Advocate

United to End Homelessness Statement on the Passage of H.R. 1

July 10, 2025, Orange County, California.

Today, United to End Homelessness calls for unity and collaboration among Orange County’s business, philanthropic, governmental, faith-based and nonprofit leaders. As we enter uncharted territory with budget cuts and future changes to our system of care, it is imperative – more than ever – to strengthen our collaboration, align our voices, and support each other in our work to help those that need our help most.

H.R. 1 will impact thousands of people in our community who rely on SNAP (CALFresh), Medicaid (Medi-Cal) for their day-to-day well-being; this will in turn impact the household’s financial wellbeing and force them into difficult situations threatening their housing stability. These programs also offer consistent lifesaving support for people experiencing homelessness – providing essential access to food and healthcare. The administrative changes that will be made for the new work requirements will not only come at a cost to taxpayers; they will also place significant barriers on those accessing them through additional paperwork processes.

H.R.1 presents additional challenges in our response to solving homelessness as it outlines spending limits for FY26. As we move into the appropriations process, our focus is now on the THUD: “Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) Subcommittee”. As they will be determining the budget for HUD and how the cuts will take shape on a programmatic level.  From what was originally outlined in the President’s FY 2026 Discretionary Budget Request*, we remain concerned about funding cuts for programs that help people gain housing stability, affordable housing projects, and alterations to the structure of the system of care.

We are concerned about the impact in our community for our homelessness prevention and response systems:

• Rental aid through vouchers administered by our four public housing authorities. In 2024, our local communities received $646,526,619 to support rental assistance and voucher programs. This could be cut by 43%. Cutting funding for those who need it most will only increase the likelihood of families falling into homelessness and continue to overwhelm the homelessness response system.
• Orange County Continuum of Care (CoC) Program—along with Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA)—will be merged into the Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) program and will cap rental assistance at two years. Our CoC is the main way the federal government distributes funds to fight homelessness and supports programs like transitional housing and rapid rehousing for survivors of domestic violence, rental assistance and support services for disabled people experiencing homelessness. The future of these programs is currently unknown.
• Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program could be eliminated; this has provided grants to over 1,200 state and local governments for a wide range of community and economic development activities. In 2024, 18 cities and the County of Orange received $28,143,175 in CDBG funding to support local developments**
• HOME funding – could be eliminated; these grants assist state and local governments to expand the supply of housing. In 2024, 9 cities and the County of Orange received $7,515,367 in HOME funding to support affordable housing. **

The funding cuts to our programs and system of care will undeniably add an extra burden to those who are already faced with housing instability and those experiencing homelessness. Our neighbors from these vulnerable populations are – and continue to be – our main focus!

As the cuts for Fiscal Year 2026 get closer, we must be united and act swiftly to soften the burdens the cuts will create.

United to End Homelessness calls our community to the following:

• Collective advocacy to the THUD committee.
• Increase communication among leaders in the homelessness response system. Through collaboration, find solutions that address the impacts caused by the cuts.
• Coordinate with agencies and service providers to share resources and data.
• Unite county and city efforts to actively develop essential affordable housing support in response to growing resource scarcity.

When faced with monumental challenges, we must act and rise to the occasion with unity and strength.

Today, we have an opportunity to come together and lead with purpose during this time of uncertainty. United to End Homelessness calls on YOU to be united in our efforts to build an Orange County where everyone has a safe and affordable place to call home.

✅ Today you can: Send a letter to your elected officials using our United to End Homelessness tool to keep HUD funded. 

Agencies can also:

• Respond to our “United to End Homelessness Service Provider Survey 2025” and indicate that you would like to be involved in collective advocacy opportunities. This short survey seeks to better understand how we can collaborate together, including collective advocacy actions. Click here to answer.

Individuals can also:

• Join our “Homelessness 101” class, visit our website here for upcoming dates.
• Join our “Intro to Housing Advocacy” class visit our website here for upcoming dates.
• As the appropriations process begins, stay informed about advocacy efforts to the THUD Subcommittee by subscribing to our social media platforms.

*The President’s FY 2026 Discretionary Budget Request
**Federal Funding Data Source: U.S. Department of the Treasury, Bureau of the Fiscal Service
***California Housing Partnership, Orange County 2025 Affordable Housing Needs Report