In a move to defend the homes of thousands of New Yorkers on the fringes of society, New York City has joined forces with a coalition of cities and counties to sue the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). At the heart of the legal challenge is the HUD’s controversial attachment of new conditions on federal funds that are earmarked for housing programs serving at-risk and formerly homeless individuals. According to a statement from the New York City Law Department, these added stipulations threaten to erase $53.5 million in Continuum of Care funding, and thereby, the security of over 2,700 households dependent on this support.
Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington by King County, Washington, the lawsuit alleges an overstep by the executive branch, particularly by the Trump administration, in mandating these conditions without Congress’s say-so. The coalition, including eight local governments nationwide, contends the HUD’s actions are not only unconstitutional, but also a blatant attempt at coercion, infringing upon the communities they serve. “Cities cannot be coerced into adopting federal policies through unlawful conditions on grant funding,” Muriel Goode-Trufant, New York City Corporation Counsel, highlighted in a news announcement retrieved through the City of New York’s website.
The lawsuit specifically tackles new requirements lining this year’s Notice of Funding Opportunity, under which New York City homes for families plagued by problems ranging from mental health issues to HIV/AIDS were to continue receiving assistance. The funding in question was approved by HUD back in January and was set to bolster the city’s fight against chronic homelessness and disability. Among the challenged grants, three were supposed to commence on May 1, covering 169 units of permanent supportive housing, as the city’s announcement detailed…