This article marks the first of three Guest Member Notes written by NHC’s 2025 Housing Visionary Award recipients.
Founded in 1910, the National Urban League is the driving force behind the efforts of its local affiliates through the development of programs, public policy research, and advocacy. Today, the National Urban League has 92 affiliates serving 300 communities in 37 states and the District of Columbia, providing direct services that impact and improve the lives of more than two million people nationwide.
The National Urban League has long advocated for policies that support the economic well-being of underserved communities. The Trump Administration’s attempt to withhold federal funding from essential programs and services threatens the stability of communities nationwide, by interfering with the delivery of critical programs, raising costs for families, and making it harder to access housing, healthcare, education, and other essential services.
While it has been temporarily blocked by a federal judge, the Trump Administration’s attempt to deny federal funding for essential programs and services risks the nation’s economic stability. Cutting off funding for schools, first responders, food assistance, and housing programs is not just harmful—it is an abdication of the government’s responsibility to the people it serves. It will leave millions without access to the support and services they need to live with dignity and stability.
If allowed to proceed, the administration’s ill-advised effort to stifle diversity, equity, and inclusion policies would have significant impacts on a full array of federal grant making including housing and asset-building programs.
Disruptions to Community Development Block Grants, public housing funds, and Section 8 housing vouchers would delay or even scuttle completely affordable housing projects, maintenance of public housing, and rental assistance for low-income families.
Indeed, poised to unleash further pain on the financial future of families, communities and the nation, the Administration’s recently announced mandate to reduce the workforce at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) by 50% will certainly have several significant negative impacts. The cuts will likely target offices responsible for enforcing civil rights laws, which could lead to decreased oversight and enforcement of housing discrimination cases. We are also concerned that offices that compile data about the housing market could also get sidelined, potentially leading to less comprehensive data collection and analysis. This will surely impact policymaking and the ability to respond to housing market trends effectively and could even hinder HUD’s ability to pay for and manage the rebuilding of communities after disasters, potentially slowing down recovery efforts and support for affected areas.
With fewer employees, the overall efficiency and ability of HUD to deliver services and support to communities could be compromised. This will affect various programs aimed at providing affordable housing and supporting vulnerable populations and is thoroughly and totally unacceptable. These changes are part of a broader effort by the Trump Administration to reduce the size of the federal workforce, which they myopically argue will cut wasteful spending and make the government more efficient. Poppycock! But what is obvious is that such drastic cuts animated by a dogmatic and close-minded school of thinking will certainly undermine essential services and protections for many Americans coast to coast and everywhere in between.
Many of the National Urban League’s over 90 local affiliates around the country rely on federal grants to provide housing services and support to vulnerable populations. Withholding these funds would force these Community Development Housing Organizations to cut back on services or even lay off staff, reducing their capacity to assist those in need.
Programs aimed at reducing homelessness, including those that provide emergency shelters and transitional housing, would be severely affected. Increased homelessness would result if shelters are unable to operate at full capacity.
Programs that help low-income families build assets, such as homeownership assistance and financial literacy programs, would also be impacted. This would unquestionably hinder efforts to promote economic stability and upward mobility for these families.
The economic ripple effects of denying federal funds could slow down or halt construction projects, causing job losses in the housing sector.
The National Urban League considers the administration’s unprecedented effort to block Congressionally allocated funds from their intended purpose to be an act of callousness that demonstrates disregard for the well-being of families, students, small business owners, farmers, veterans and other everyday Americans who depend on the federal funding to survive and thrive.
The funding is a vital lifeline for state and local governments, faith-based institutions, and nonprofits that provide essential services that keep communities strong and resilient.
Nonprofits like the National Urban League and our affiliates could face unnecessary challenges to continue providing life-changing services to the millions of people we serve each year. Our network of affiliates helps advance education, jobs, entrepreneurship, housing, health, and justice, in over 300 communities nationwide. Over the past decade the National Urban League has helped 246,000 people find new jobs; helped 3 million people, including adults, receive supplemental education services; helped 21,000 people purchase a new home; and helped 8.3 million people access healthcare services
The National Urban League calls on the administration to abandon its reckless effort to withhold federal funding, and stands with allies in government and civil society, including those Attorneys General who have taken swift legal action to challenge the directive. We will continue to advocate, alongside other leading civil rights organizations, for equity-centered programs, policies, grants, and contracts, as they make America stronger and more resilient. We will not waver in the fight to protect vital federal resources for the people who need them most.