On October 17, 2025, the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) seeking immediate intervention from the court regarding new conditions HUD has placed on the CHA’s federal funding.
As part of the annual application to receive continued federal operating subsidies for public housing units, HUD is, for the first time, requiring Public Housing Authorities to certify that federal funds will not be used to fund or promote “diversity, equity and inclusion mandates, policies or programs,” gender ideology; elective abortions; and immigration-related policies. The HUD certifications cite several recent Executive Orders but provide no additional information or clarification on these requirements beyond the language in the application. The deadline for CHA to submit the signed application is Oct. 21, 2025.
CHA is seeking a temporary restraining order to lift the mandatory certification requirement from the application in advance of the forthcoming deadline, so that the agency can focus on its vision of quality affordable housing where everyone feels welcome…