Why are thousands of Americans at the risk of losing their homes? Explained

Economic Times

21-04-2025

This could lead to mass eviction of nearly 60,000 families and individuals, many of whom have escaped homelessness, domestic abuse, or human trafficking
Synopsis A US federal program, Emergency Housing Vouchers, is presently facing funding shortage. The program aids nearly 60,000 families, including Daniris Espinal, fleeing homelessness and domestic violence. Funds are expected to deplete by next year. This could leave many at risk of eviction. If Congress doesn't intervene, nearly 60,000 families in the US could face the risk of mass eviction. Tens of thousands of Americans are at the risk of losing their critical rental assistance under the federal Emergency Housing Vouchers (EHV) programmes, reported news agency AP. EHV programmes are running out of money quickly and the funding is expected to come to an end by 2025 unless Congress intervenes.
ADVERTISEMENT The US Department of Housing and Development (HUD) in a letter warned that no additional funding is likely forthcoming. That would leave tens of thousands across the country scrambling to pay their rent.Analysts have raised alarm it would be among the largest one-time losses of rental assistance in the United States. This could lead to mass eviction of nearly 60,000 families and individuals, many of whom have escaped homelessness, domestic abuse, or human trafficking.
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"To have it stop would completely upend all the progress that they've made," said Sonya Acosta, policy analyst at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, which researches housing assistance. "And then you multiply that by 59,000 households," she said.Launched by former President Joe Biden in 2021, the program, as part of the pandemic-era American Rescue Plan Act, was allocated $5 billion to help pull people out of homelessness, domestic violence and human trafficking.
ADVERTISEMENT The EHV programme supported individuals across the country — from children and seniors to veterans — with the expectation that the funds would last through the decade. But rising rents have accelerated the programme's depletion. 'To have it stop would completely upend all the progress that they've made,' said Sonya Acosta, policy analyst at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. 'And then you multiply that by 59,000 households.'
ADVERTISEMENT Democratic Representative Maxine Waters is pushing for an $8 billion funding extension, though its chances appear slim as Republican-led efforts to cut the federal budget continue. 'We've been told it's going to be an uphill battle,' said Kim Johnson of the National Low Income Housing Coalition. So far, four key Republican lawmakers involved in the negotiations have not issued any public statements.
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ADVERTISEMENT For individuals like Daniris Espinal, the issue hits close to home. Escaping domestic violence and the threat of homelessness, she was able to find stability through an Emergency Housing Voucher, securing a three-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn for herself and her daughters — a home that would typically cost more than $3,000 per month.'I regained my sense of self-worth and peace. I was able to rebuild my identity,' Espinal said. But now, she's worried it could all be taken away. 'That's my fear — losing everything I've worked so hard to rebuild.'Espinal and her two daughters, aged 4 and 19, are currently living in a three-bedroom Brooklyn apartment with a monthly rent exceeding $3,000 — a cost that would be unmanageable without the support of a housing voucher.
ADVERTISEMENT Just four years ago, Espinal escaped a controlling marriage where her husband dictated nearly every aspect of her life — from whom she could see, to whether she could leave the apartment. When she tried to assert herself, he dismissed her as wrong, unreasonable, or even crazy. Struggling with postpartum depression and isolated from her support system, Espinal began to lose her sense of self. 'Every day, little by little, I started to feel not like myself,' she recalled. 'It felt like my mind wasn't mine.'In March 2021, she was blindsided by notices demanding $12,000 in unpaid rent. At her husband's insistence, she had quit her job, trusting him to manage the household finances — a promise he failed to keep. Police reports of his explosive outbursts helped Espinal secure custody of their daughter in 2022. But she was left on uncertain ground: alone, in debt, and without an income to support her two daughters.
ALSO READ: 'Very perilous time in America...': 'Shame' chants echo across US as thousands protest Trump, over 700 events held Pandemic-era financial aid provided a lifeline, covering her back rent and sparing her family from homelessness. But that support was temporary. Around the same time, the Emergency Housing Vouchers program launched, specifically aimed at individuals in situations like hers. 'A leading cause of family homelessness is domestic violence,' said Gina Cappuccitti, director of housing access and stability services at New Destiny Housing, a nonprofit that has helped 700 domestic violence survivors access these vouchers — Espinal among them.In 2023, she moved into her current apartment. But the stability brought more than just a roof over her head. 'I gained my worth, my sense of peace, and I was able to rebuild my identity,' she said. Today, she's saving money, preparing for any future uncertainty. 'That's my fear,' she admitted, 'losing control of everything that I've worked so hard for.'
(With inputs from AP)
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