Fair housing grants next on DOGE chopping block
Why it matters: Lost funding could render Legal Aid of Southeast and Central Ohio unable to help people facing housing discrimination in most of the region.
How it works: LASCO provides civil legal services to 36 Ohio counties, focusing largely on helping low-income residents.
Programs help people obtain and keep housing, secure public benefits and fund legal cases. Those helped are often domestic violence survivors, families in poverty and people who face discrimination.
Catch up quick: On Feb. 27, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and DOGE cut $30 million in congressionally authorized funding for 78 Fair Housing Initiatives Program grants, which fund organizations across the country.
Four National Fair Housing Alliance members filed a class action lawsuit March 13 against HUD and DOGE alleging the cuts were unlawful.
A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order to reinstate the grants but dissolved that order Monday, allowing HUD to move forward with cancellation of funds.
Threat level: For LASCO, this would mean the loss of $425,000 a year representing about 70% of the funding for Fair Housing work, senior managing attorney Melissa Benson says.
That money pays for LASCO programming and staff, both of which would suffer from cuts.
LASCO receives a separate grant that covers the city of Columbus and some other small sources of funding, but not nearly enough to close the gap.
What they're saying:"[Fair housing] has really become a big part of our work, and it is something we think really matters and affects the community. To not know the extent of which we're going to be able to provide these services is difficult," Benson says.
Between the lines: April is Fair Housing Month, which celebrates "the advancements of equal access to housing."
The other side: HUD spokesperson Kasey Lovett says she cannot comment on FHIP grants because of the active legal case, but contends that fair housing enforcement is not being reduced due to the cuts.
"To suggest anything else is false," she tells Axios in an email. " See here for the Secretary's recent comments reaffirming the Department's commitment to supporting the Fair Housing Act."
She adds: "Funding to external entities is a separate matter from the enforcement the Department will uphold. Therefore, enforcement will not be reduced."
What's next: Benson and LASCO expect continued legal challenges, but nothing has been announced.
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