One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
More than a third of mixed-status families who could lose federal rental help are in California
A view of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) building in Washington, D.C., on Monday, March 30, 2020.
(
Graeme Sloan
/
Reuters
)
Topline:
California is home to 36% of the nation’s families with mixed immigration status receiving federal rent assistance. Those 7,190 California households are at risk of losing their housing now that the Trump administration is proposing to exclude mixed-status families from federal housing support.
The context: Undocumented immigrants are not eligible for federally funded programs such as Housing Choice Vouchers (also known as Section 8) or units in public housing projects. But citizens living with an undocumented spouse or parent have been allowed to receive such help. Nationwide, about 20,000 mixed-status families receive federal housing subsidies.
The change: The U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department released a long-awaited proposed rule change Thursday that would exclude mixed-status families from federal housing assistance. Researchers with UC Berkeley’s Terner Center for Housing Innovation note that Los Angeles is home to a disproportionate number of families who could be affected.
Why it matters: “If this rule were to go into effect, these families will just increase the number of folks that are facing housing insecurity or at risk of homelessness,” said Julie Aguilar, a Terner research analyst.
What local governments could do: In an analysis published Thursday, Terner researchers write that state and local governments could ease families through this transition by providing ongoing rental assistance, legal aid or one-time financial aid for moving costs of security deposits.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
