California – As California grapples with a housing crisis worsened by soaring rent prices, a vital federal rental assistance program is running out of funds faster than anticipated , leaving thousands of vulnerable residents at risk of losing their homes in the coming years.
Launched in 2021, the Emergency Housing Voucher (EHV) program was a lifeline for those on the brink of homelessness, survivors of domestic violence, and victims of human trafficking. In California alone, 15,000 residents enrolled in the program to help cover their rent costs. Nationally, the program assisted about 60,000 individuals.
Designed as a temporary solution to the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, the EHV program was funded with a $5 billion lump sum from Congress, with the expectation that the funds would last until 2030. However, as the program’s funds deplete more rapidly than anticipated, the future of rental assistance is now uncertain…