median income. The rest of the units would remain market rate. The authority's recent purchases include a $51 million acquisition for a 233-unit property in West Philadelphia, as well as several other smaller buys. It's all in service of Mayor Cherrelle Parker's lofty housing goals. Earlier this month, she proposed the city borrow $800 million over a five-year period to build and preserve 30,000 housing units in the city, potentially funding it with several tax increases, including raising the real estate transfer tax from 3.28 percent to 3.58 percent, and increasing a document recording fee by $3. This week, Parker unveiled an even broader $2 billion housing initiative and revealed that some city-owned land would be turned over to the PHA to support the city's affordable housing goals. [PA] PHA `moving aggressively' to buy up apartment buildings (Philly Voice, PA) full text Philly Voice [3/28/2025 7:29 PM, Michael Tanenbaum, 574K, PA] The Philadelphia Housing Authority is becoming an eager buyer of struggling, privately owned apartment buildings that will help the city meet its goal of expanding access to affordable homes. On Friday, the housing authority, which is mostly funded by the federal government, announced it had bought four apartment buildings with a combined 381 units in Germantown, for $76 million. In January, PHA had acquired another 74 units 218 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024021 at two student apartment buildings in University City for $20 million, and it spent $51 million to buy the Dane apartment tower in West Philly's Wynnefield neighborhood. "We are moving aggressively because of the current real estate market conditions," PHA CEO Kelvin Jeremiah said Friday. "Within the next few months, there are a number of deals that we have under contract. We'll probably spend close to $500 million and get well over 2,000 units as part of this process." PHA historically has been a builder of public housing, constructing most of the 13,000 units that make up its portfolio in the city. In tandem with Mayor Cherelle Parker, who has a $2 billion plan to create or preserve 30,000 housing units in Philadelphia, Jeremiah has looked for opportunities to find move-in ready units for families. Many of the properties PHA is targeting are Class A buildings -- considered the highest quality in multifamily construction -- that are only 40-60% occupied. Property owners have grown wary of meeting their mortgage obligations as interest rates remain high and inflation lingers longer than investors had hoped, and Jeremiah said they are initiating the conversations with PHA about their buildings. Buying instead of building 'makes financial sense'. In years past, PHA typically has paid about $550,000 per unit for new construction homes. At most of the apartment buildings the agency has acquired, the range is between $130,000 and $260,000 per unit. PHA had planned to construct 7,000 new homes in the coming years, but Jeremiah has realized many of the city's housing needs already exist in neighborhoods where low-income residents are either being displaced or never had realistic options available to them to rent. "We are seizing that opportunity because it makes financial sense for us," he said. PHA plans to have a split of about 60% affordable units and 40% market rate units among its new properties. In many cases, families will be moved into these homes with their existing Housing Choice vouchers - the federal rental assistance program formerly called Section 8 -- administered by PHA. The list for those seeking public housing units consistently is more than 700 people. The purchased properties are the quickest path to PHA creating new pockets of affordable homes. With new construction, the regulatory process and financing often lengthen the timeline, meaning projects can take two to three years before buildings are ready for tenants. Jeremiah believes the housing authority can serve more residents in the properties it buys at less than half the cost to build homes -- and help them more quickly, too. "All of these units are market rate units and they are situated in some very good neighborhoods in the city," Jeremiah said. "Within weeks, we can have residents who are searching for units, who might need to be transferred, who might be on our waitlist, get access to high-quality units." PHA senses 'urgency' to balance neighborhood affordability. City leaders believe one of the keys to a successful housing plan is opening up more of the city's neighborhoods to residents who can benefit from better access to jobs and transportation. Some of the properties PHA is considering are in Center City and other 219 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024022 neighborhoods where housing costs tend to be prohibitive. "Part of that is to make sure that we are identifying housing for residents of all incomes, but especially low-income residents to create balanced communities in Philadelphia," Jeremiah said. The properties the housing authority purchased in Germantown are the Fairmount and Tudors buildings on West Johnson Street and the Vue and Gardens buildings on Green Street. In West Philly, the Legacy at Powelton and the University City Flats -- both built as student housing -- were sold to PHA due to vacancies created by more college students choosing to live with their parents since the COVID-19 pandemic, Jeremiah said. Another PHA acquisition, the 12-story Brith Sholom senior housing complex in Wynnefield Heights, was purchased for about $67,000 per unit in September. The 70year-old building's 356 apartments are in poor shape, but PHA will get $8 million from the Parker administration to rehab the property. The housing authority plans to commit $4.8 billion to housing expansion and preservation during the next eight years in conjunction with Parker's housing agenda, which Jeremiah described as the most comprehensive effort to address housing needs from a Philadelphia mayor in the 14 years he has been with PHA. The mayor and Jeremiah met Thursday with U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Scott Turner to discuss ways the city can reduce regulatory hurdles to home construction. Since PHA relies on HUD for 93% of its funding, Jeremiah stressed the importance of continued federal support. "(Turner) saw for himself how we are spending federal resources, that we are leveraging them with state, local and philanthropic partners to transform communities throughout Philadelphia," Jeremiah said. "I think he was pleased." [PA] Philadelphia Housing Authority pays $76 million for Germantown apartment portfolio (Philadelphia Business Journal, PA) - full text Philadelphia Business Journal [3/28/2025 11:39 AM, Paul Schwedelson, 4715K, PA] The Philadelphia Housing Authority has purchased a portfolio of 381 residential units in Germantown for $75.9 million, continuing the city agency's push to acquire homes to be preserved for affordable housing. The Greene Manor Apartments Group portfolio is made up of four properties. The price comes out to nearly $200,000 per unit, which PHA CEO Kelvin Jeremiah has said is cheaper than PHA developing new units. PHA plans to renovate the units. PHA has targeted acquiring and preserving 2,000 units of affordable housing citywide by early 2026. Jeremiah said the Greene Manor Apartments Group purchase is a "significant step forward" toward that mission. "By preserving and rehabilitating existing multifamily housing, we can expand options for low- and moderate-income households while ensuring long-term affordability in a rapidly changing market," Jeremiah said in a statement. The Vue: 167 units at 6350 Greene St. (33 studios, 79 one-bedrooms, 55 two-bedrooms). The Tudors: 91 units at 259 W. Johnson St. (one studio, 18 one-bedrooms, 64 twobedrooms, eight three-bedrooms). The Fairmount: 67 units at 357 W. Johnson St. (nine studios, 48 one-bedrooms, 10 two-bedrooms). The Gardens: 56 units at 6439 Greene 220 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024023 St. (28 one-bedrooms, 28 two-bedrooms). The sellers were Greene Manor Investors LLC (Gardens and Tudors), Duval Manor Associates LLC (The View), and Fairmount Apartment Investors LLC (The Fairmount). The units were rented at market rates under the prior owners. PHA plans for 60% of the 381 units to be dedicated to affordable housing for residents using Section 8 project-based vouchers and earning up to 30% of the area median income. The remaining 40% of the units are planned to remain market rate. In December, PHA paid $51 million for The Dane, a 17-story, 233-unit apartment building at 2201 Bryn Mawr Ave. in West Philadelphia. PHA also recently purchased University City Flats, a 44-unit building at 4030 Baring St., for $14 million and The Legacy at Powelton Village, a 30-unit building at 3608 Spring Garden St., for $6 million. PHA is mostly funded by the federal government. On Monday, Mayor Cherelle Parker unveiled her $2 billion Housing Opportunities Made Easy (H.O.M.E.) initiative and said some city-owned land would be turned over to PHA to support affordable housing goals. Parker's housing initiative calls for creating and preserving 30,000 housing units. "We want to ensure that Kelvin Jeremiah and PHA have as much land and property as they possibly can in order to create more of their high-quality, affordable luxury housing," Parker said Monday. [PA] Woman, her children receive safe housing from local nonprofit, Allegheny County Housing Authority (WPXI, Pittsburgh, PA) - full text WPXI [3/30/2025 7:15 PM, Staff, 728K, PA] VIDEO. A local woman and her children now have a safe place to stay. Hearth, an organization that provides housing and services for seniors and mothers and children experiencing homelessness or domestic violence, provided a woman with a fully furnished apartment on Sunday. Serena Sloane said she was very thankful for the help as she moved into her new home. "I want to thank [everyone who] took me and my kids in when we were in a very vulnerable place in life, and for accepting me for who I am and working with me and believing in me," Sloane said. The Allegheny County Housing Authority works with Hearth to help bring their projects to life. "This event is a powerful reminder of what can be accomplished when organizations and community members come together. We are thrilled to celebrate this milestone with Serena and her family," said Rich Stephenson, Acting Executive Director of Allegheny County Housing Authority. [DE] New State Housing Director Matthew Heckles discusses plans to tackle Delaware's housing crisis (Delaware Public Media, DE) - full text Delaware Public Media [3/28/2025 9:46 AM, Abigail Lee, Kyle McKinnon, DE] AUDIO. Delaware State Housing Authority's new director Matthew Heckles is set on delivering more affordable housing in the First State. But he sees federal funding cuts complicating that effort. Heckles says he's excited to work in Gov. Meyer's administration 221 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024024 with a governor that believes housing is a human right. Heckles is tasked with leading the state's efforts to address housing concerns, and affordable housing is at the center of that effort. Federal funding cuts to housing efforts -- which have already begun -- are sure to hinder that work, Heckles said. "In a place, especially in housing, with an administration that wants to do great things, it's incredibly frustrating to have all of this attention on housing -- all of this alignment, quite frankly, across the communities, to have great alignment on what we need to do, and a dedication to accomplishing the goals -- but to not have the resources there to support us. That is an incredibly frustrating sort of set of circumstances to be in." One specific example of the impact of federal cuts came this month when the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development pulled a $425 thousand grant from a Delaware-based fair housing advocate. That was at the direction of DOGE. Beyond seeking more funding for housing, Heckles said he wants to see land use and density regulations change at the local level to allow for more affordable housing, especially in Sussex County. "If we built 50 thousand new units of 25 hundred square foot homes on half acre lots, there wouldn't be a whole lot of land left in Delaware, and it wouldn't fix our affordability problem," Heckles said. Instead, DSHA has held meetings with Sussex County Council recommending the development of multi-family attached homes, like apartments, duplexes and condos. Heckles believes it's important everyone be on the same page to make progress, something that might be difficult to attain under the Trump administration. "We're going to work to make sure that we have more resources," Heckles said. "That's difficult these days. The federal government is going in a different direction than I would like it to, especially when it comes to housing, community development, programming and its capacity. I think there's an opportunity for the state to step in a lot of instances and fill gaps, but we may have to prioritize how we do that." DSHA has partnered with nonprofits and private companies in the past to create affordable housing options for Delawareans. But Heckles is fearful of what the federal budget for next fiscal year could look like, arguing it is sure to include more cuts to housing programs. "I think the best case scenario is that we see some of these programs devolve to the state level. That just means that, rather than having sort of administrators at the federal level moving that money out into communities, that they might devolve that to the states to do that, I think that Delaware has to be prepared to take on that role." The worst alternative, Heckles said, is that those funds are eliminated completely. "Then it would be up to the state to try to fill the gaps financially. And in an environment where you know that's happening, I would expect that we would see difficult budget times." Heckles wants DSHA to continue tackling housing issues in the First State from multiple angles. Pallet villages, tiny homes, hotels and supportive services are all on the table, Heckles said. For Heckles and DSHA, it's just a matter of funding. [VA] Housing Authority gets green light to change its name (Bristol Herald Courier, VA) - full text Bristol Herald Courier [3/29/2025 6:00 AM, David McGee, 64K, VA] The Bristol Redevelopment and Housing Authority plans to change its name to Beyond Housing. A divided Bristol Virginia City Council approved the switch during its Tuesday meeting but not before some members expressed concern that it could cause confusion 222 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024025 among the very people the agency serves. Mayor Becky Nave was among council members questioning whether the name change would confuse potential residents in search of housing. "I think sometimes people are looking for the housing authority," Nave said. "So, if you're Beyond Housing, how will someone know that you're the housing authority?". "Beyond Housing would be the new name but we also have a tagline that calls us `The Housing Authority of the City of Bristol'," said Ray Austin, the authority's deputy director. Nave said the tagline would be important to help alleviate potential confusion. The authority board approved the proposed change in January. Austin said it is aimed to "shed the stigma" that often accompanies housing authorities. "A lot of housing authorities across the nation, over the past decade, have tried to better define what they do. There may be negative connotations with the term housing authority," Austin told the council. "We're not just the housing authority. We have programs that help our residents, the elderly; we have children's programs. Resident services is a big part of what we do." In response to questions, Austin said other housing authorities across the U.S. had changed their names and he wasn't aware of "any issues or problems" with the rebranding. In a letter requesting the change, authority Executive Director Lisa Porter outlined some of the programs available to residents to assist with education, training, raising their standard of living and assisting children. "We have a lot of new developments going on. We hope to replace some of the older public housing that has been around for 85 years. We're trying to take a more positive name," Austin said. "We selected Beyond Housing because we go beyond just housing. We'll always be the housing authority but we'll be so much more." The council voted its approval 4-1, with Councilman Neal Osborne opposing the change. "I think the Bristol Housing Authority does a lot of good work in the city. They're here to help people. My concern is you're adding more confusion by having a different name than adding on a second part of the name. I think you're adding confusion and people won't be able to find the help they need as easily," Osborne said. [FL] Tallahassee Housing Authority director announces retirement Friday (WCTV6, FL) - full text WCTV6 [3/28/2025 9:23 PM, Staff, 248K, FL] VIDEO. The Tallahassee Housing Authority is looking for new leadership after their Executive Director Brenda Williams announced her retirement Friday. Williams will end her thirteen years of leadership at THA at the end of September. She's overseen some major changes to the city's public housing scene during her tenure. Most recently, the ongoing construction of the Orange Avenue Apartments. THA said it will begin searching for a new executive director in the coming months. [MS] Laurel Housing Authority launches community garden partnership (Laurel Leader-Call, MS) - full text 223 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024026 Laurel Leader-Call [3/28/2O25 2:49 PM, Eloria Newell James, 51K, MS] The Laurel Housing Authority is excited to announce a new community garden partnership. Several collaboration meetings have taken place with residents near Leontyne Price Boulevard and other local partners. Recently, members of this group gathered at the garden site, located near the Laurel/Jones County Visitors Center, to conduct the initial planting. Local organizations have been working together to bring this project to life. Key partners include the Mississippi State University Extension Service (Laurel office), Boy Scouts of America Troop No. 29, the Laurel garden clubs, Beacon Homes residents and the Laurel Housing Authority staff. "This initiative provides an opportunity for residents to access fresh fruits and vegetables, while also offering valuable experiences for youth to learn about healthy food choices. It creates opportunities for residents to collaborate with the community," Executive Director Ailrick Young said. Clifton Nicholson, president of the Beacon Homes resident council, shared his enthusiasm about the garden's impact. "I'm excited the garden is up and running, and I believe it will be incredibly beneficial to the residents," Nicholson said. "It is a fantastic idea, and I look forward to seeing the wonderful vegetables and flowers it will produce. This will be a great addition to our housing complex and will benefit many residents." Mildred Lyles, president of the Beacon Homes tax credit resident council, echoed similar sentiments. "I'm thrilled about the garden and how it will benefit our community. It's going to be beautiful." Young also emphasized that residents and community partners will meet periodically to maintain the garden. [LA] Greinwich Village residents complain of decrepit, abandoned houses (KPLC TV, LA) - full text KPLC TV [3/28/2025 8:21 PM, Theresa Schmidt, 419K, LA] VIDEO. Hurricane Laura turned many homes in Greinwich Village in Lake Charles into deteriorating structures. Yet, residents who own well-kept homes are upset those in ruins are still not torn down and hauled off. Kenneth Hanchett prides himself on keeping his yard and home looking nice from the blooming azaleas to his freshly painted porch furniture. Yet, some homes, owned by the Lake Charles Housing Authority, are still eyesores, some of which need to be boarded up and eventually torn down. Residents say sometimes vagrants stay in the dilapidated structures. Hanchett says the lack of progress is frustrating. "We're very concerned about it an we've got a lot of older people living out here and, they're looking in the old people's mailbox. I caught one man a couple of days ago looking in a neighbor's mailbox to take the mail out. And we kind of fed up with it back here," he said. It's coming up on a year since residents complained about the condition of the neighborhood on the east side of Lake Charles. "We got homeless people living in the houses and the houses ain't boarded up, they wide open, the windows broke and we just never had no response since last year. They hadn't board up none of the houses," said Hanchett. 224 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024027 Since the 2020 hurricanes, the Lake Charles Housing Authority has gone through insurance disputes and litigation, but it seems much of that has been resolved. A spokesperson says bids for demolition of damaged houses will come out in April. He says they must advertise for 30 days and will then be able to accept or reject the bids. [OH] Stark Metropolitan Housing Authority undergoes manager shakeup amid restructuring (Canton Repository, OH) - full text Canton Repository [3/30/2025 5:59 AM, Tim Botos, 404K, OH] "The Stark Metropolitan Housing Authority has restructured its asset management department to enhance operational efficiency and better serve its residents," the public housing agency said in an emailed statement. "As part of this effort, the department has been renamed housing operations, reflecting a renewed focus on individualized property management." Executive Director Denita Johnson told the Canton Repository the goal of the restructuring is not to fire 11 people. However, she said the change could not have been effectively accomplished by simply transferring employees into the new positions. "It will require a different skill set," she said. The eliminated positions are asset and senior asset managers, filled exclusively by nonbargaining unit employees. The title of the new non-bargaining unit positions will be property operations manager. In response to a public records request, SMHA provided documents that show those in existing asset manager jobs are paid salaries between $43,500 and $55,724 per year. The new positions, according to an SMHA statement, will have "expanded responsibilities and a higher pay grade." One of the primary duties for the old and new positions is to act as a property manager for SMHA sites, which includes making sure units are leased and occupied. The agency currently has about a 95% occupancy rate -- less than the 98% rate expected by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the primary funding source. Johnson, hired a year ago, said every decision she's made is based on what's best for tenants. "We're looking at our processes ... and being strategic," she said. The Housing Authority's public housing program contains more than 2,500 units. SMHA also administers other programs, such as Housing Choice Voucher, commonly known as Section 8. Affected employees received a letter in February to inform them their positions would be eliminated. In the letter, they were briefed about options to apply for one of the new jobs, a different agency job, or to sign a release form, so they can get a severance package. Johnson said she expects more than half the 11 current employees to ultimately be hired for a new property operations manager post. [OH] Suspect arrested in CMHA police chase also convicted in IPromise beating (Cleveland 19 News, OH) - full text Cleveland 19 News [3/28/2025 6:13 PM, Brian Koster and Kelly Kennedy, 841K, OH] VIDEO. A car plowed into a home at East 66th and Chester Avenue during a Cleveland Metropolitan Housing Authority Police pursuit Friday. CMHA Police were pursuing a suspect wanted for felonious assault. Police sources told 19 News they arrested three people, including their suspect. A few hours later, 19 Investigator Kelly Kennedy made a surprising discovery. According to a law enforcement source, the man arrested by CMHA on Friday was 22-year-old Tyler Stafford. The Cleveland man was one of two brothers charged in the 'Promise case that made headlines in 2022. Cleveland Municipal Court records show a warrant was issued for his arrest on March 20. 225 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024028 A 19 investigation revealed that Stafford was the same man charged in the beating death of 17-year-old Ethan Liming in 2022 outside of the (Promise school. In 2023 Stafford along with his brother were found not guilty of involuntary manslaughter but were found guilty of assault. Tyler Stafford was sentenced to 6 months behind bars. A gun was recovered, and three people were taken to MetroHealth Hospital in stable condition. The home has structural damage, according to the Cleveland Fire Department. Cleveland police said they are handling the crash investigation. [TX] Emergency housing voucher funding ends (Uvalde Leader-News, TX) - full text Uvalde Leader-News [3/30/2025 4:06 AM, David Mercado, 8K, TX] Uvalde Housing Authority executive director Virginia Limon said seven current lowincome tenants could be affected this year or next if emergency voucher funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development runs out. The program originally provided UHA with vouchers for 15 tenants in 2021, but funding rules stipulate agencies not replace renters who left the program after Sept. 30, 2023. For UHA, eight families have left the program. Limon told the Uvalde Housing Authority board during its March 24 meeting that HUD said new funding for the program would end in 2025 and that housing agencies would need to make existing funds cover 2026 as well. In a follow-up conversation with the newspaper, Limon said difficulties in predicting tenant costs and federal inflows presently prevent her from knowing if Uvalde Housing Authority will run out of funding for that specific program before 2026 without further guidance from HUD. She expects there to be a consolidation into Section 8 housing, but she won't know until she receives a follow-up letter from HUD, possibly in April, that will explain what HUD recommends public housing authorities do towards affected tenants. HUD launched the program in 2021 to provide partial rental assistance for tenants at risk of becoming homeless. The program was part of the American Rescue Plan Act. The UHA board heard an audit report for the 2023-2024 fiscal year by the accounting firm Leal & Carter, P.C. The auditing firm said UHA's net position, or the difference between revenues and expenses and liabilities, was $774,957 in June 30, 2024. The firm found no irregularities, and the board voted unanimously to approve the report, with three commissioners absent. The board also adopted a resolution approving a fiveyear plan that reiterates the UHA's goals of assisting low income, at-risk tenants and victims of domestic violence. UHA, as of March 24, has 210 applicants on its waiting list, with all applicants being extremely low income, 50 percent having children, 23 percent having elderly members, and nearly 30 percent having disabilities. The UHA board includes commissioners Lisa Vasquez, Gabriel Gonzales, Janie Martinez, Daryl Colvin, Patricia Perez, Nicole Mendoza and Vanessa Gonzales. The Garner Field Property Management Corporation, a non-profit owned by the UHA, is also directed by the same members, except Mendoza and Vanessa Gonzales. The non-profit 226 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024029 provides low-cost housing for residents. Colvin, Perez and Vanessa Gonzales were absent for the March 24 meeting. [TX] `It needs to stop' - Garbage continues to pile up at Moss Rose apartments in Killeen, Texas (KWTX, TX) - full text KWTX [3/29/2025 11:30 PM, Cris Cordova, 464K, TX] VIDEO. The Killeen Housing Authority and other community organizations continued efforts to restore the Moss Rose apartments. The Killeen Housing Authority wants to make the Moss Rose apartments livable again. This is its second time returning to the apartment complex, a well-known dumping ground, to clean the area. Killeen Housing Authority Martayvious McCloud said there was less garbage this time, but more work needs to be done before they can stop cleaning. "It's still needs to stop," McCloud said. "This is not the place for it. If we wanna bring this community back up we need to police ourselves."The Moody family returned to help pick up garbage. John Moody, father of eight, brought his sons to clean. He hopes it will instill them with positive values. "I hope my sons will take from this and learn that you have to support your community," Moody said. "You have to be able to build up your community because if you don't then who else is going to do it." [ND] Increasing available housing in Jamestown a challenge (Jamestown Sun, ND) - full text Jamestown Sun [3/29/2025 10:30 AM, Keith Norman, 22K, ND] Increasing the amount of available housing in the area isn't about lumber and cement but investment, according to David Klein, executive director of the Great Plains Housing Authority located in Jamestown. "It takes a lot to bring investors into these communities," he said. "It takes getting the community ready." The Great Plains Housing Authority covers a seven-county area in south-central North Dakota. Much of the area would be considered within commuting distance of Jamestown. The population of Stutsman County was 21,392 as of the 2020 census by the U.S. Census Bureau. If you combine the four adjacent counties, LaMoure, Barnes, Foster and Kidder, the population rises to nearly 42,000 people. While the population of the region has declined over the past 20 years, the number of households has increased due to smaller family sizes, according to Census Bureau data. That has resulted in a housing shortage in Jamestown and in many other communities in the area, Klein said. "Jamestown has a 2% to 3% vacancy rate," he said, referring to the percentage of unoccupied housing units at any time. "A healthy vacancy rate would be about 7%." To meet those needs, Klein said the community should be adding more than 50 housing units per year. "We need a couple hundred in a push to catch up," Klein said. "Then between 50 and 60 units each year to keep up. The last apartment building constructed in Jamestown was Eagle Flats, which was permitted in 2022 and includes 33 units, according to Tom Blackmore, Jamestown building inspector. A total of 14 new single-family homes in Jamestown have been permitted from 2022 through 2024. That amounts to an addition of 47 housing units in Jamestown in the past 227 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024030 three construction seasons. Available housing is a necessary component of job growth that is the goal of economic development, Klein said. The number of people employed in Stutsman County varies with the season and economic conditions. According to statistics included in the Stutsman County Area Profile, published by Job Service North Dakota, the number of employees in the county stood at 11,083 at the end September 2024. That compares to 10,300 people in January 2021, which was a low point for jobs in Stutsman County. Housing needs run the gamut in the Jamestown area, Klein said. There is a need for affordable housing, defined as property that can be rented or purchased for no more than 30% of the person's income. There is also a need for higher-end housing for any professionals moving to the community and senior housing for an aging population, Klein said. Senior housing is especially important in Stutsman County where the percentage of people 65 years and older is 21% compared to 17% for the rest of North Dakota, according to JobService statistics. And the housing needs to be modern and desirable. "If Jamestown is going to grow," Klein said, "you need to offer what people want in housing." The North Dakota Legislature at this writing is currently considering a bill designed to improve the housing situation in the state. Senate Bill 2225 provides $50 million to provide grants for infrastructure projects in order to reduce the price of buildable lots in North Dakota, according to Corry Shevlin, CEO of the Jamestown/Stutsman Development Corp. The bill requires dollar-for-dollar matches to the state grant money from the local community and the developer. Shevlin said the JSDC has already earmarked up to $1 million to be used as the local community match contingent on passage of the bill. With the state money and an investment by a developer, this could result in buildable lots where two-thirds of the infrastructure costs are paid by the local and state government. It is assumed the onethird paid by the developer would be passed on to the buyer of any homes built on these lots. "It depends a lot on the scope of the project and other details," Shevlin said, "but this should make 40 to 60 lots available at a reduced cost." The bill has an emergency clause and if passed, Shevlin hopes Jamestown will be able to take advantage of the grant program yet this construction season. "It will be a big help in getting lots down to a reasonable price," he said. "Right now, we figure infrastructure costs of lots at between $80,000 and $100,000 each." Depending on the project, single-family or multi-unit housing could be included in the area. The ultimate goal for the community is to have suitable living space for new residents attracted to the community, Shevlin said. "We are still attracting attention from employers," Klein said. "We are still attracting interest from workers." "If Jamestown is going to grow, you need to offer what people want in housing. David Klein, executive director, Great Plains Housing Authority. Along with long-term residents, demand for housing can fluctuate with the number of construction projects in the area. "A big project can virtually wipe out available housing," Klein said. An example 228 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024031 of a big project that would require a large number of construction workers is the planned new North Dakota State Hospital building, which was included in Gov. Kelly Armstrong's budget but at this writing has not passed the Legislature. In the past, projects such as the new Anne Carlsen Center facility constructed near the Jamestown Regional Medical Center have utilized workers commuting from other cities where there are more housing options. This reduced the impact of those employees on the Jamestown economy. [Editorial note: consult source link for video] [CO] CHA progresses on Jane's Place, executive director search (Mountain Mail, CO) - full text mountain Mail [3/28/2025 3:40 PM, Guinnevere Stropes, 25K, CO] Chaffee Housing Authority met for a regular meeting March 27 at the Touber Building in Salida, where board members heard project updates, approved a landbanking purchase, and tabled three policies. The project updates came during the interim executive director update, given by Marjo Curgus, who said that Jane's Place is "proceeding fast" and still on budget. Curgus said CHA has also submitted an application for financing of the Flour Mill Development, which has run into its first complication. She said she would return to the board with an update on that financing complication. Curgus also noted CHA's partnership with Chaffee Housing Trust, saying, "That partnership allowed us to connect other programming in terms of getting individuals living in hotels or other emergency assistance into units because (CHA) is also managing (CHT) units. . . . All of these little bits and pieces are starting to align." Curgus said she also plans to present area median income guidelines to the Chaffee County commissioners at an upcoming meeting, as the county does not currently have any AMI guidelines in place. The last item Curgus addressed in her update was the financial system conversion CHA recently went through, which will cause their budgets to be separated into four different coffers instead of just one report. "Unlike a nonprofit, as a government entity, each fund is sort of an independent budget that we need to manage and we're not allowed to move money between funds unless we do that through a board resolution," she said. Board members will be given an opportunity to review the new budget format at the April meeting and identify their likes and dislikes. Moving into the regular agenda, the board discussed and approved the bylaws as amended. Amendments included adjusting clerical errors and adjusting language around board removal so it reads the same throughout the policy for removals due to violation of board or public trust. The board then approved two resolutions related to the acquisition through a land banking purchase of the property known as Alpine West near Buena Vista. The parcel is approximately 2 acres and is entitled for up to 72 rental units and six for sale units. 229 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024032 "Two things are happening in your first resolution vote, which is to approve the acquisition of parcels, and expending the landbanking grant for development of the property, then cost-share of the infrastructure," Curgus said. "The second resolution is part of closing the grant with CHFA (Colorado Housing and Finance Authority)." CHA received $1.2 million from CHFA for the purchase and development of Alpine West, a grant that comes with milestones required for the development to meet to be considered compliant. One of those milestones is having a zoning and development plan within five years of receiving the grant, and construction to begin within five years after that. Another restriction placed on the parcel due to the land banking grant is an AMI restriction of 60%, which is standard across the state. "Because (60% AMI) is difficult to achieve with state grants in mountain communities, there is a special Rural Resort Petition process to allow more flexibility," she said. The board unanimously approved both resolutions, both approving the purchase of Alpine West and use of CHFA funds. The board then moved into discussion about the at-large appointment process and recommendation, given by board member Brett Landin. There were initially seven candidates for that seat, all of which were interviewed then ranked by the interview committee, he said. The recommendation Landin gave on behalf of the committee was to appoint Laura Ostrom. "She has a wonderful set of skills, lots of experience, and some connections that would be helpful to us as a board," he said. CHA board members then approved with amended one policy created by an ad-hoc committee, and presented by board member Corey "Salty" Riggs, called "Compliance, Accountability, and Resolution Framework." Board member Charlie Goodson then moved to table the second policy created by the aforementioned committee, titled "Civility Standard," as he voiced concerns over not having any staff input on a policy that would directly affect them. He was seconded by Landin. Also tabled was the policy "Human Dignity and Respect," for the same reason. Board member and representative of the City of Salida Dominique Naccarato opposed tabling those policy items, saying, "It's unfair to delay (approval) because it wasn't brought to staff." She then addressed a CHA employee who asked to comment during the discussion, and said that staff member should have brought her comments to Curgus prior to the board meeting. The last item CHA board members discussed was the search for a permanent executive director. The position drew 57 applicants, a pool that has been narrowed down to four. Candidate interviews were scheduled for the week of April 7. The next meeting of CHA will be at 4:30 p.m. April 17 in the Touber Building. [CO] Is it time for a Vail Valley housing authority? Housing needs assessment shows a growing need (Vail Daily, CO) - full text Vail Daily [3/30/2025 12:32 PM, Scott Miller, 146K, CO] Responding to a state law, the town of Avon has conducted a housing needs assessment that includes both the town and the entire valley. That work could provide initial information for a valleywide housing authority. 230 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024033 Avon Town Manager Eric Heil shared that information Friday at a meeting of valley town managers, mayors and other local officials. Heil said the assessments are being done to comply with state Proposition 123, and to qualify rural resort regions for funding. But, he added, since no state guidelines are available yet for local and regional action plans, the thinking is to just go ahead and see "if we get state deference" on local work. The housing assessment was conducted by Economic & Planning Systems, a Denverarea firm that has worked for several local governments. Heil said the valley's communities have "kept up" with demand, based on a housing assessment from six years ago. On the other hand, he noted there's less available land on which to build, and construction costs have increased. While the valley's shortage has stayed relatively even over the past half-dozen years, that shortage will grow over the next decade. According to projections, the valley's housing shortage will grow from the current 2,638 units to 6,375 units by 2035. That growth is based on both growth in employment and in the number of people retiring and moving to the valley over the next 10 years. As you'd expect, most of those new jobs will be in Vail and Avon, which will account for 50% of the projected growth in employment. Given that many of those jobs will be serving the valley's tourist industry, the need will be concentrated among those making between 50% and 100% of the area median income. And, given that people want to live closer to where they work, demand for housing will be closer to those jobs. According to a survey on the needs in the assessment, more than 36% of respondents said they'd prefer to live in Edwards, with another 20% in Vail and 19% in Avon. Most of those people will rent, Heil said. Ownership just isn't "economically viable" for most people, Heil said. And for most people, living closer to work also means living in multi-family housing. Next steps in creating a housing plan could include creating a multijurisdictional housing authority. That will take both time, meetings, and, probably, voter approval for funding as well as other revenue authorizations, deed restriction acquisitions and the other large and small details required to put together a local authority. [CO] Xcel declined $1M offer for Zuni power plant ahead of landmark application (Denver Post, CO) - full text Denver Post [3/28/2025 6:00 AM, Thomas Gounley, 2656K, CO] The nonprofit Historic Denver is seeking to force preservation of a former power plant in central Denver as owner Xcel Energy's one-month window for potential buyers to step forward apparently draws to a close. But at least one offer was submitted during that window for the Zuni Steam Plant, which operated for more than a century at 1349 Zuni St. Danny Newman, the Denver tech entrepreneur with a passion for unusual real estate, told BusinessDen that he submitted a $1 million offer for the property March 20 with the goal of saving the structure from the wrecking ball. The hope, he said, was in part to learn what Xcel knows about how much environmental remediation will need to be done at the site and whether Xcel might be willing to 231 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024034 contribute funds toward that work. "That's what's unclear to everybody at this point," said Newman, who requested 180 days of due diligence. But the offer was declined, according to Newman. He said Xcel is asking $7.5 million -- marketing materials don't include a dollar figure -- and the company's broker, Tyler Reed of Stream Realty, described that price as "hard and fast." Reed declined to comment, and Xcel didn't respond to questions. Newman's holdings include the top of Denver's downtown clocktower, the city's longest continually operating bar, and multiple churches. He said he doesn't believe Xcel genuinely wants to make a deal. "I definitely think they are not trying and don't want to sell it," he said. "It sounds like they just want to tear it down." Developer, Snooze co-founder previously made effort. The coal-fired Zuni power plant was completed in 1901, added on to through 1955 and modified to allow for use of natural gas in 1980, according to Historic Denver. It provided the Denver area with electricity until 2015 and steam heat until 2019. In 2021, Xcel received approval from the Colorado Public Utilities Commission to demolish the structure. By that time, however, other parties were envisioning a new use for the building. Just to the north, developer Susan Powers of Urban Ventures had refashioned an old industrial building into a modern office building. She named it Steam on the Platte, a reference to the nearby plant. "We have been staring at that for a long time thinking what that could be," she said. Powers said this week that she, Snooze co-founder Adam Schlegel and Ismael Guerrero, at the time the executive director of the Denver Housing Authority, envisioned the building becoming part of a new-age Denargo Market, which operated decades ago in what is now RiNo. "It was a place where farmers came and they sold wholesale, and that's what we were trying to create here," she said, envisioning school systems and restaurateurs as customers. The trio went so far as to form a nonprofit, get a grant from the Gates Family Foundation and hire an architect that worked on REI's Denver flagship store, which was fashioned from a onetime power facility for Denver's streetcar grid. They signed a nondisclosure agreement with Xcel. "They showed us some documents but not as much as we needed," she said. The group tried and failed to find environmental records at the state level, Powers said. The effort petered out. She, too, thinks Xcel doesn't want to sell. "I think they really want to tear down the issue and hold the property and not deal with the environmental issues on it," she said. In 2021, with demolition approved, Historic Denver and the Denver City Council got involved. Historic Denver said it asked Xcel that July to explore adaptive reuse and take demolition off the table. Ten council members wrote to Xcel that November with a similar message. 232 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024035 In a May 2023 letter, a city official summarized a deadlock that had been reached in talks. "We understand that Xcel has expressed its unwillingness, for reputational and other reasons, to divest the Zuni property to any party other than the City, as contemplated by the existing franchise agreement between the two parties. The City, in turn, is unwilling to take title to the property in its current, un-remediated state," wrote Laura Aldrete, then head of Denver's Community Planning and Development Department. Xcel ultimately gave Denver the first chance to buy the property, known as a right of first refusal. The city declined to exercise those rights. So, on Feb. 25 of this year, Xcel said in a letter that it would put the power plant property up for sale to the general public for 3O days. Thirty days from Feb. 25 was March 27. Historic Denver and the City Council separately requested that the public-offer window be extended to 180 days, but Xcel has not communicated that it will be. Marketing materials for the property tout its "prime central location" whose "flexible zoning can accommodate a number of uses." Last week, leaders of Historic Denver and two neighborhood groups submitted an application asking Denver to designate the structure a city landmark. That status, which would have to be approved by the City Council, would effectively prevent demolition. Historic Denver CEO John Deffenbaugh compared the building to the REI building at 1416 Platte St. "The REI flagship store is a hugely successful example of adaptively reusing an industrial building -- indeed, one that powered Denver's early streetcar network. If all parties come together to figure out an approach for retaining and transferring Zuni to the private sector, this could be done again," he said in a statement. Jeanne Granville of the Sun Valley Community Coalition said the building "represents not only the city's industrial rise but also its complex legacy of environmental justice." Sun Valley has long been a poor neighborhood, a mix of industrial and residential. Much of its housing now is owned by the Denver Housing Authority. "Other power plants have been dismantled, but this site endures, offering a rare opportunity to acknowledge both the achievements and long-term impacts of industrial development on historically underserved communities," Granville said in a statement. David Griggs, a board member of the La Alma Lincoln Park Neighborhood Association, was the third to sign the application. Newman, for his part, envisioned the building becoming a community market of sorts, somewhat similar to Powers' proposal. But he also said he had a preliminary discussion with Denver Center for the Performing Arts' Off Center, which has been looking for a permanent home, and thought it could be a spot for startups or quantum computing. He said that he was open to negotiation on his offer for the former power plant, and that he has a group of investors willing to come in. "I still want to do a deal with you guys," he said, addressing Xcel. 233 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024036 [CA] Former San Jose motel to become permanent housing (San Jose Spotlight, CA) - full text San Jose Spotlight [3/30/2025 11:30 AM, Joyce Chu, 135K, CA] San Jose is transferring ownership of a former motel rife with issues to the Santa Clara County Housing Authority, with plans to convert it from temporary homeless housing to permanent apartments. The City Council approved finalizing the sale Tuesday for $1, with the housing authority expected to own the building by the end of June. The city purchased the former motel at 1488 N. 1st St. with more than $12 million from Project Homekey at the peak of the pandemic to shelter homeless residents. The city originally handled operations while homeless service providers took care of case management and other resources. The motel had seen issues with mold, pests and dirty water, and older adult and disabled residents have previously complained of mistreatment by staff and lack of services. Several nonprofit service providers cycled through with minimal improvements, including Abode and LifeMoves. HomeFirst is the current service provider, offering food and case management services. The housing authority has been in operational control of the motel since fall 2023, and was supposed to take full ownership of the building at the end of 2023. "Today is a critical step forward for Santa Clara County Housing Authority to ultimately convert this site into permanent housing, adding to the supply of affordable units," Councilmember Michael Mulcahy, whose District 6 includes the motel, told San Jose Spotlight. "This will be a much needed improvement for the N. First Street corridor and its neighborhoods." The design for the future permanent housing site is still being drafted and a timeline for construction hasn't been set, housing authority spokesperson Brandi Johnson told San Jose Spotlight. The city will continue to fund operations until next year. Overseeing the motel costs about $3 million a year, paid for with Measure E funds. San Jose also sank $4 million into the facility for repairs. Last year, residents complained of mistreatment by workers and ongoing dangerous living conditions, including mold and pests. Johnson said that a pest control company comes to the property every other week to spray the property and in individual rooms for residents who want it. "Any previous mold issues have been addressed," Johnson told San Jose Spotlight. "We also remain committed to providing services to residents and are working directly with HomeFirst on a comprehensive approach to supporting residents' needs and their lived experiences." HomeFirst has made some improvements, including holding monthly community meetings with residents -- though some residents say they've never received assistance from the nonprofit or been notified when there are openings for permanent housing. [CA] Renovation of long-neglected park in S.F.'s Western Addition gets an emotion-filled kickoff (San Francisco Chronicle, CA) - full text 234 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024037 San Francisco Chronicle [3/28/2025 2:46 PM, Sam Whiting, 5046K, CA] After Shannon Watts was wounded in the right thigh in 2012 during a drive-by shooting outside her grandmother's home along the Buchanan Street Mall, she made it her mission to improve the drab and dangerous mid-block park in San Francisco's Western Addition. It took more than a decade, but on Thursday, Watts lifted her still painful leg to push a gold shovel as she stood next to Mayor Daniel Lurie at the groundbreaking for a $34 million makeover of the city park, which aims to restore a community gathering space that reflects the story of the neighborhood dating back to the vibrant days of the Fillmore district. In her remarks at the podium, Watts noted the long struggle for the park and the ultimate payoff. "We tried to retake the Buchanan Mall and make it into a beautiful place," Watts, 37, said. "And look where we are now." She spoke at the event along with other longtime residents of the Western Addition, which has struggled for decades with drug use and gang violence. It was an emotional ceremony, with many community activists, including Watts, breaking down into tears as they spoke of the meaning of this day. "My son was shot and killed on the Buchanan Mall," said newly appointed Police Commissioner Mattie Scott, who is old enough to remember when the mall served as a community front yard, where people walked up and down carrying aromatic hot dishes on Thanksgiving Day. "We cured the crack epidemic, did we not?" she called out to an eager response. "The Fillmore is forever." The historically Black Western Addition encompasses the Fillmore District, which the city's redevelopment agency deemed a blight and razed from the 1950s through the 1970s, closing hundreds of businesses and displacing thousands of residents. In the wake of the destruction, promised redevelopment efforts largely stalled. Constructed in 1975 by the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency as a pedestrian corridor to run through the middle of public housing projects, the Buchanan Street Mall spans five city streets. The lackluster asphalt strip dotted with a few patches of greenspace, playgrounds and a half-basketball court has been refurbished over the years, with temporary amenities including gardens, benches and archways installed in 2015, but had reached the point of requiring a complete do-over. Major funding was provided from both the 2012 Neighborhood Parks Bond, the 2020 Health and Recovery Bond and and other city sources. In 2022, then-Mayor London Breed, who grew up in the area and championed the project, announced that the renovation was fully funded at $27 million thanks to a $4 million grant from the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Program, administered through the National Park Service. But the project stalled as the budget continued to grow. It was finally put over the top by a $4.8 million grant secured by state Sen. Scott Wiener, who was one of 18 shovel operators at the groundbreaking. "A project like this is exactly what we should be doing to show that we are strong," said 235 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024038 Wiener, alluding to cuts made to parks by the Trump administration. "Having a great public space sends a signal as to how a neighborhood views itself." Breed was absent from the ceremony, but she received the loudest applause when Lurie mentioned her name. "It's been 11 years. These things don't just happen," said Recreation and Park Department General Manager Phil Ginsburg. "This Buchanan Mall is more than just a park," he said. "It's a symbol of resilience, history, and the power of our Western Addition Neighborhood." The renovated mall will include a Memory Walk documenting people and events in neighborhood history, spanning all five blocks. There will also be separate exercise areas for kids and adults, public art, an event space and enhanced safety features, including lighting. The features are all meant to help return the park to the community hub it once was: "A beautiful place and full of life, before it became a place for turf wars," as Watts said in her address. The construction schedule is not yet known, but the project is expected to be completed at the end of 2026. Neighborhood resident Stan Walton watched the ceremony from his second floor window. Only when the shovels had dug into the earth did he finally come outside to celebrate a day he has been waiting for since 2008, when he moved in. "I didn't think I'd see this day," he said. "They always talked about it, but nothing ever came to fruition." [CA] Work Gets Underway on 96-Unit Affordable Housing Project in Los Angeles' Rose Hill Neighborhood (RENTV.com, CA) - full text RENTV.com [3/30/2025 8:05 PM, Staff, 2K, CA] Work has begun on phase II of Rose Hill Courts, a 96-unit affordable housing project in Los Angeles. The development, located at 3521 North McKenzie Ave, east of the 110 Fwy and north of Huntington Dr in the city's Rose Hill area, is being built by R.D. Olson Construction on behalf of Related California Properties and the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA). Phase II of Rose Hill Courts will feature seven apartment buildings ranging from two to three stories with basements. Additionally, a one-level community building will be dedicated to resident gatherings and events. The development will span a total of 115.4k sf of gross building area across a 150.4k sf site. The $57.8 mil development, expected to be completed in 2027, will generate more than 400 construction jobs. The project is designed to integrate seamlessly with the surrounding landscape through a complex multi-elevation layout featuring retaining walls and terraced construction that accommodates the site's natural hillside. Community-centric amenities in Phase II of Rose Hill Courts will offer a variety of features designed to foster engagement and promote resident well-being. These include a dedicated community building for events and social gatherings, an outdoor playground, and a basketball court. Additionally, tuckunder parking will be available for five of the apartment buildings. In addition to pursuing the LEED certification and the integration solar panels, the project will incorporate sustainable building practices, including recycling initiatives and water reclamation systems to promote eco-friendly living. The project builds upon the success of Phase I, which was completed in 2023, continuing the effort to address Los Angeles' pressing need for affordable housing. Partners on the project include, Housing Authority of the 236 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024039 City of Los Angeles (HACLA), Related California Properties, BSB Design (formerly Withee Malcolm Architects) and AMJ Construction Management. [CA] Housing Authority Plans 204 New Apartments in Santa Barbara for Seniors (Noozhawk.com, CA) - full text Noozhawk.com [3/27/2025 11:40 PM, Rebecca Caraway, 194K, CA] The Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara is planning a major redevelopment at the Presidio Springs Senior Community that will take the site from 122 apartments to 327 apartments for low-income seniors. Redevelopment at 721 Laguna St. will take place over multiple years through several phases, with some residents having to be temporarily relocated during each phase. Construction isn't expected to begin until July 2027. The project is in the early stages. The Housing Authority hosted a virtual community meeting on Wednesday to share early concepts for the senior community. Rob Fredericks, executive director of the Housing Authority, said there is a great need for housing for seniors living on a fixed income. "The latest detailed figures we have on the homeless count, 33% of homeless adults were over the age of 55 in Santa Barbara County," Fredericks said during the meeting. "The need is really great, and we need much more housing for these individuals and families." Fredericks also shared that 55% of seniors renting are cost burdened, meaning they're spending more than 30% of their income on housing. Dale Fathe-Aazam, deputy executive director of the Housing Authority, said they expect the redevelopment to be a 10-year project. "Presidio Springs is actually our largest property, and while it's beautiful, it's relatively not dense. It's sparsely laid out, so it represents an opportunity to really improve it," Fathe-Aazam said. "The buildings that are there are getting older, and some of the systems are starting to fail, so it does need that replacement." Christine Pierron with the Cearnal Collective, an architectural team working with the Housing Authority on the project, said the first phase will include demolishing a 10-unit building and replacing it with a 40-unit building at the corner of Garden and Ortega streets. Pierron said residents will be temporarily relocated elsewhere within Presidio Springs or into another Housing Authority facility. In the second phase, 30 more apartments will be redeveloped, and residents will temporarily move into the new 40-unit building, along with the 10 original tenants. That process will repeat throughout each phase. "What we're trying to do is, is build as much as we can, but at the same time reduce the impacts on the existing residents, so that we can move them once, hopefully on site, and then move them to their new apartment, and then create new housing opportunities for other seniors on our waitlist," Fredericks said. The second phase is expected to bring 63 new units, the third phase will redevelop 24 units into 113 apartments, the fourth phase will redevelop 20 units into 52 units and add a community room, and the fifth phase will bring 59 units. In total, there will be 327 apartments on site, adding 205 apartments to the existing 122 apartments. New parking also will be added during each phase of construction, with more than 200 parking spaces to be added for residents, employees and visitors. Fredericks said that right now, Presidio Springs isn't taking advantage of today's density 237 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024040 standards. "If we can create another beautiful community that's a nice place to live, with double the units that are currently there, boy, would that be a great net positive to the community," Fredericks said. The property was developed in 1977, and Fredericks said the aging infrastructure has become expensive to maintain. "It's lived a good, useful life, but the infrastructure is also aging and gets more expensive to maintain," Fredericks said. "This type of redevelopment will set the property on its course for another 60 years into the future to meet the needs of the community." Community Planning and Development [FL] Sarasota County office formed to oversee housing programs (Sarasota Observer, FL) - full text Sarasota Observer [3/29/2025 5:00 AM, Staff, 97K, FL] Sarasota County has established the Housing Enhancement and Redevelopment Office to oversee the administration of key housing and community development programs. The move follows the expiration of the Interlocal Agreement for the Joint Administration of Housing Programs between Sarasota County and the city of Sarasota in October 2023. In addition, the Sarasota County Office of Financial Management now administers several U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development entitlement programs and federal and local loan-based programs, which were previously managed jointly with the city. The county is in the planning and information gathering stage for its annual action plan for Community Development Block Grant and Emergency Solutions Grant funding. All eligible organizations can submit applications for funding to address housing, public service and community development needs for the upcoming fiscal year. Through April 8, HERO is accepting project applications from organizations and municipalities for funding from the Community Development Block Grant and the Emergency Solutions Grant. Applications must be submitted via the county government website. Incomplete applications will not be considered for funding. A daily dose of news from Longboat Key, East County, Sarasota and Siesta Key. All interested organizations serving Sarasota County residents must complete the required application to have the project be part of the competitive bidding process for the upcoming fiscal year. Programs managed by the Sarasota County HERO team include: Community Development Block Grant, which offers interest-free home rehabilitation loans to income-eligible families for essential repairs and improvements. Emergency Solutions Grant, which provides funds to assist those experiencing homelessness or are at risk of homelessness. Utility Deferred Payment Assistance Program, which offers a 3% interest deferredpayment loan to cover capacity and connection fees and septic tank abandonment costs for properties required to connect to Sarasota County's sewer services. The loan repayment begins when the property is sold, transferred, is no longer owner-occupied, or after 20 years--whichever occurs first. Energy Retrofit Loan Program, which provides loans for energy efficiency upgrades 238 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024041 based on recommendations from the Get Smart Retrofit Loan Program. For more information on HERO programs or to apply, visit the Sarasota County Office of Financial website at SCGov.net or call 311 or 941-861-5000. [UT] Salt Lake City charging ahead with HUD grants despite Washington turmoil (KUER 90.1, Salt Lake City, UT) - full text KUER 90.1 [3/28/2025 4:00 AM, Sean Higgins, 80K, UT] Although Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency dominates the headlines around federal funding, Salt Lake City leaders are still moving forward with their efforts to fund critical housing programs with federal dollars. Despite the uncertainty, they say immediate federal funding is not in danger. "With the continuing resolution that Congress passed, [the Department of Housing and Urban Development] is actually working on getting the grant awards out to the city for this coming year," city director of housing stability Tony Milner told the city council at a March 25 work session. Salt Lake City uses HUD grants to fund everything from affordable housing construction to child care and end-of-life services. For the 2026 fiscal year, the city is in the process of determining where nearly $4.9 million will go. When it comes to what could happen in the future, city housing stability spokesperson Sofia Jeremias said they are still "working to understand shifting federal guidelines and funding priorities." "Many of these federal grants are competitive or rely on formulas that may change year to year," she said. "We are always cognizant that a specific grant may not be available in upcoming years and prepare for that." The Salt Lake City Council is discussing a new five-year consolidated plan for 20252029, which is a requirement to receive any funding from HUD. Councilors discussed the framework for those grant programs on March 25, including whether or not to raise the minimum funding request of $30,000 for organizations that hope to be awarded grants. They cited the increasing costs for nonprofits looking to provide these services. "I think the general guidance to raise it to $50,000 helps the recipients," said District 1 Councilor Victoria Petro, who represents the northwestern part of the city. "The only caveat I would have is wanting to retain the option to go lower in the event of a federal decrease." The council took a non-binding straw poll and was in unanimous agreement to keep the current minimum level for this year, with the option to either raise or lower it depending on funding levels from the federal government. The annual allocations are first proposed by the mayor's office and then approved by the council. Exactly where the current tranche of money gets allocated, however, is where councilors appear to still have work to do -- especially in areas where some applicants may provide overlapping services like home repair. "I am just confused about the duplicity of programs, and I'm trying to wrap my head around that," said District 2 Councilor Alejandro Puy, who also represents the west side. The council agreed they will need to be strategic on which programs and services they would like to prioritize. Petro added the funding landscape will continue to change. "We are going to be put in these crosshairs more and more over the next four years and I think we have to have conversations about the new reality," she said. "There's not going to be a good answer. We're going to have to figure out what our strategy is." The council is expected to revisit the discussion over HUD grants later this spring. 239 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024042 [AZ] SV City Council takes first look at CDBG proposals (MyHeraldReview.com, Sierra Vista, AZ) - full text MyHeraldReview.com [3/28/2025 8:15 PM, Mark Hays, 75K, AZ] At Thursday's City Council meeting, representatives for several Community Development Block Grant applicants presented before the City Council on their organizations and why they were requesting funds. Projects this year included initiatives for housing, support for low-income families, and infrastructure repair work. Before applicants presented, Sierra Vista Community Development Director Matt McLachlan explained to the City Council the current status of the CDBG cycle. The project, administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). aims to distribute grant funds to support low- and moderate-income communities. "The program year coincides with the city's fiscal year, running from July 1 through June 30th," McLachlan told the Council. "HUD has not received or issued their official allocation amount, so we're still working with a funding estimate of $250,000, which is the approximate average that we've received over the last four years." McLachlan explained how the City Council usually allocated funds toward CDBG applications, noting that in recent years, 15% or likely $37,000 of the grant amount goes toward public services, with the rest going toward public infrastructure and facility projects. "We received two applications for public services and four applications for public facility and infrastructure projects," McLachlan said. One city project, Len Roberts Park improvements, is also on the list. "In terms of our approach for recommending a city project, we looked at the parks in the LMI (Low and Moderate Income) target areas," McLachlan said. "Over the past 10 years, the city has used CDBG funds to improve Timothy Lane Park, Soldier Creek Park. Landwehr Plaza, and Cyr Center Park. Within the LMI neighborhoods, Len Roberts Park stood out as being next in line for funding." At the park, funds will be used to repair the walking path around the facility and the splashpad, fixing a leak and making the system recirculate instead of using fresh water. At this time, McLachlan noted, it is still early in the CDBG process, and the purpose of the presentation was to get feedback on the applications from council members. Applicants then presented at the meeting, explaining a little about their organizations and their requests. Catholic Community Services requested $59,969, with the recommended amount by the Sierra Vista Neighborhood Commission matching this request, to install sidewalks adjacent to four tiny homes for families surviving domestic violence. The project will also include a concrete pad for a pavilion, outdoor seating, a grill, and lighting. United Way of Sierra Vista and Cochise County has requested $37,500, with a recommended funding of $11,250, to provide emergency crisis and community assistance. This program will offer one-time or short-term payments for individuals or families, such as utility payments to prevent service cutoff or rent assistance to prevent eviction. Additional support includes food and employment assistance. The Society of St. Vincent DePaul has requested $17,364, with the full amount recommended for funding, to rehabilitate the parking lot at their thrift store located at 220 E Myer Drive. Better Bucks of Sierra Vista, Inc. has requested $32,295, with a recommended amount of $26,250, to operate two programs: a voluntary civic day labor initiative (Better Work) and a monthly "pop-up" resource and referral center (Community Connect). These programs aim to assist homeless individuals by providing work opportunities and connecting them with available 240 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024043 local services. Finally, Cochise Western Model Railroad Organization requested $106,050 but has not been recommended for CDBG funding by the Neighborhood Commission. But McLachlan noted the City was pursuing Federal Transit Administration Grant funding that would alleviate their concerns. Their project seeks to remove existing improvements and install sidewalks, concrete driveways, curbs, gutters, and concrete scuppers along 660 Fort Avenue. [AZ] $50 million in federal funding won't reach Arizona projects because of government shutdown bill (KJZZ.org, Phoenix, AZ) - full text KJZZ.org [3/29/2025 9:19 AM, Nick Karmia, 161K, AZ] AUDIO. In Arizona, $50 million in federal funding for local projects was eliminated as part of the government shutdown resolution that passed Congress earlier this month. The money is part of billions of federal dollars for local projects that won't be disbursed. Of those funds, $34 million was designated by Republican Congressman Juan Ciscomani for communities across his district. Part of that would have funded upgrading Tucson's police vehicle fleet and revamping the city's water system. Tucson Mayor Regina Romero said the city will reapply for the funding but also look for alternative revenue sources. "It undermines not just the funding cycle, but the faith in the system itself," Romero said. She also said the city has found it difficult to contact federal officials amidst the Trump administration's cuts to the federal workforce. "We are already confronting the inability of being able to talk to people at HUD and other departments," she said. Oro Valley was set to receive $7 million in federal funding to address repair bridges throughout the community. One of the town's engineer's said the loss in funding won't have an "immediate" impact on the schedule for bridge repairs. Karl Shaddock, who's the assistant to the town manager of Oro Valley, said they hope the bridge repairs are taken under special consideration when they reapply for the funds next fiscal year. In a statement to KJZZ, Ciscomani's office said they'll be working with project recipients to find alternative funding. "Unfortunately, as I have conveyed to all of this year's recipients, I am very disappointed that the bipartisan Continuing Resolution Congress passed did not include any of the funds I secured through my work on the Appropriations Committee," he said. In total, $13 billion worth of federal funding towards local projects nationwide was eliminated by the government shutdown resolution. [ID] City of Boise seeks clarity on stalled federal funding (Idaho Press-Tribune, ID) full text Idaho Press-Tribune [3/30/2025 4:11 PM, Brian Myrick, 131K, ID] The City of Boise is facing significant uncertainty surrounding millions of dollars in federal grant funding, with local officials hoping to gain clarity on the status of these critical resources in the coming month. About $22 million of the $31 million originally expected from federal agencies for fiscal year 2025 has been caught in administrative limbo since the Trump administration, city data shows. While the initial uncertainty has slightly improved, more than $12 million remains unresolved, said Kathy Griesmyer, policy and government affairs director. The affected funds primarily span three areas: climate initiatives, housing programs and public safety. Of particular concern is roughly $6 million anticipated from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development -- an area the state does not typically invest in, Griesmyer said. "These federal funds are so important to make investments to help folks in our community," she said. "Without 241 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024044 that money coming in and addressing these needs, it leaves local leaders with many questions about how we'll fill the gaps." Some of the funding complications are directly tied to presidential executive orders, including a grant to expand electric vehicle charging infrastructure. While specific projects have been paused or delayed, Griesmyer said no funding has been definitively canceled. The city reached out to Idaho's congressional delegation, including Senators Jim Risch and Mike Crapo, and Representatives Russ Fulcher and Mike Simpson. Griesmyer said the delegation was "very receptive" and encouraged continued communication. "Anything that slows down progress based on what residents are asking, it is frustrating, but we are trying to remain optimistic," she said. The city expects to receive more definitive information about these federal funds next month, when various federal agencies are anticipated to complete their internal grant reviews. Here is a list of affected grants: $3.2M Charging and Fueling Infrastructure award, delayed. $263K Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant, paused. $3M Continuum of Care award, experiencing delays. $3.2M Youth Homeless Demonstration Program award, experiencing delays. State and Homeland Security Program funding, experiencing delays, additional review of allocations. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration funding, notified by ITD that funds are at risk. Law Enforcement Liaison funding, notified by ITD that OHS intends to keep Boise Police Department's LEL position funded for as long as possible. [CA] Oceanside Skate Park Reopens After Nearly $500K Renovation (Camp Pendleton Patch, CA) - full text Camp Pendleton Patch [3/28/2025 4:47 PM, Ashley Ludwig, 10723K, CA] The City of Oceanside's John Landes Park, located off 2855 Cedar Road, has reopened to the public, the city announced this week. The city held a ribbon-cutting ceremony and included skateboarding demonstrations and refreshments. According to a city spokesperson, the renovation of the 7,500-square-foot skate spot at Landes Park was a $487,624 project that included $285,520 in grants from the Prop. 68 Per Capita Program and the Urban County Per Capita Program and a $125,000 grant from the Housing and Urban Development CDBG program. About 90 residents commented on the improvements and reminisced on the old skate park over Facebook. One commenter said: "I grew up at this park in the 80s and remembered when the first half pipe arrived like it was yesterday. It was painted red. Amazing to see how this sport has grown." Others suggested that it would be nice to have a BMX park, as well as more boys and girls clubs, "though skating is great, too." Another suggested, "We need more parks, not apartments. This is awesome." Still more asked about the promised dog parks, which the city answered. Oceanside is also currently at work on new dog parks, the city said. We are working on two dog parks: (1) El Corazon Park Site 1 and (2) Ron Ortega Dog Facility. Of the El Corazon Park Site 1: "We are at a 90% design level. We are anticipating completing the design and hopefully starting construction by end of year/ early next year now that construction funds have been identified." Of the Ron Ortega Dog Facility: "We are still in the preliminary design phase for this project. At this time, no construction funds have been identified, but we're exploring grants and other funding." 242 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024045 Affordable Housing Housing affordability worsens in Ql, home prices outpace wages (HousingWire.com) - full text HousingWire.com [3/28/2025 2:18 PM, Jonathan Delozier, 354K] The U.S. housing market became even less affordable for typical workers in the first quarter of 2025, with home prices outpacing wages, according to new analysis from ATTOM. A Q1 2025 Home Affordability Report reveals 97% of analyzed counties now require historically high portions of wages to purchase median-priced homes, continuing a troubling four-year trend that shows no signs of abating. Data shows that major homeownership expenses, including mortgage payments, property taxes and insurance, now consume 32.5% of the average national wage of $74,698. This marks essentially no quarterly change from Q4 2024 (32.7%), but is 1.1% above Q1 2024 (31.4%) and 5.1% more than Q1 2021 (27.4%). "Home affordability is in a holding pattern this quarter, financially stressful for average wage earners but not changing much," said Rob Barber, CEO at ATTOM. "This is not unusual during the winter lull when home prices level out. A recent small decline in mortgage rates surely hasn't hurt either for fledgling buyers." The analysis of 574 counties with populations of 100,000-plus revealed stark geographic divides: Least affordable markets, coastal concentration: Kings County, N.Y. (Brooklyn): 109.5% of wages needed; Maui County, Hawaii: 101.5%; San Luis Obispo County, Calif.: 100.1%; Orange County, Calif.: 97.8%; and Marin County, Calif.: 97.5%. Most affordable markets, Midwest-South dominance: St. Lawrence County, N.Y.: 10.3% of wages needed; Mercer County, Pa.: 10.4%; Peoria County, III.: 11.2%; Jefferson County, Ala.: 11.3%; and Cambria County, Pa.: 11.5%. While the national median home price dipped 1% quarterly to $351,000, analysts noted it remains 5.2% higher than 01 2024. Roughly three quarters of counties saw annual price increases, with New York's Suffolk County leading growth at 11.9%. California's Alameda County saw steepest decline at -11.2%. Barber cautioned that seasonal patterns may give way to economic forces. "With so much economic uncertainty these days connected to investment markets, federal policy shifts and very mixed economic forecasts, it is anyone's guess how much prices will move," he said. The report highlights a growing disconnect between housing costs and earnings. Home prices rose faster than wages in 47% of counties, with the typical buyer now needing $86,611 annually to afford a home. This exceeds average wages in 86% of markets analyzed. In high-cost areas like Manhattan, required incomes surpass $386,000, according to ATTOM. Compared to pre-pandemic levels, 96.5% of counties are less affordable than historic averages. This represents a 22-fold increase from Q1 2021 (4.2%). [ME] A new Portland tenants union wants to help monitor for rent control violations (Portland Press Herald, ME) - full text 243 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024046 Portland Press Herald [3/28/2025 4:00 AM, Grace Benninghoff, 734K, ME] A new tenants union in Portland is promising to do more to fight rent control violations at the same time that the city has increased staffing dedicated to enforcing the new rules. The Portland Tenants Union, formed at the end of last year, aims to represent all renters in the city and monitor violations of the rent control ordinance. "Our broader goal is to try and push the city to be more preventative and punitive in their enforcement of this law because these violations have had monumental financial impacts on tenants," said Bradley Davis, who is a member of the union's steering committee and won a rent control complaint against his landlord last year. Portland's rent control ordinance was first approved by voters in November 2020 and limits annual rent increases to 70% of the Boston-area Consumer Price Index, a measure of inflation. Landlords can go to the rent board to seek additional increases for major upgrades but must keep annual increases to 10% or less. Buildings with four or fewer units where the landlord lives on site are exempt. The ordinance sought to stabilize rents that rose drastically during the COVID-19 pandemic, decreasing affordability for many residents. According to data from Zillow, which tracks real estate trends nationally, the average monthly rent in Portland has continued to rise sharply, reaching $2,162 last month, up from $1,546 in February 2020. In the first few years rent control was in effect, hundreds of complaints were filed and dozens of violations were reported but no landlords were fined. The idea of the new union, Davis said, is that it can help tenants report violations and monitor compliance by analyzing public data. He and other leaders envision the union to be something of a watchdog group. "We know violations are happening and we don't want tenants to have to put their own name and housing on the line to speak out against these things," he said. Meanwhile, the city has stepped up its enforcement efforts over the past year. At the beginning of 2024, the city hired three full-time employees to staff its new rent control division and is now able to do proactive enforcement, said Jessica Hanscombe, director of permitting and inspections for the city. Under the new division, they received 390 complaints last year, all of which were investigated, Hanscombe said. The division inspected 3,521 units to verify exemptions and check that rent increases were allowed, she said. "We follow up on any complaints that we get. They are all deemed important to us and we encourage, if someone sees something they don't think is right, to reach out to us," said Hanscombe. She said that some violations are to be expected in the first few years of any new ordinance; it can take time for people to fully understand new rules and wrap their heads around changes. "Education is really important at the beginning of an ordinance," she said. The new tenants union has filed one complaint with the city so far over issues with a small building on Saint George Street in Back Cove. According to the complaint, the landlords had collected between $840 and $1,186 in additional fees from tenants for things like parking, and the use of the backyard and storage areas. Tenants were reportedly told these fees were required, and they effectively raised rent by anywhere from 57% to 141% per unit. In a May 2023 ruling against landlord Geoffrey Rice, the city determined that if a landlord imposes mandatory fees on top of rent, it violates the ordinance. 244 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024047 The city investigated the report and subsequently issued a notice of violation, ordering the landlords to pay about $34,000 in overcharged fees back to tenants. "I don't think this is a fluke or a standout case. I think this is a lot more common than anybody would like to admit," said Davis. "We are going to keep this up until everybody in the city is following the laws that are on the book to a T." Davis hopes that the existence of the new tenants union paired with the city's own efforts to tamp down on rent control violations will motivate landlords to comply with rent control. "Hopefully, this will drive more landlords to be triple checking that what they are doing is on the books because otherwise eventually we will find out," said Davis. The Portland Tenants Union was born out of the Trelawney Tenants Union, which formed in 2021 and has since filed dozens of complaints with the city against their landlord, Rice, many of which have resulted in fines and have blocked him from rent increases. Ethan Strimling, a former mayor and a founding member of the Trelawney union, said their work made it clear that Portland needed a new union that could represent more people. Last summer, he and other members of the Democratic Socialists of America for a Livable Portland decided to start looking into forming a bigger union. They held a barbecue at a park in the West End and were surprised when about 60 people showed up. "We were like, `Wow, clearly tenants in this city are realizing that rents are too damn high and want to get active,- said Strimling. Afterward, a group of core members worked to put together an organizational structure and the union officially launched at the end of last year. About four months in, Portland Tenants Union has 623 followers on Instagram, 150 people on its mailing list, about 50 people regularly attending meetings and more than 30 dues paying members, according to Davis. "The rent in Portland is just brutal and the affordability of this city is crushing. Rent control has been a vital piece of trying to slow the gouging of the working class. Tenants are fed up," Strimling said. [MA] Springfield resident describes impact of affordable housing cuts on the city (Western Mass News, MA) - full text Western Mass News [3/28/2025 1:53 PM, Taylor Smith and Tyler Beraldi, 201K, MA] Earlier this week, we reported that the state is warning Section 8 voucher holders that federal funding cuts will lead to policy changes, reducing or eliminating some benefits when applying for or living in their home. On Friday, a Springfield resident shared her story, shedding a broader light on the issue of affordable housing and how these cuts, along with already strained conditions, impact many residents in the city. "I'm completing my master's degree yet with two jobs and two internships I've still been displaced from my permanent residence," longtime Springfield resident Shauna Peebles told us. Peebles has been without a place to call home for a year and a half after she, her son, and 80 other families were evicted from where they live. She says it's due to ongoing rent increases under new management. "13 years ago, the rent was $725 for a twobedroom two bathroom and management came in, and five years I was paying double 245 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024048 that," she claimed. After losing her apartment. Peebles applied to multiple subsidized housing waitlists, including Section 8, but has yet to hear back from any. And with the recent threat of federal funding cuts to Section 8 voucher holders over the next few years, finding suitable housing seems even farther out of reach. "I'm still told my name has to be at the bottom of the waitlist or wherever, it's supposed to be on the list according to the time that I apply, and the waitlist is well over 10 years," she explained. And for those near the top of that list for Section 8 housing in the Bay State, these are some of the policy changes they'll be facing due to those federal cuts. The state will no longer pay for a household's security deposit. No more earned income deduction in rent calculation. No extra grace period for lower payment standard changes. $480 of a fulltime student's income will be counted. Now just under two years and still with nowhere to live, Shauna connected with Gabriel Ortiz, housing and financial counselor at Springfield Partners for Community Action to help get her back on her feet. "I want to give you a certificate, it's called the first-time homebuyer's certificate. This will help you not just always just become not supposed to be going to help you to become a homeowner," Ortiz said. Ortiz tells us Peebles isn't the only one facing the brunt of the affordable housing crisis. Their weekly reports show an increase in evictions and homelessness. "The majority of people come in here is for housing, housing, housing, housing, they're looking for an apartment. they're getting evicted. The rent is gone high sadly that at least 10% to 50% of them are already homeless or living in shelters with their family." While Springfield Partners for Community Action has not been impacted by the recent federal funding cuts, Ortiz says rising costs and insufficient federal funding to other organizations, ultimately puts a strain on their department. But they will continue to do the best they can. "It's not easy for me to go to sleep at night knowing that, but I do feel good when I could be able to provide a solution of resource," Ortiz told us. Now, Shauna is still actively working with Springfield Partners for Community Action to secure housing for her and her son. Ortiz and his team at Springfield Partners say they are committed to supporting residents like Peebles through the various program they provide and hope to help combat that increase in evictions and homelessness in Springfield. [Editorial note: consult source link for video] [NY] Gloversville Common Council approves pro-housing pledge (The Daily Gazette, NY) - full text The Daily Gazette [3/28/2025 4:57 PM, Eden Stratton, 254K, NY] The Gloversville Common Council unanimously approved the long-debated Pro Housing Community Pledge during its meeting Tuesday. Councilmember Betsy Batchelor, DWard 3, presented the resolution, and Councilmember Marcia Weiss, D-Ward 1, 246 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024049 seconded the motion. "We stood our ground and we got there," Weiss said. "It means a lot more opportunities for the city to get grant money to improve things [here]." Gov. Kathy Hochul's office developed a Pro-Housing Communities designation for cities, towns and villages in the state. In order to be a pro-housing community, localities have to have either increased their housing stock by 1% in total over the past three years, or in the alternative, complete 1/3 of 1% increase within the past year alone. Gloversville fell short of the benchmark, so the city had to pass the resolution promising to meet the standards set by the state in order to receive the designation. The resolution does not legally bind the city to complete specific projects. The council initially voted down the resolution during its Feb. 25 meeting, with Batchelor sponsoring it and all five Republican members voting against it. Weiss attempted to pass the resolution during the Mar. 11 council work session, but it failed 5-2 once again, with only Batchelor seconding the motion. Due to housing shortages in the state, New York has adopted a Pro-Housing Community Program designed to assist localities in building new housing for state residents. Gloversville Mayor Vince DeSantis said he added context to the resolution ahead of Tuesday's vote stating Gloversville has a strong commitment to develop affordable housing and greater infrastructure development. "I had re-drafted the resolution to put a lot more into it about all the history that we've had in promoting a variety of housing in Gloversville going back a decade," he said. "There was a lot more in the resolution that said we are on board because it's part of our comprehensive plan, [and] it's part of our downtown development strategy. It's part of everything that we've been doing, especially the current things that we've been doing with the [Downtown Revitalization Initiative] and we're actually putting those plans and goals that we had set early on into actual implementation now." During Tuesday's meeting, several residents spoke in favor of the resolution, including Kathleen Perrott, president of the Glove Theatre Board of Directors. Perrott also expressed support for the resolution at the Mar. 11 meeting. "I'm thrilled that this was passed," Perrott said Friday. "It was the right thing to do. I'm glad that we did it before any of our grant dollars were potentially at risk." The pro-housing program additionally could assist renovations like those The Glove is planning. "The Glove is in the middle of a huge planning project for our very large renovations, and this gives us the potential to access more funding which will be needed to make those renovations come to fruition," Perrott said. DeSantis said there are two grants the city is eyeing to apply for now that the prohousing pledge is officially certified by the council. "There are a couple of grants that we are hoping to apply for this year that you have to be a Pro-Housing Community even to apply, and one of them is a Main Street Grant for up to a half-a-million dollars for stabilization of the Fownes building on South Main Street," he said. "The other is the word that I'm getting from NYCOM [New York Conference of Mayors] is that there's $100 million that's going to be available for infrastructure improvement, and we need to improve our sewer system trunk line so we can definitely be applying for a grant for that." "This makes us able to really proceed with full speed this year," he added. 247 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024050 Councilmember Jessica McNamara, R-Ward 2, said that controversy surrounding the council's decision to not pass the resolution was not political in nature. She cited the webinar she and the council had with the state Division of Housing and Community Renewal as why she changed her vote, and said she felt comfortable voting for the resolution after asking the division more questions about the pledge. She and other councilmembers have stated in the past that they wanted more information before signing off on the resolution. "It was not a decision based on politics, it was a decision based upon knowledge and having all the facts from the direct source," she said. Gloversville will join local municipalities such as the cities of Johnstown, Albany, Schenectady and Troy and the villages of Canajoharie and Scotia as a Pro-Housing Community. The city can now access discretionary funding programs such as the NY Forward program, the Regional Council Capital Fund, capital projects from the Market New York program, the New York Main Street program and the Public Transportation Modernization Enhancement Program (MEP). "I'm grateful to the councilmembers that passed [the resolution], because I think it's the best thing for Gloversville," DeSantis said. [NJ] In New Jersey, Pivotal Affordable Housing Decision Turns 50 (Shelterforce) full text Shelterforce [3/28/2025 9:46 AM, Miriam Axel-Lute] AUDIO. Fifty years ago this week, news was being made in New Jersey that would get coverage in Shelterforce's very first issue--a decision in the case of Southern Burlington County NAACP v. Township of Mount Laurel. That New Jersey Supreme Court ruling, together with a subsequent one, formed what is known as the Mount Laurel Doctrine, which requires that all New Jersey municipalities provide their "fair share" of the affordable housing needed in the state. The Mount Laurel Doctrine is credited with the creation of 75,000 affordable homes in New Jersey, according to the Fair Share Housing Center. It has also led to the creation of 130,000 middle-class homes, said New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy in a speech this week commemorating the 50th anniversary. There are fair share housing rules in a few other states as well--California has its Housing Element requirement, with recently stepped-up enforcement. Massachusetts has its very successful 40B requirement. And over the last several years, Connecticut has been organizing to get a fair share provision. Fair share housing provisions are ways to create healthy mixed-income communities, reduce the effects of long commutes, decrease segregation, and recognize the interdependence of our regions and states. By allowing forms of housing like duplexes, row homes, and apartment complexes to be built in places that have resisted it, these provisions may also increase housing supply overall, which in places with shortages is one part of bringing housing costs down. Mount Laurel has done a lot of what it set out to do, including successfully adding affordable housing to its namesake. But of course, it hasn't been a simple panacea either. Shelterforce has covered some of the state's many struggles to implement the ruling. The history of the Mount Laurel Doctrine reflects many of the major themes and challenges in the affordable housing movement nationwide. To name just a few: How policy and legal wins must be constantly defended and backed up by organizers and advocates if they are to produce real and lasting change. How "fair share" gets defined, especially during times when the agency assigned to define and implement it doesn't 248 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024051 have political support. How the value of local control should be balanced with enforcement of a regional or statewide obligation. (A major lever for enforcement of fair share provisions is that developers of affordable housing are not fully subject to local zoning and planning decisions if the municipality is out of compliance with its obligations.) How metropolitan areas are interconnected and why it's better for everyone to recognize that. How fair share housing advocates can work with environmentalists concerned that affordable housing obligations will increase construction on sensitive lands, rather than be pitted against them. Do the fears of NIMBYs tend to come true or not? Should towns be allowed to make payments in lieu of building their own affordable housing (perhaps generating more units overall by allowing building in cheaper locations), or does that defeat the purpose of the original ruling? Which fair share solutions work better? Those based on legislation, like Massachusetts's 40B, or via a court decision? Is opening up the suburbs enough, or does that also need to be paired with investment in places with plenty of affordable housing but also lots of disinvestment? How well, if at all, do race-neutral solutions fix problems created by racially targeted policies and practices? The fact that it raises all these meaty questions is not a criticism of the Mount Laurel Doctrine or all the efforts New Jersey has made to implement it. Far from it. Rather it shows just how important it is and how relevant it is for the entire country. As Judge Morris Pashman wrote in his concurring opinion on the case in 1975: The people of New Jersey should welcome the result reached by the Court in this case, not merely because it is required by our laws, but, more fundamentally, because the result is right and true to the highest American ideals." [PA] MidPoint affiliate acquires Penn Avenue site in East Liberty for 43-unit affordable senior complex (Pittsburgh Business Times, PA) - full text Pittsburgh Business Times [3/28/2025 2:41 PM, Tim Schooley, 4715K, PA] A gateway corner of the East Liberty business district has a new owner with early plans for a new affordable housing development. Real estate records reveal that North Carolina-based Highwoods Properties has sold the open lot at 6135 to 6145 Penn Ave., a plot for which the neighborhood commercial buildings were razed years ago to make way for a new office and retail development that lately has been used for little more than some remaining and temporary Black Lives Matter memorials. The buyer is Royal Lofts Pittsburgh LLC, which is an affiliate of MidPoint Group of Companies, Inc., which specializes in affordable housing development and is currently building the $65 million City's Edge mixed-use project near PPG Paints Arena in Uptown. Nate Boe, principal of MidPoint, confirmed the land buy. He said in an email that "MidPoint and its partners are motivated to pursue this project to bring much needed affordable senior housing to the inner core of East Liberty to allow some residents of the East End to age in place and at the same time continue to enjoy all the amenities that East Liberty offers." MidPoint has applied for a 9% Low Income Housing Tax Credit from the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, revealed in agenda materials by the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh in December for a proposal in which the Royal Lofts is expected to total 43 apartments. The URA expects the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency to announce 9% LIHTC grant awards this summer. The cleared site of around 12,000 square feet was bought by Highwoods in late 2019 249 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024052 from an affiliate of Alphabet City Real Estate for $2.4 million with the goal of continuing on with a proposed office project with first floor retail, which the North Carolina firm called East Liberty Centre. Records show Highwoods has sold the still undeveloped property at a loss for $1.3 million to Royal Lofts Pittsburgh at a time of an uncertain business climate for new development along with higher construction costs. There's also a new mortgage record for a total of $1.65 million leant to Royal Lofts Pittsburgh LLC from the Community Growth Fund, a regional funder of projects with a goal of promoting equitable development that is a community development financial institution of the Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group. Ernie Hogan, executive director of PCRG, said Boe is getting assistance from his organization through a mentorship program. "It's a pretty critical anchor site," said Hogan of the Penn Avenue corner. Amid Boe's ongoing site search for a new project, Hogan added, "when this one came along, and he looked at the market demographics of East Liberty and what the demands were, he started to realize there was a pretty significant waiting list for senior housing." Susheela Nemani-Stanger, executive director of the URA, didn't comment directly on any potential deal at the site but acknowledged the opportunity in a prepared statement. "It's a great infill development opportunity -- it's currently underutilized and has high potential to round out the business district," she said. "With its proximity to the regional busway station and so many neighborhood-serving amenities, it's an ideal opportunity to build affordable housing. We're interested to see development advance at that site." The sales transaction is between two firms coming and going in their respective plans and investments in the region. Highwoods, best known as the owner of PPG Place as well as the building long known as EQT Plaza downtown, announced to investors in July 2022 that it had decided to divest its assets in Pittsburgh in order to focus its resources on the higher growth market of Dallas. The company has taken a deliberative approach, continuing to lease space in its downtown properties while it works to sell. The closing of the sale of the Penn Avenue property was announced on Linkedln by Michelle Stewart, a senior vice president at JLL, who worked on the assignment, a transaction she revealed without disclosing the buyer. The Penn Avenue site appears to be the first of its Pittsburgh assets that Highwoods has officially sold off and is the only open land it owns here with its local assets focused on its downtown buildings. MidPoint was part of a joint venture with Walnut Capital Partners that proposed to develop a 26O-unit project called Beatty Square on a public parking lot in the neighborhood that at the time was expected to cost $79.9 million to build and add 100 units of apartments that met standards of affordability and also included a senior housing component. The project fell through in late 2021 amid the pandemic. Boe is a former official with the Allegheny County Housing Authority turned private developer whose City's Edge project demonstrated an ability to generate often hard-to-get financing, both public and private, including what was believed at the time in 2019 to be the only affordable housing project in the city if not the state to be awarded both 4% and 9% LIHTC awards. In what turned out to be a seven-year slog to get City's Edge out of the ground with delays exacerbated by the pandemic among other challenges, MidPoint also generated considerable funding for the project from the URA, the financial arm of the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh as well as from private lenders. 250 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024053 Boe pledged optimism for a Royal Lofts project in its pre-development phase. "With the acquisition of the land completed during predevelopment, MidPoint and its partners believe that the project will be successful," he said in his response to emailed questions. As he works to establish financing for the project that will still need to go through the city approval process, Boe estimated a project on the site would likely take 24 to 30 months to bring to completion. [SC] Charleston County launches fund to boost affordable housing throughout area (WTMA.com, SC) - full text WTMA.com [3/28/2025 4:38 PM, Stella Karron, 1K, SC] VIDEO. Charleston County leaders have unveiled a new initiative aimed at bolstering affordable housing in the Lowcountry. The Local Housing Trust Fund, a revolving loan fund, will provide below-market loans to developers and organizations focused on creating and preserving workforce and affordable housing throughout the county. The fund is supported by the local Accommodations Tax, which taxes hotels and motels offering accommodations to tourists. Applications for funding are set to open in May. Charleston County Council Member Rob Wehrman emphasized the importance of ensuring locals can afford to live in the county. "That's regular folks," he said. "This is for folks across our community to help get them a safe and secure and great opportunity to live. The initiative is part of the county's Housing Our Future Plan and builds upon the successes of the Gap Financing Programs, which have funded projects like the Archer School Apartments, North Bridge Townhomes, and Esau Jenkins Village. "Charleston County has long recognized the importance of expanding access to affordable housing, and the creation of the Local Housing Trust Fund is a testament to that commitment," said Charleston County Council Chairman Kylon Middleton. "This initiative is a powerful example of what we can achieve through collaboration, leveraging public and private partnerships to bring meaningful solutions to our community. I'm proud of the leadership that brought us to this moment, and I look forward to the lasting impact this fund will have for residents across our county." SCCLF President Deborah McKetty expressed enthusiasm for the continued partnership with Charleston County. "SCCLF is delighted to continue our partnership with Charleston County to provide critical financing to support the production and preservation of workforce housing," McKetty said, "especially since our origins began 20 years ago as the Lowcountry Housing Trust right here in the Charleston community." [SC] Charleston County creates $8 million loan fund to help developers build affordable housing (Charleston Post and Courier, SC) - full text Charleston Post and Courier [3/31/2025 5:00 AM, Ali Rockett, 1023K, SC] Charleston County has set aside more than $8 million of its tourism taxes to create a loan fund to bring more affordable housing to the area. The Local Housing Trust Fund, announced March 27 by county leaders and its partner, South Carolina Community Loan Fund, will provide below-market loans to developers and organizations that build affordable housing. These projects are costly and won't happen without subsidies like this, according to Christine Durant, deputy county administrator for Community Services. A change in state law made the fund possible. Until 2023, state and local tourism taxes 251 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024054 could only be used to advertise or support local venues, events or projects that attract overnight visitors. Now, local governments can use taxes collected on hotel or short-term rental stays toward housing that individuals who work at hotels, restaurants and other tourism-centered jobs can afford. The bipartisan legislation does not provide any new funding, but rather allows localities to earmark up to 15 percent of their accommodations tax revenue for housing. Charleston County, which collects nearly $30 million in A-taxes annually, allocated about $4.2 million last year and another $4.1 million this year to seed the fund. Durant said her department plans to request another $4.25 million in the coming budget. The fund will be revolving, meaning that builders who are loaned money will pay it back in enough time to be loaned out again for future projects, Durant explained. It's a model that has worked for the county in the past. The county used about $20 million of its federal COVID relief money through the American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA, to provide "gap financing" for nearly a dozen housing projects that will add over 700 units to the county's housing stock. These developments include the Archer School Apartments in downtown Charleston, North Bridge Townhomes in North Charleston, and Esau Jenkins Village, which is nearing completion on Johns Island. Over the years, the county has tried other ways of incentivizing affordable housing growth, Durant said. "We've changed zoning ordinances. We've given density bonuses where affordability is included. We've changed parking restrictions. We've done a lot of different things, but none of that has really stimulated an increase until we started putting some funding to fill the gap," she said. "The cost of construction, the cost of land, all of those things have driven up the cost of development." Housing developments can cost over tens of millions of dollars, so they won't rely on this financing alone. Still, without the county subsidizing affordable units, Durant said, these projects won't happen. There is no target for how many projects the current pot of $8 million will support or how many units it will help build. County Council was quick to acknowledge the housing crisis, but has struggled in the past with how to pay for solutions. By tapping into A-taxes, it helps the county tackle housing affordability without upping local property taxes. In 2020, county voters rejected a plan for a modest property tax increase to fund affordable housing efforts. The ballot referendum narrowly failed, with 51 percent opposed. In 2022, Council decided against holding another referendum. Meanwhile, median rents in Charleston County increased by more than 30 percent over the last five years, according to an analysis by The Post and Courier. The median sell price of a single-family home in the county has soared from below $400,000 at the start of 2020 to $635,000 in February, according to the Charleston Trident Association of Realtors. Any housing initiatives financed with A-tax money must serve people earning between 30 and 120 percent of the area's median income. In Charleston County, that covers those households making between $22,100 and $88,320 as an individual, or $31,550 and $126,120 for a family of four, according to income limits set by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Applications for funding will open in May. [GA] Savannah passes affordable housing `overlay' zoning district, meant to boost city's housing supply (Georgia Public Broadcasting, GA) - full text 252 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024055 Georgia Public Broadcasting [3/28/2025 3:22 PM, Benjamin Payne, 222K, GA] Savannah City Council approved an ordinance Thursday amending the city's zoning code to create what officials are calling an Affordable Housing Overlay District, a move aimed at addressing rising housing costs and increasing residential density. The ordinance, which passed by a 7-2 vote with a minor modification, allows property owners to more easily develop high-density and multi-family housing in neighborhoods that have traditionally consisted of low-density, single-family homes. However, all projects seeking affordable housing status must be certified by the city manager's office, which under the ordinance would be defined as residences in which rental or ownership costs do not exceed 30% of a household's gross income. While the ordinance establishes the framework for the overlay district, it does not specify where it will be implemented. Instead, it outlines several zoning districts beyond downtown where it could be applied in the future. Savannah Mayor Van Johnson described the measure as a necessary step toward increasing housing supply in the Hostess City. "We can't complain about not having affordable housing if we're not willing to take the big, bold moves it's going to take to get us there," Johnson said. "We have to create it, and it happens by density. And density has to be citywide." The median rent in the Savannah metro area has increased by 55% since 2020, rising from $1,093 to $1,707, according to data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. "We've all heard -- and continue to hear -- from our neighbors across the city that housing prices remain unaffordable, and they're getting more unaffordable," Johnson said. The stated purpose of the overlay district, as described in the ordinance, is "to increase housing availability, accessibility, and affordability options by encouraging the development of new housing opportunities that meet a broader range of needs and serve a more diverse population." The vote followed multiple public hearings, which began in November, during which residents provided input on whether and how they would like to see their neighborhoods be included in the overlay district. City Manager Jay Melder acknowledged that the policy change was unlikely to receive unanimous buy-in from impacted communities, but emphasized its potential to evolve based on continued feedback. "This is really difficult work," Melder said. "We're not going to find 100% consensus on adding density as a way to solve the housing unit crisis. But, I think that starting somewhere is better than not starting at all. ... The elegance of what we're trying to achieve now is a program that can grow over time." Before the final vote, City Council modified the ordinance to remove one type of singlefamily zoning district, known as RSF-6, from the overlay, effectively opting out the west Savannah neighborhood of Hudson Hill-Bayview. The two dissenting votes came from Aldermen Nick Palumbo and Kurtis Purtee, both of whom voiced support for the original version of the ordinance without that modification. Palumbo argued for an even distribution of affordable housing across Savannah, saying, "I'd rather share the burden with all of us, with a beautiful, walkable, dense place that we know and call and love [as] home, that millions of people the world over come and see and visit." The ordinance also received support from community advocates in attendance at the meeting, including the Rev. Claire Marich of Justice Unites Savannah Together, an 253 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024056 interfaith coalition representing more than 20 religious congregations in Savannah and Chatham County. "We are strong supporters of this zoning text amendment," Marich told councilmembers ahead of their vote. "We feel that it is robust enough to make a difference and a dent in providing more housing [and] attainable housing for our residents, and yet it is moderate enough that it will not affect the overall character and quality of life in our city." The next step for City Council will be to approve a map identifying the specific areas where the overlay district will be applied, a decision expected to come in a future meeting as early as April. [IL] Rep. Maurice West and Arne Duncan - Illinois must invest in housing support for people exiting prison (Chicago Tribune, IL) - full text Chicago Tribune [3/28/2025 6:00 AM, Maurice West, Arne Duncan, 5269K, IL] It took six months for Maria Garza to finally feel home for good after leaving prison. Garza was released from the Illinois Department of Corrections in June 2021 and spent the next six months bouncing from a friend's home to her elderly godparents' home to a motel, while also working as a hospital clerk and dog sitter and struggling to continue her bachelor's degree classes in Northwestern University's Prison Education Program. Those months were marked by uncertainty and worry as Garza was forced to adapt her schedule and constantly pivot around those who had kindly offered help. Garza's life changed dramatically in December 2021 when a church in Joliet offered her a twobedroom home for an affordable $300 per month. From there, Garza has reestablished herself, taking on numerous responsibilities, working (and contributing to the state tax base) and, maybe most important, co-founding Challenge II Change, an organization that specializes in helping people facing similar hardships. But far too few people exiting prison have the same kind of opportunity that Garza did. That is why we are proud to stand with Challenge II Change and the dozens of statewide organizations in the Home for Good Coalition, a group of housing, reentry and community violence intervention organizations working to enact into law the Home for Good Program, which would ensure that affordable housing is available to people who are leaving prisons or jails and those enrolled in and employed at community violence intervention (CVI) organizations that work to reduce gun violence. Studies show that housing instability is a major challenge for those exiting jail and prison and for those who are chronically exposed to violence. Far too many people with both the determination and the desire to find employment and become a contributing member of society struggle and fail because they lack a safe place to sleep and an address to put on an application. These setbacks, caused by systemic problems that can be fixed, ripple through families and neighborhoods and create instability and unsafe conditions for all of us. It is time to respond boldly, with a statewide solution such as the Home for Good Program, HB3162 and SB2403. People with arrest and conviction records struggle to find stable and affordable housing options due to lack of employment opportunities and discrimination by landlords and employers. In addition, people exiting jail and prison are excluded from state and federally funded long-term housing for three months because of state and federal definitions of homelessness. The need to address this issue is critical, as data and research show: 45% of people 254 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024057 leaving state prisons are unemployed for at least three years for every 100 extremely low-income Illinois renters. 60% of CVI program participants request support finding or affording housing, and 80% have arrest or conviction records, which creates a significant barrier to finding work or securing a lease. People leaving prison don't qualify for some existing homelessness supports upon release. Nearly 40% of people leaving prisons return within three years, with each return costing Illinois taxpayers an estimated $190,000. However, research shows that stable housing reduces the likelihood of returning to prison and is far less expensive than reincarcerating a person. The Home for Good legislation builds upon existing, but limited, housing programs and reentry housing pilots that have proved to help people build stable lives. It would allocate $103 million for the Illinois Housing Development Authority and the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority to expand those housing opportunities. The program will fund rental assistance for people with criminal records who can contribute up to 30% of their income; grant money to acquire, build and rehabilitate affordable transitional and permanent housing; wraparound support services for those seeking housing; and the creation of the Home for Good Institute, a training center for organizations that want to provide this kind of housing. We understand this initial price tag in a year of austerity seems high. But we also know this is a good investment that would pay incredible dividends by helping people and families, saving taxpayers money and making communities safer. It will create meaningful opportunities for others like Garza. Investing $103 million in the program would also save taxpayers $650 million over the next three years. For every dollar invested in Home for Good, more than $6 would be injected back into the Illinois economy, creating widespread opportunities to stabilize communities and address public safety. And providing housing support for returning residents has been shown to lower return to prison rates by up to 50%. The current housing ecosystem simply doesn't reach enough people to ensure widespread positive outcomes like this. So, let's expand our response to housing needs in this state. Let's provide community organizations committed to ending gun violence with a real solution for clients and staff who need housing. Let's provide those returning home from incarceration with housing options they can access. Let's stop the revolving door at the prison. Let's welcome them home for good. [MN] Vacant lots in North Minneapolis set to become affordable housing project (Twin Cities Business Journal, MN) - full text Twin Cities Business Journal [3/30/2025 12:59 PM, Abby Bulger, 4715K, MN] Minneapolis' Near North neighborhood could gain an affordable housing project on the site of two long-vacant lots in the coming years. Northgate Development and VY Enterprise, both based in Minneapolis, have partnered to build a 68-unit, mixed-use project on two lots, located at 1014 and 1026 Plymouth Ave. N. Northgate was recently granted an extension on its exclusive development rights from the city of Minneapolis to the vacant parcels through April 2027, according to county records. The project, dubbed EPIC+R, will feature units with up to four bedrooms and 15 supportive housing units for those with disabilities. All 68 units in the building will be available for rent to people at or below 50% of the area median income. There also will be 12,000 square feet of commercial space that could have a variety of uses, including a daycare center, retail and office spaces. 255 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024058 VY Enterprise, whose focus is sustainable affordable housing, has helped Northgate design the building to meet Passive House Institute standards, a set of criteria that emphasizes energy efficiency and comfort. This includes incorporating features such as solar panels, a rooftop garden to manage stormwater, electric vehicle charging stations and a heat pump. Northgate has had the rights to the lots for three years now, but only recently finalized plans and accrued significant funding for the project. In 2022, the Minneapolis City Council first granted Northgate two years to develop a mixed-use, transit-oriented project on the site, with the possibility of a year-long extension if proof of pre-development work was presented. The company received said extension and after securing a $450,000 grant from Hennepin County and $1.5 million from the Minneapolis Affordable Housing Trust Fund last year, Northgate will be able to advance the process of construction on the lots. According to Victoria Yepez, president of VY Enterprise, the team expects to be fully funded by the end of this year. Yepez and Northgate are currently seeking funding from the state of Minnesota, the team would break ground in October 2026. Following an estimated 15-month construction period, EPIC+R would open for tenants in late 2027 or early 2028. The affordable housing project is part of Northgate Development's East Plymouth Innovation Corridor, which also includes the Regional Apprenticeship Training Center located at 1200 Plymouth Ave. N. Just two blocks from the future Epic+R, this building was developed by Northgate and leased to the Minnesota Health Department for its youth environmental services training back in 2022. [MT] Missoula Redevelopment Agency amends guidelines around workforce housing assistance (KPAX, Missoula, MT) - full text KPAX [3/28/2025 1:19 PM, Martin Kidston, 195K, MT] The Missoula Redevelopment Agency (MRA) on Thursday tweaked portions of its workforce housing guidelines to provide more clarity based on lessons learned from several projects. Among the changes, the MRA board removed a previous rule that gave deconstruction-only projects a pass in paying into the city's Affordable Housing Trust Fund. The changes also allow an applicant seeking tax increment for qualified improvements to come back at a future date to request assistance for workforce housing. "Typically, we're not bringing projects back for additional funding requests," said Annie Gorski, deputy director of MRA. "That is an addition to the guidelines to provide that clarity." The Legislature in 2021 added workforce housing to the state's definition of infrastructure, allowing qualified housing projects to seek tax increment financing. In 2023, upon the feedback of a working group, MRA drafted and the City Council approved the city's Workforce Housing Program. The program requires most projects that receive more than $100,000 in tax increment and don't include any workforce housing to contribute 10% of its tax increment award to the city's Affordable Housing Trust Fund. As initially drafted, that included a number of exceptions. Projects seeking tax increment financing where the only eligible item is deconstruction was among them. But few if any projects seek tax increment simply for deconstruction, which prompted MRA to remove the exception from the list. The agency said it will still work to incentivize deconstruction and it doesn't believe the change will impact the number of projects brought to the board for consideration. "We 256 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024059 rarely have a deconstruction project only," said Gorski. "Many of the projects that come to the board include a combination of building removal -- materials that can't be salvaged -- and true deconstruction with materials that can be reused and repurposed." Historically, MRA also has had a policy that prohibited projects that receive tax increment financing from coming back at a later date asking for more funding, regardless of whether the project was ill-planned or incurred additional costs. But given the complexity of the Workforce Housing Program and the time it takes to work through the income qualifications and building costs, MRA will now allow qualified projects to seek future workforce housing assistance. "There often is a time window where right-of-way improvements need to occur before vertical construction begins," said Gorski. "This new language allows applications requesting tax increment assistance for right-of-way improvements, building removal or related work, to come back to request Workforce Housing Program assistance." When adopting the Workforce Housing Program guidelines in 2023, MRA board members anticipated that changes would need to be made based on interactions with the program. While the changes are small, board members believe they will enhance the housing program and bring clarity to the guidelines. "We expected there would be amendments once people started to go through them," said board member Ruth Reineking. "These seem reasonable." [NM] New program allows landlords to turn run down properties into affordable rentals (KRQE, Albuquerque, NM) - full text KRQE [3/30/2025 6:21 PM, Gabe Chavez, 632K, NM] With a push to make affordable housing more available, a new program aimed at rehabbing old homes and turning them into rentals has launched. One nonprofit is already rolling out their first success with the program. The Rehab2Rental was approved by Housing New Mexico, also known as MFA, back in February. On Friday, one of the early recipients opened its first home using the funding. "There's a shortage of both single-family homes for sale and rental units for rental. So with this program, the intent is to revitalize some existing stock and make it available for rentals," said Dan Jennings, a county coordinator with 100% Chaves County. The program by Housing New Mexico would give landlords a $25,000 forgivable loan to fix up old, run-down houses, turning them into affordable rental homes that would be used for tenant-based housing vouchers. In Chaves County, the owner of the home worked with the organizations 100% Chaves County and Hagerman Forward to help ring in the program, saying having something like this helps more than just the homeowner. "We feel it helps stabilize neighborhoods, taking a vacant house and turning it into a house that can be safe and habitable. We feel that it's good for the property owner because now we have another property owner who can be in the system and rent houses at an affordable rent. And we feel it's great for the families that can now have a voucher," said the Executive Director and CEO of Housing New Mexico. Housing New Mexico says the program is not just limited to Chaves County and is open to other landlords across the state. 257 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024060 [WA] Langley residents divided over affordable housing project (South Whidbey Record, WA) - full text South Whidbey Record [3/28/2025 4:30 AM, Kira Erickson, 9K, WA] Neighbors of Langley's soon-to-be first affordable rental apartments in over 35 years are unsatisfied with some of the finer details of the project's design. A total of 36 residents of Saratoga Road, First, Second and Third streets and DeBruyn and Park avenues objected to the proposed Generations Place housing development, a project of Island Roots Rousing, in a letter that has been circulating around the community, and beyond. Signers of the letter, dated March 10, worry about the surrounding neighborhood being negatively impacted by the apartments and claim that the plans submitted to the city deviate from the project's original design intent. "The plan calls for 14 family-sized units within three apartment buildings, all built on two city lots, offering minimal privacy, no private outdoor space, limited shared outdoor space, and insufficient parking," the letter stated. Though the letter is titled "Details Matter," it appears that some of the stated concerns were false. Rose Hughes, managing director of Island Roots Housing, said a lot of misrepresentations were made which seem intended to create controversy where there is none. For example, the letter claims Island Roots Housing has no property management plan in place, yet Hughes said Ad-West Realty Services was selected in January to fulfill this role. "If anyone looks at our website they will see two people holding up the original schematic design at a public workshop in 2023 -- the only significant changes have been to reconfigure units to improve the open space," Hughes said, adding that all buildings have porches, which is something the letter purported that the design lacked. In addition, Hughes said she learned this past week that the letter has been sent to project funders at the city, county, state and federal levels, as well as to each of the hundreds of people who have donated to the cause. "Those are not the actions of someone who wants to 'improve' the project, but rather to defund it entirely," she said. A portion of the concerns seem to revolve around the very nature of apartment building living, with worries about a lack of open space outdoors and passersby's proximity to bathroom and bedroom windows. A nearby public playground, located across a four-way intersection, is not perceived as a safe enough place for children to play. Letter writers also believe the current plan, which allocates space for six on-site parking spaces with eight on-street spaces, is insufficient to meet the demand when Island County census data cites two cars per household in Island County. "Imagine a parent with two children coming home with groceries, circling the neighborhood searching for a place to park," the letter stated. In response to the letter, other community members have voiced their support for Generations Place. One neighbor, Hughes said, wrote a strong rebuttal before Island Roots Housing staff was even aware of the letter's existence. "Our community has a housing crisis and this project offers the first realistic and timely solution that we have seen since we first started talking about this over 15 years ago," Jenn Jurriaans, owner of two Langley restaurants, said. "I'm devastated to think that this project has hit a standstill because of unrealistic concerns and demands." Fred Safstrom, the project's development consultant, pointed to the impending closure of 258 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024061 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development offices, reneging of federal funding contracts and the supply chain and cost impact of escalating tariffs as all being genuine causes of concern, for any further delay is a real threat to the completion of Generations Place. Groundbreaking for the project is planned for this summer; residents are expected to move in starting winter 2026. [CA] Mountain View looks to protect tenants from landlord harassment, retaliation (Mountain View Voice, CA) - full text mountain View Voice [3/28/2025 3:06 PM, Emily Margaretten, 38K, CA] Mountain View has local regulations in place to protect residents from unreasonable rent hikes and evictions, but there is no explicit language preventing harassment and retaliation from landlords. That could change soon, as the Rental Housing Committee looks to implement stronger protections for tenants so they can exercise their rights without fear of retaliatory harassment. "This is something that we have heard from enough people that I think that it is a concern in the community," said Committee member Alex Brown at a study session Thursday evening. An anti-harassment and retaliation policy would only apply to tenants covered by the city's rent stabilization ordinances for apartments and mobile homes. But it still could have a big impact, particularly for some of the city's most vulnerable residents, according to the staff report presented to the committee on March 27. Tenants have reportedly experienced threats, coercion, fraud and intimidation from landlords, property managers and park owners. According to the staff report, these tactics have been used for various purposes: to disrupt, reduce and terminate housing services; to avoid making necessary repairs and maintenance; to force tenants into new lease agreements; and to pursue eviction. The Rental Housing Committee strongly backed a proposal to craft a policy that would offer more protections for tenants, on par with what many other cities already are doing. "About three-quarters of the California rent stabilized jurisdictions cited by staff ... have some form of anti-harassment and retaliation policy, and I think we should too," said Committee member Robert Cox. Landlords could have financial incentives to remove a tenant from a rent-controlled apartment if it's lower than the market-rate price, Cox said, noting that it was important to have anti-harassment and retaliation policies in place to prevent this from happening. It also should be a consideration for all people, and not just protected classes, he added. Under state and federal fair housing laws, tenants can make claims of discrimination and harassment if they are a member of a protected category based on race, ethnicity, age or familial status. Still, they have to prove intentionality, which is a high bar, the staff report said. Gladys, a Mountain View resident who spoke at the meeting, described tactics of harassment and retaliation that she and other tenants have experienced by their landlord, after alerting the city that they did not have heat or hot water in their apartment complex. "Incompetent vendors have been sent to make repairs," Gladys said, describing the situation. "Some vendors have even intimidated us, telling us we made a mistake by filing the petitions because our landlord has often been sued but never loses." One vendor came to the building at 9:30 p.m. on a Saturday, hammering and cutting 259 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024062 wood until 3 a.m. They refused to stop even when tenants complained about the noise, Gladys said. "I'm sure the landlord is not the only bad actor in the city, and it's unfair that when we assert our rights, we're mistreated and forced to put up with these situations. Fears of intimidation may lead us to not speak up," she said. Anil Babbar, a California Apartment Association representative, had a different perspective, urging the committee to not pursue an anti-harassment and retaliation policy and describing it as unnecessary. "The state has many existing protections against harassment and retaliation, preventing the need for local jurisdictions from enacting parallel legislation," he said. Babbar also argued that there have been very few cases of discrimination and harassment brought to Project Sentinel, a nonprofit that investigates complaints about housing discrimination. It handles about 10 cases a year for the city of Mountain View. "With so few cases, the need to enact parallel rules is negated," Babbar said, encouraging the city to put its resources towards educating tenants about state laws instead. The committee, however, expressed unanimous support for a policy that would define harassment and retaliation, as well as lay out noticing requirements, penalties and remedies. Committee members also indicated support for a citywide ordinance to protect residents not covered by rent-stabilization laws, although this would need to be enacted by the City Council. "I think that we can get it started and just make sure that it's extendable, and that anything that we do can be extended to other units at the direction of City Council if they chose to enact an ordinance," Committee member Brown said. Headlines The Washington Post (3/29/2025 6:00 AM) Researchers aim to take the guesswork out of measuring pain Musk's Tesla is uniting anti-Trump movement Trump orders USAID's closure Signal chat flouted U.S. rules, say ex-officials Smithsonian order draws condemnation, disbelief RFK Jr. forces out top vaccine regulator (3/30/2025 6:00 AM) Before DOGE, Argentina's Milei led the way on cuts Patel mostly absent as chief at ATF, adding to uncertainty These 5 words have torpedoed grants across government Group's list targets activists for deportation Trump tees up a major escalation in world trade war Pentagon memo on priorities has Heritage's fingerprints (3/31/2025 6:00 AM) DOGE blitz sets stage to privatize services Cuts put scientific research in peril Foreigners have gripes about U.S. tariffs, too In West Bank, a worsening crisis How social media helps immigrants evade ICE Tariffs touted to raise trillions 260 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024063 The New York Times (3/29/2025 6:00 AM) As Firms Sue to Stop Trump's Executive Orders, a Split Emerges in Big Law Major Quake Batters Myanmar; High Toll Is Feared as Buildings Topple Online 'Pedophile Hunters' Are Growing More Violent -- and Going Viral Trump Mentioned Biden 316 Times in 50 Days, Mostly to Blame Him for Things Forgoing Oversight, Republicans Resort to Personal Appeals to Head Off DOGE Cuts (3/30/2025 6:00 AM) How Colleges Are Cracking Down on Students Now Trump Could Hand China a 'Strategic Victory' by Silencing Voice of America A Question in Quake-Wracked Myanmar: Does This Augur the End of the Junta? What's More Powerful: Elon Musk's Millions, or Liberal Anger at Him? (3/31/2025 6:00 AM) 'Mission South Africa': How Trump Is Offering White Afrikaners Refugee Status On Minnesota's Iron Range, Trump's Tariffs Could Be Boom or Bust Trump's U.S.A.I.D. Cuts Hobble Earthquake Response in Myanmar She Devoted Her Life to Serving the U.S. Then DOGE Targeted Her. Can Climate-Resilient Chickens Help Fight Poverty? The Wall Street Journal (3/29/2025 and 3/30/2025 6:00 AM) Americans Feel Bad About the Economy. Whether They Act on It Is What Really Matters. Hegseth Brought His Wife to Sensitive Meetings With Foreign Military Officials Xi's Message in Rare Meeting With Global CEOs: Defend Trade Inside the Law Firm That Decided to Fight Back Against Trump's Attack 505 Days in Hamas Captivity: A Former Hostage Speaks Out (3/31/2025 6:00 AM) Trump Team Weighs Broader, Higher Tariffs Home Buyers Start to Come Off Sidelines Even as Rates, Prices Stay Stuck In Crypto's Darkest Corner, a Suicide Becomes Just Another Meme Coin Elon Musk's Mission to Take Over NASA--and Mars How to Start a British Boarding School on Long Island Without Embarrassing Britain ABC News (3/31/2025 6:00 AM) Ukraine accuses Russia of war crime for 'deliberate' strike on hospital Tsunami warning issued after 7.1 magnitude earthquake hits near country of Tonga Denmark doesn't 'appreciate the tone' of US Greenland remarks, minister says CBS News (3/31/2025 6:00 AM) Freed Israeli hostages describe horrors of being held captive by Hamas Russia targets Ukrainian military hospital as Trump lashes out at Putin Iran has rejected direct negotiations with the U.S. after Trump letter CNN (3/31/2025 6:00 AM) Greenland's new leader has a message for Trump: 'We do not belong to anyone' Hundreds of thousands of eastern Canadians face power outages due to ice storm Syria swears in new transitional government months after Assad's removal 261 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024064 Fox News (3/31/2025 6:00 AM) Landmark UK report on Hamas massacre exposes worst attack on Jews since Holocaust Trump threatens to bomb Iran unless they end nuke program, make deal Danish official strikes back at Vance's Greenland comments NBC News (3/31/2025 6:00 AM) Heqseth says U.S. is making Japan a 'war-fighting' base to deter China Trump says planned April 2 tariffs will 'start with all countries' Trump discusses car price concerns and controversial Signal chat in interview Washington Schedule President The White House (3/31/2025 6:00 AM) 1:00 PM The President signs Executive Orders 5:30 PM The President signs Executive Orders Vice President The White House (3/31/2025 6:00 AM) See source link. Schedule not yet available. Senate Senate (3/31/2025 6:00 AM) 3:00 p.m.: Convene and proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the nomination of Matthew Whitaker, of Iowa, to be United States Permanent Representative on the Council of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, with the rank and status of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary. House of Representatives House of Representatives (3/31/2025 6:00 AM) 4:00 PM I H-313 CAPITOL Business Meeting: H.R. 1526 No Rogue Rulings Act of 2025; H.R. 22 Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act; S.J. Res. 18 Disapproving the rule submitted by the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection relating to Overdraft Lending: Very Large Financial Institutions.; S.J. Res. 28 Disapproving the rule submitted by the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection relating to Defining Larger Participants of a Market for General-Use Digital Consumer Payment Applications. Host: Committee on Rules {End of Report} 262 OMBA401FY25609ALitigation_000000223 Sierra Club v. OMB, Case No. 25-cv- 05732-LJC OMB 2025-825 SC_EVERSPLIT0024065