On May 30, the Trump Administration released its full fiscal year (FY) 2026 budget proposal. The full budget request proposed a historic 44% cut to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)'s vital affordable housing, homelessness, and community development programs. It would cut funding for rental and homelessness assistance, leaving more families struggling to afford rent and put them at increased risk of homelessness.

This proposed budget slashes funding for Housing Counseling programs like ULS. Rental assistance programs would be cut by $26.72 billion compared to the previous year. Over 10 million Americans rely on HUD rental assistance, the vast majority of whom are seniors, people with disabilities, and children. This will rip the roofs off Americans’ heads and put even more families at risk of homelessness.  

Under the proposal, HUD’s HCV program, Public Housing, Project-Based Rental Assistance (PBRA), Section 202 Housing for the Elderly (Section 202), and Section 811 Housing for Persons with Disabilities (Section 811) programs would be combined into one State Rental Assistance Block Grant (SRABG) program. Foisting responsibility over those programs onto state and local governments would lead to significant funding decreases over time. Rather than promoting self-sufficiency, time-limits and work requirements impose unnecessary, bureaucratic barriers to obtaining and maintaining housing assistance. This will make it more difficult for families and individuals to find safe, stable housing.

The president’s budget request is the first step in the annual appropriations process and represents the President and his administration’s priorities – only Congress has the power to allocate federal funding. Ultimately it will be up to members of Congress to decide how to fund HUD’s vital affordable housing and homelessness assistance programs in the coming fiscal year.

Contact your senators and representatives and urge them to protect HUD programs and staff. Congress needs to hear from you TODAY about why HUD resources are critical to low-income families and communities. Please share this form with your friends and family to help spread the word.

A Word from Our Director

"Each year, University Legal Services meets the needs of over 1,200 individuals seeking to access vital housing resources, restore credit, avoid foreclosure, and make critical home repairs.

Without our support, these individuals would have nowhere to turn. These proposed funding cuts threaten to strip away this essential safety net, leaving our communities without the tools they need to thrive and remain housed."

– Jane Brown, Esq., Executive Director, University Legal Services

Check out our latest infographic for a clear breakdown of the vital services we provide—and what is at stake if proposed funding cuts move forward.

Healthy Homes = Healthy Communities.

At ULS, we understand that helping DC residents achieving homeownership not only builds stronger and safer communities—it also boosts the city's economy through increased property tax revenue and neighborhood investment.

Our services are 100% free, because we do not want to create any more barriers for our clients to recieve the resource they deserve.

Through our Housing Counseling Program (HCP), we provide one-on-one assistance with HUD-certified, bilingual housing counselors. Our counselors help create individualized plans to improve credit and achieve financial health. We provide intensive rental and eviction counseling, and help our clients find affordable housing in this challenging housing market.

Through our Tenant Purchase Assistance Program (TPAP), we support members of tenant associations and cooperatives who are working to preserve and expand affordable housing options in DC. We also help cooperatives create Asset Management and Sustainability Plans, organize inspections, review financial statements, create operating budgets, and plan building renovations and repairs.

At University Legal Services, we work with D.C. residents- predominantly people of color- to build a more equitable city. This is not just a job, it is about people’s lives and giving our clients the resources they are entitled to.