Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH) and National Alliance to End Homelessness—have sent out calls for action on this important issue:

FY26 Federal Budget decisions are being made in real time (now…effective 11/14). These policy changes make or break national funding for homelessness housing,  services and voucher programs

What you can do today

Sign the CHS support letter.

Call or email key players on Capital Hill

• Senate Majority Leader John Thune: 202-224-2321 or email message form here.
• House Speaker Mike Johnson: 202-225-2777 or email message form here.
• Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer: 202-224-6542 or senator@schumer.senate.gov
• House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries:  202-225-5936 or email message form here.

Ranking Members of Congressional Appropriation Subcommittee on Transportation, Houshing and Urban Development (HUD) and Related Agencies

• Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (Chair): 202-224-5054 or email message form here.
• Senator Kristen Gillibrand (Ranking Member): 202-224-4451 or email message form here.
• Representative Steve Womack (Chair): 202-225-4301 or email message form here
• Representative James (Jim) Clyburn (Ranking Member): 202-225-3315 or email message form here.

Sample Script

I’m calling to express [your words…deep concern] regarding the new HUD Continuum of Care Notification of Funding Opportunity, released on November 13th.

HUD itself predicts this new policy could push 170,000 households back into homelessness.

Specifically, I’m asking the (Senator, Representative) to insert language in the FY26 appropriations bill that renews all HUD Continuum of Care grants expiring in 2026 for a 12-month period. This protects formerly-homeless people in the short-term, and gives Congress time to vet and revise future policy.

Thank you for your time.

Further Background

What’s Happening

Thursday, November 13, 2025, the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released a Continuum of Care (CoC) program Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO).  (NOFO =  an opportunity to apply for Federal funding grants.)

Per Politico: “The Department of Housing and Urban Development released policy changes Thursday night that will significantly cut funding for a permanent housing program for people experiencing homelessness. More than half of the 2026 funding for HUD’s Continuum of Care program, which partners with local organizations to connect people experiencing homelessness to housing and resources, will be cut for permanent housing assistance and moved to transitional housing assistance with some work or service requirements….According to HUD’s own internal study, these funding cuts could put 170,000 people at risk of experiencing homelessness.”

Per Corporation for Supportive Housing (11/14/25): “Over the past several weeks, my team and I have spoken with housing and service providers, community leaders, business leaders and members of Congress from both parties, and we’re hearing strong concern about the impact of HUD’s changes nationwide,” said Deborah De Santis, president and CEO of CSH. “The concern centers on the speed and scale of the changes and the reality that most communities lack the infrastructure to manage members of 170,000 household returning to homelessness.”

Why (per HUD)

HUD is shifting funding that today supports permanent housing for formerly homeless people without a limit on their residency stay.  The HUD goal: “…redirect the majority of funding to transitional housing and supportive services…” to “…restore accountability to homelessness programs and promote self-sufficiency among vulnerable Americans.” HUD refers to this change as “…ending the status quo that perpetuated homelessness through a self-sustaining slush fund.”

Impact

Per CSH “…(the proposed) changes put more than 170,000 households—many with disabilities—at risk of losing housing and services that support mental health, recovery and long-term stability.”  (Note: this number—170,000 households—comes from HUD’s own internal review, as reported by Politico.)

Policy Changes of Note 

Shift from Permanent to Short-Stay Homeless Housing – Permanent housing funds requests must be capped at 30%. This contradicts with HUD’s CoC funding history, which favored mostly permanent housing and associated services.  Future HUD CoC funding will prioritize temporary housing with time limits on stays plus programs that focus on self-sufficiency, employment, treatment and recovery. Also, programming that cooperates with local law enforcement on public safety.

Funding Short-Fall for Existing Grantees – Given the new grant timeline, organizations with FY24 CoC funding will have current funding expire between January and June 2026, without new grant funding in place. They will have to wait until May 2026 to learn if they’ve won grant awards.

New Evaluation Criteria – Among the check list for grant awards: stronger emphasis on participation in harm reduction programs plus adherence to the “sex binary” definition of participant gender.