Latest news with #Symone
Eater
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Eater
A Guide to Eating and Drinking Through D.C. Pride
The month of June has always been an exciting time in D.C., with Capital Pride Alliance putting on fun events and an exuberant parade; gay bars planning wild parties ; and restaurants around D.C. putting out their rainbow flags and hosting extravagant drag brunches. The list of events and specials is even longer this year, with World Pride bringing an even bigger parade and street festival to the District. This guide includes the best LGBTQ+ Pride-themed events across D.C. in the month of June. (And if you're looking for one-time drag brunches, scroll to the bottom.) For D.C.'s best gay bars, go here . Barrel House Cafe & Bar 1341 14th Street NW The June pop-up at this new Logan Circle spot is fairy garden-themed, with plenty of cabaret nights, live music events, and late-night dance parties to celebrate Pride all month long. Check out the second night of ElixHER World Pride Cabaret on Sunday, June 8 and a perfect seat to view the World Pride parade on Saturday, June 7 from Barrel House's new patio with live DJs, a parade live stream, and even bottle service. A special Pride menu will also be available for all of June in collaboration with Absolut Vodka. Aslin Beer 1740 14th Street NW Aslin is also a fantastic spot to watch the start of the World Pride parade in a huge beer garden overlooking 14th Street NW. The brewery is also collaborating with Rainbow Families again to serve a special double IPA beer called Now More Than Ever, with flavors of stone fruit and citrus with a bit of coconut. A percentage of each purchase of the fruity beer will go towards Rainbow Families' mission of supporting LGBTQ+ families and prospective parents. After a few beers you might even want to buy some of their Pride merch, including bright T-shirts and beer glasses. Via Sophia 1001 14th Street NW This Italian restaurant in the Hamilton Hotel is another great parade viewing spot, with an extra special World Pride Parade Viewing Party featuring RuPaul's Drag Race Season 13 winner Symone and Drag Race All Stars Derrick Barry and Miz Cracker. The Via Sophia patio peers directly into the parade route and the kitchen will be serving up themed cocktails and brunch bites amid DJ sets. Fashion icon Nigel Barker will also be serving up tastings of his signature Barker Martinis at the hotel's micro-bar, Society, during the parade. Café Riggs 900 F Street NW This elegant restaurant in the bottom of the Riggs Hotel has rolled out a thoughtful Pride Icons cocktail menu for June to pair with the contemporary French-American cuisine. The Harvey Milk is a bourbon and maderia drink that actually includes clarified milk and maple, inspired by Milk's favorite breakfast of matzoh meal pancakes, while a zero-proof Elton John spritz celebrates the musician's 34th year of sobriety. All four of the thoughtful cocktails include playful illustrations of each icon, drawn by LGBTQ artist Diego Blanco. Pair them with an order of french fries plus caviar and creme fraiche. Atlas Ivy City 2052 West Virginia Avenue NE The Atlas Brewery location up in Ivy City is throwing an LGBTQ Benefit Show on Saturday, June 14 from 2 to 8 p.m., with seven musical acts from across the Northeast. All ticket proceeds will benefit The Trevor Project, SMYAL, and HIPS. The $15 tickets are available on Eventbrite. Love, Makoto 200 Massachusetts Avenue NW If you'd rather watch the parade from a sunny spot or celebrate Pride in a park, this Japanese food hall is selling picnic packs for two with a Rainbow Roll, kale soba salad, two rainbow vanilla doughnuts, and two yuzu lemonades. The $45 picnic can be ordered at Love on the Run in-person or on Love, Makoto's website, plus you can get delivery through Uber Eats and DoorDash. Make it a boozy picnic by switching out the lemonades for Makoto margaritas or Chika Sake Cups, with the Party Pack version costing $65. Plus, all proceeds from any heart-shaped, rainbow vanilla doughnuts sold during June will go towards The Trevor Project. Lulu's Winegarden 1940 11th Street NW A special Love is Love at Lulu's cocktail menu is being served at this U Street-adjacent wine bar, with drinks like a purple-hued Taste the Rainbow gin, creme de violet, and fresh raspberry, and a strawberry-coconut daiquiri called Come to My Window. A dollar from each Pride cocktail and rainbow bottles of True Colours Cava sold will go towards the Human Rights Campaign. 1785 Florida Avenue NW The essential pupusas place at the foot of Adams Morgan unleashes a new lineup of summer cocktails just in time for Pride Month. Every $1 from each one sold goes to Ayuda in support of immigrant and LGBTQ+ communities in the DMV. In addition, a new Taco Tuesday revamp calls for 10 tacos and three sauces for $40 and a marg carafe-and-taco trio combo for $35. MXDC 1610 14th Street NW Located right along the Capital Pride Parade route, MXDC by Todd English invites attendees to celebrate with a one-day burrito stand on Saturday, June 7. Swing by during parade hours to grab a $15 burrito (chicken, steak, or mushroom), $12 margs, $8 Coronas, and more. Grab a burrito and margarita for $25 (or by the bottle for $40). A limited number of prime-time outdoor VIP tables are available by reservation. A speedy drag brunch round-up There are plenty of fabulous year-round drag brunches in D.C., but a few restaurants are throwing one-off drag brunches to celebrate Pride this weekend. Here are a few highlights: Arrels is throwing an unlimited tapas brunch on Sunday, June 8, with performances by De'ior Kouture, Nadia Cole, Jalah Nicole, and Ervena Chloe, hosted by Bombalicious Eklaver. The $60 brunch goes from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. RSVP on the Arlo Hotels website. (333 G Street NW) Lyle's famous drag brunch has a special visitor this weekend, with Miss Leggs Benedict returning for a very special Pride Drag brunch on Saturday, June 7. She and Hennessey will be hosting the bottomless cocktails brunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Make a reservation on SevenRooms. (1731 New Hampshire Avenue NW) Hotel Monaco's Dirty Habit is hosting a drag brunch with Drag Race star Alyssa Edwards, along with Utica, Mercedes Iman Diamond, Crimsyn, and Druex Sidora, on Sunday, June 8. A $150 ticket includes access to a brunch buffett and two drinks, while a $239 ticket also includes a meet and greet with the drag queens. Tickets are available on Etix. (555 8th St NW) star Alyssa Edwards, along with Utica, Mercedes Iman Diamond, Crimsyn, and Druex Sidora, on Sunday, June 8. A $150 ticket includes access to a brunch buffett and two drinks, while a $239 ticket also includes a meet and greet with the drag queens. Tickets are available on Etix. Newcomer Willowsong hosts a Brunch Out Loud event on Saturday, June 7, that includes a three-course brunch, bottomless brunch cocktails, and plenty of drag performances. Two seatings are available, starting at either 11 a.m. or 2 p.m. Reservations start at $75 a person and are available on OpenTable. (801 Wharf Street SW) Sign up for our newsletter.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
'WeightWatchers set me up to fail' - Why diet industry is losing to jabs like Ozempic
Symone has been using weight loss injections for nearly a year. She says they have done what the diet industry could never do for her - free her from a life controlled by food. From a very young age, the 34-year-old could not switch off the constant noise in her head. When would her next meal come? What would it be? Would there be enough for her? "The food noise was just so loud, it could be unbearable," she says. "I have tried every single diet going - I've done Atkins, eating clean, SlimFast, Slimming World, meal-replacement shakes - you name it - I've done it and none have them worked for me." Several years ago, weighing 16st (102kg), she was one of the many millions who signed up to WeightWatchers, downloading the app and meticulously following its points plan, scanning in everything she ate and staying within her daily points budget. WeightWatchers attributes points to food and drink, stating that it uses a "groundbreaking algorithm" to assess their nutritional makeup and then uses a point system to inform its members which food is better to eat. But after a few weeks, Symone says she started to feel like she was being set up to fail. "How could I lose weight long term if I had to follow this mad points system? Food is not measured in points - it's measured in calories, fat, macro nutrients. "I felt trapped, and the more research I did, the more I educated myself, the more I thought this is not for me." The only thing that has ever worked in her quest to lose weight, she says, is weight loss injection Mounjaro, which she started using nearly a year ago. "I was at my heaviest, just over 21 stone, and the doctor told me I was pre-diabetic. I knew something had to change - I've got two children who depend on me too." She was advised to start on the weight loss medication but with a two-year wait, she decided to buy it privately online and within just a few days, she was crying with relief. "I couldn't believe that I had control over food. For the first time, I wasn't panicking about when I would next eat." Weight loss jabs work by mimicking a hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), which suppresses people's appetites and makes them feel full. Symone has now lost 4st 7lb (26kg) and is losing weight gradually, documenting her experiences on social media. "I don't want a quick fix," she says, "I'm using weight loss injections to give me the control I never had." For many, weight loss jabs can produce rapid results, but some experts are concerned about the meteoric rise in their popularity and how people will be affected by them long term - both physically and mentally. At its peak, WeightWatchers was seen as being synonymous with safe and controlled weight loss. With 4.5million subscribers globally, its workshops were held in most towns, on most high streets, popping up in local church halls - they were everywhere. Now, after dominating the diet industry for more than half a century, it has lost more than a million members and filed for bankruptcy, struggling to compete in a market transformed by social media influencers and weight loss injections. The company has stressed that it is not going out of business and that filing for bankruptcy will help it resolve its debt of $1.25bn (£860m). In a statement, the brand says its weight loss programme (which also includes its own brand of weight loss jabs) and weight loss workshops will continue. The company says it has been the brand with the most scientific backing in the diet industry for over 60 years, and that there have been more than 180 published studies showing the effectiveness of its approach. WeightWatchers says it uses an "holistic model of care" to support "the whole person" with "access to obesity-trained clinicians and registered dietitians". WeightWatchers files for bankruptcy as fat-loss jabs boom Oprah Winfrey to leave board of WeightWatchers What's gone wrong at Weight Watchers? It is also one of several companies GPs can use for weight loss referrals, with the NHS paying for patients to attend weekly meetings in the community. "It's no longer about calorie control and diets," Deanne Jade, clinical director of the National Centre for Eating Disorders, told the BBC. "There's a new movement out there and it's all about wellbeing. "People like to move in tribes – it used to be the WeightWatchers tribe, counting points and calories, now millions follow different ways to lose weight or be healthy through social media influencers, through weight loss drugs, and they're forming new tribes." She is not convinced that medication will be the answer that so many are looking for. "None of these pharmaceutical interventions protect people from regaining the weight when they stop injecting." She believes they are not a quick fix, and that the best way to effectively lose weight and keep it off is to understand the psychological reasons behind overeating. Dr Joanne Silver, lead psychologist at the London-based eating disorder clinic, Orri, agrees. She says the weight loss injections "completely silence what the body is asking for", which is counterintuitive to understanding what the body needs. "People can binge eat because of psychological reasons – they can use food to manage their emotions, to soothe themselves. "Eating disorders are not just about food." Food and nutrition have become just one part of a more holistic approach so many are now adopting when it comes to their overall wellbeing. Jennifer Pybis, a fitness coach based in Liverpool, works with clients both online and in person. She says achieving a healthy lifestyle is not just about hitting a target weight. "I encourage the women I work with to consider lots of ways to measure their progress rather than just jumping on the scales. "Thinking about how they feel, comparing photographs of themselves to see how their bodies have changed shape, how their sleep is, their resting heart rate, their improvements in the gym - all of that is so important." The diet industry might be transforming but there are many who still prefer the more traditional model of sitting together and sharing their experiences, supporting others in their community to lose weight. In a small church hall in Winsford, Cheshire, a group of women are waiting patiently to get on the scales. Muttering and good-natured laughter can be heard as they share their latest weights with each other. "I've put on a pound! I did have a little bit - well maybe a lot - of wine at the weekend." "Why didn't you have gin?" another one asks, "it's only 55 calories a shot!" They're here for their weekly check-in at the BeeWeighed slimming group. Some of the women have lost several pounds, others have a put on a pound or two, but overall, since joining the class, they have all lost weight. They are learning about how to eat in moderation, how to exercise safely and how to feel good about themselves. At first glance, it could be a WeightWatchers class – women meeting up to share their stories of weight loss and support each other – but there are crucial differences, says BeeWeighed owner and founder Lynda Leadbetter. She was a group leader for WeightWatchers for 18 years but left to set up her own group in 2018. "I think WeightWatchers did provide something different and something hopeful for so many women but I think it has lost its way," she says. "I teach nutrition, I educate, I don't sell anything extra. I feel WeightWatchers became about selling extra products, it was always about pushing those extra sales, and not about supporting people to lose weight properly." She's sceptical about the effectiveness of weight loss medications, and some members who have turned to the likes of Ozempic and WeGovy have left her groups, but many have stayed – continuing to attend the meetings for support while using weight loss injections. Kathryn Brady, 38, has been a member of BeeWeighed since 2023, and in that time, she's lost over three stone. But with her wedding in a matter of weeks, the burlesque dancer has started to take Mounjaro to lose weight more rapidly. It's not quite worked out as she had hoped. "I've been on Mounjaro for over a month now, and while I lost 6lb in the first week or so, I've put half of that back on. "Having absolutely no appetite for two weeks was really weird and I'm paying a lot of money to not lose that much weight." She's going to keep on using it, but she's not completely sold yet. "Even if I continue with the skinny jab, I'll still attend BeeWeighed, having others there supporting me keeps me going." Women share their bittersweet experience after taking weight-loss drugs How will weight-loss drugs change our relationship with food? How do weight loss drugs like Mounjaro and Wegovy work?
BBC News
10-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
WeightWatchers bankruptcy: Why weight loss injections are hurting diet industry
Symone has been using weight loss injections for nearly a year. She says they have done what the diet industry could never do for her - free her from a life controlled by a very young age, the 34-year-old could not switch off the constant noise in her head. When would her next meal come? What would it be? Would there be enough for her?"The food noise was just so loud, it could be unbearable," she says. "I have tried every single diet going - I've done Atkins, eating clean, SlimFast, Slimming World, meal-replacement shakes - you name it - I've done it and none have them worked for me."Several years ago, weighing 16st (102kg), she was one of the many millions who signed up to WeightWatchers, downloading the app and meticulously following its points plan, scanning in everything she ate and staying within her daily points attributes points to food and drink, stating that it uses a "groundbreaking algorithm" to assess their nutritional makeup and then uses a point system to inform its members which food is better to after a few weeks, Symone says she started to feel like she was being set up to fail."How could I lose weight long term if I had to follow this mad points system? Food is not measured in points - it's measured in calories, fat, macro nutrients."I felt trapped, and the more research I did, the more I educated myself, the more I thought this is not for me." The only thing that has ever worked in her quest to lose weight, she says, is weight loss injection Mounjaro, which she started using nearly a year ago."I was at my heaviest, just over 21 stone, and the doctor told me I was pre-diabetic. I knew something had to change - I've got two children who depend on me too."She was advised to start on the weight loss medication but with a two-year wait, she decided to buy it privately online and within just a few days, she was crying with relief."I couldn't believe that I had control over food. For the first time, I wasn't panicking about when I would next eat."Weight loss jabs work by mimicking a hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), which suppresses people's appetites and makes them feel has now lost 4st 7lb (26kg) and is losing weight gradually, documenting her experiences on social media."I don't want a quick fix," she says, "I'm using weight loss injections to give me the control I never had." Lost a million members For many, weight loss jabs can produce rapid results, but some experts are concerned about the meteoric rise in their popularity and how people will be affected by them long term - both physically and its peak, WeightWatchers was seen as being synonymous with safe and controlled weight loss. With 4.5million subscribers globally, its workshops were held in most towns, on most high streets, popping up in local church halls - they were after dominating the diet industry for more than half a century, it has lost more than a million members and filed for bankruptcy, struggling to compete in a market transformed by social media influencers and weight loss company has stressed that it is not going out of business and that filing for bankruptcy will help it resolve its debt of $1.25bn (£860m).In a statement, the brand says its weight loss programme (which also includes its own brand of weight loss jabs) and weight loss workshops will company says it has been the brand with the most scientific backing in the diet industry for over 60 years, and that there have been more than 180 published studies showing the effectiveness of its says it uses an "holistic model of care" to support "the whole person" with "access to obesity-trained clinicians and registered dietitians". It is also one of several companies GPs can use for weight loss referrals, with the NHS paying for patients to attend weekly meetings in the community."It's no longer about calorie control and diets," Deanne Jade, clinical director of the National Centre for Eating Disorders, told the BBC."There's a new movement out there and it's all about wellbeing."People like to move in tribes – it used to be the WeightWatchers tribe, counting points and calories, now millions follow different ways to lose weight or be healthy through social media influencers, through weight loss drugs, and they're forming new tribes."She is not convinced that medication will be the answer that so many are looking for."None of these pharmaceutical interventions protect people from regaining the weight when they stop injecting."She believes they are not a quick fix, and that the best way to effectively lose weight and keep it off is to understand the psychological reasons behind overeating. More holistic approach Dr Joanne Silver, lead psychologist at the London-based eating disorder clinic, Orri, agrees. She says the weight loss injections "completely silence what the body is asking for", which is counterintuitive to understanding what the body needs."People can binge eat because of psychological reasons – they can use food to manage their emotions, to soothe themselves."Eating disorders are not just about food."Food and nutrition have become just one part of a more holistic approach so many are now adopting when it comes to their overall Pybis, a fitness coach based in Liverpool, works with clients both online and in person. She says achieving a healthy lifestyle is not just about hitting a target weight."I encourage the women I work with to consider lots of ways to measure their progress rather than just jumping on the scales."Thinking about how they feel, comparing photographs of themselves to see how their bodies have changed shape, how their sleep is, their resting heart rate, their improvements in the gym - all of that is so important." The diet industry might be transforming but there are many who still prefer the more traditional model of sitting together and sharing their experiences, supporting others in their community to lose a small church hall in Winsford, Cheshire, a group of women are waiting patiently to get on the and good-natured laughter can be heard as they share their latest weights with each other."I've put on a pound! I did have a little bit - well maybe a lot - of wine at the weekend.""Why didn't you have gin?" another one asks, "it's only 55 calories a shot!"They're here for their weekly check-in at the BeeWeighed slimming group. Some of the women have lost several pounds, others have a put on a pound or two, but overall, since joining the class, they have all lost are learning about how to eat in moderation, how to exercise safely and how to feel good about first glance, it could be a WeightWatchers class – women meeting up to share their stories of weight loss and support each other – but there are crucial differences, says BeeWeighed owner and founder Lynda was a group leader for WeightWatchers for 18 years but left to set up her own group in 2018. "I think WeightWatchers did provide something different and something hopeful for so many women but I think it has lost its way," she says."I teach nutrition, I educate, I don't sell anything extra. I feel WeightWatchers became about selling extra products, it was always about pushing those extra sales, and not about supporting people to lose weight properly."She's sceptical about the effectiveness of weight loss medications, and some members who have turned to the likes of Ozempic and WeGovy have left her groups, but many have stayed – continuing to attend the meetings for support while using weight loss injections. Kathryn Brady, 38, has been a member of BeeWeighed since 2023, and in that time, she's lost over three stone. But with her wedding in a matter of weeks, the burlesque dancer has started to take Mounjaro to lose weight more not quite worked out as she had hoped."I've been on Mounjaro for over a month now, and while I lost 6lb in the first week or so, I've put half of that back on."Having absolutely no appetite for two weeks was really weird and I'm paying a lot of money to not lose that much weight."She's going to keep on using it, but she's not completely sold yet."Even if I continue with the skinny jab, I'll still attend BeeWeighed, having others there supporting me keeps me going."
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Family fears federal housing cuts could jeopardize their Missouri home
Calvin Bentley still recalls how he felt when he finally moved his wife and 7-year-old son into a public housing development in Kansas City, Missouri: 'Liberated.' His family's arrival at West Bluff Townhomes downtown followed nights in sketchy hotel rooms and a struggle by he and his wife, Symone, to pull together first and last month's rent each time they had to move. 'We were going from place to place, paying monthly leases and weekly payments just to be able to have a roof over our head,' he said. But now the Bentleys find themselves fearing that cuts in Washington could threaten the only stable home they have had in months as Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency eyes the Department of Housing and Urban Development for significant cuts in its effort to downsize the federal government. Housing advocates and local housing officials say DOGE could reduce the agency's staff by as much as 50%, leaving the 4 million low-income American families, like the Bentleys, who rely on federal funding to keep a roof over their heads, worried about how that could affect their lives. Their effort to get a spot in public housing was not easy, Symone Bentley said. 'We spent many, many nights crying, praying,' she said recently. Symone and Calvin Bentley fear they could end up back where they started, scraping together money doing Door Dash and Amazon deliveries late into the night to pay for basic necessities. 'Let's just be real, if you really don't have much housing, you probably don't have much money to eat either,' Calvin Bentley said. 'And if you were driving, you probably don't have money for gas either.' He called it a 'domino effect' of financial instability. Edwin Lowndes, director of the Kansas City Housing Authority, said he agrees with Musk and President Donald Trump that inefficiencies in government 'need to be fixed.' But he fears the 'chainsaw' approach embraced by Musk is not the best way to do it. Instead, he wants HUD's leadership to define its mission and then ask, 'What's the most efficient and effective way to accomplish the objective?' 'I think every single business does that," he said. "So we should do that in our federal programs, as well.' Lowndes' office uses federal money from HUD to pay landlords through housing vouchers for more than 8,000 families in Kansas City that would otherwise likely be homeless. Another 25,000 families are on a waiting list. The Department of Housing and Urban Development had about 8,800 staff members nationwide at the beginning of the year and has already laid off hundreds of employees, according to two HUD sources. The agency has not said how many employees have been fired since DOGE was created in January. But a document obtained by NBC News shows future possible cuts of HUD staff by as much as 50% across the agency, including in the unit that handles rental assistance, which could shrink from 1,529 staffers to 765 by mid-May, according to the document. A source familiar with discussions about staff cuts told NBC News that 'conversations are ongoing as the Department explores consolidation while continuing to prioritize service.' The department is inventorying personnel and programs to ensure 'they are working for the American people and delivering the best results,' it said in a statement. 'HUD serves our most vulnerable and will continue to do so in the most efficient and effective way possible,' the department said. Lowndes said he fears that looming staff cuts in Washington and in regional HUD offices will disrupt funds he uses to pay landlords. But he remains optimistic. 'The practical side of me says in the pragmatic side, 'Congress won't allow that to happen, whether it's Democrat or Republican,'' he said. 'I think when they really get down to looking at what they need to do, there are enough voices on both sides to say this is a program that, while it has inefficiencies, it's needed. We cannot just walk away.' For Calvin Bentley, the fear that his new home could be jeopardized is real given that he and his family now feel safe. He says he wishes more people could get the help they received. 'It literally shows that there are programs to help people who just need, just a little, just need a leg up there,' he said. 'There is hope.' This article was originally published on
NBC News
06-03-2025
- Business
- NBC News
Family fears federal housing cuts could jeopardize their Missouri home
Calvin Bentley still recalls how he felt when he finally moved his wife and 7-year-old son into a public housing development in Kansas City, Missouri: 'Liberated.' His family's arrival at West Bluff Townhomes downtown followed nights in sketchy hotel rooms and a struggle by he and his wife, Symone, to pull together first and last month's rent each time they had to move. 'We were going from place to place, paying monthly leases and weekly payments just to be able to have a roof over our head,' he said. But now the Bentleys find themselves fearing that cuts in Washington could threaten the only stable home they have had in months as Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency eyes the Department of Housing and Urban Development for significant cuts in its effort to downsize the federal government. Housing advocates and local housing officials say DOGE could reduce the agency's staff by as much as 50%, leaving the 4 million low-income American families, like the Bentleys, who rely on federal funding to keep a roof over their heads, worried about how that could impact their lives. Their effort to get a spot in public housing was not easy, Symone Bentley said. 'We spent many, many nights crying, praying,' she said recently. Symone and Calvin Bentley fear they could end up back where they started, scraping together money doing Door Dash and Amazon deliveries late into the night to pay for basic necessities. 'Let's just be real, if you really don't have much housing, you probably don't have much money to eat either,' Calvin Bentley said. 'And if you were driving, you probably don't have money for gas either.' He called it a 'domino effect' of financial instability. Edwin Lowndes, director of the Kansas City Housing Authority, said he agrees with Musk and President Donald Trump that inefficiencies in government 'need to be fixed.' But he fears the 'chainsaw' approach embraced by Musk is not the best way to do it. Instead, he wants HUD's leadership to define their mission and then ask, 'What's the most efficient and effective way to accomplish the objective?' 'I think every single business does that," he said. "So we should do that in our federal programs, as well.' Lowndes' office uses federal money from HUD to pay landlords through housing vouchers for more than 8,000 families in Kansas City that would otherwise likely be homeless. Another 25,000 families are on a waiting list. The Department of Housing and Urban Development had about 8,800 staff members nationwide at the beginning of the year and has already laid off hundreds of employees, according to two HUD sources. The agency has not said how many employees have been fired since DOGE was created in January. But a document obtained by NBC News shows future possible cuts of HUD staff by as much as 50% across the agency, including in the unit that handles rental assistance, which could shrink from 1,529 staffers to 765 by mid-May, according to the document. A source familiar with discussions about staff cuts told NBC News that 'conversations are ongoing as the Department explores consolidation while continuing to prioritize service.' The department is inventorying personnel and programs to ensure 'they are working for the American people and delivering the best results,' it said in a statement. 'HUD serves our most vulnerable and will continue to do so in the most efficient and effective way possible,' the department said. Lowndes said he fears that looming staff cuts in Washington and in regional HUD offices will disrupt funds he uses to pay landlords. But he remains optimistic. 'The practical side of me says in the pragmatic side, 'Congress won't allow that to happen, whether it's Democrat or Republican,'' he said. 'I think when they really get down to looking at what they need to do, there are enough voices on both sides to say this is a program that, while it has inefficiencies, it's needed. We cannot just walk away.' For Calvin Bentley, the fear that his new home could be jeopardized is real given that he and his family now feel safe. He says he wishes more people could get the help they received. 'It literally shows that there are programs to help people who just need, just a little, just need a leg up there,' he said. 'There is hope.'
