As funding for the federal Emergency Housing Voucher (EHV) program dwindles over the next 18 months, the future looks bleak for more than 1,000 low-income Georgians who rely on these subsidies to avoid homelessness.
The decision by the Trump administration not to renew the pandemic-era EHV program in its Fiscal Year 2026 budget draft has alarmed homeless-prevention nonprofits and housing authorities, including Atlanta Housing (AH), who are now scrambling to shield renters from eviction.
According to Ann Olivia, CEO of the National Alliance to End Homelessness, the end of this critical funding could result in many residents becoming unhoused, unless Congress intervenes to boost housing funding and reject the proposed budget cuts.
If Congress adopts the White House’s proposed budget, which includes a staggering 44% reduction in funding for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), it could devastate various voucher programs, leading to what Olivia describes as an “explosion of people experiencing homelessness.”
Atlanta Housing, the largest public housing authority in the Southeastern United States, received 202 emergency housing vouchers from the federal government in 2021. The agency has expressed its commitment to help those who lose their subsidies, stating it plans to offer rental assistance to all affected individuals.
“HUD has informed Atlanta Housing that the Emergency Housing Voucher program will be funded through fiscal year 2026,” the agency confirmed in a recent email. “Upon its expiration, Atlanta Housing will absorb EHV vouchers to ensure the families we have housed remain housed.”
Despite these assurances, Cathryn Vassell, head of the nonprofit Partners For Home, warns that the loss of EHVs will continue to place immense pressure on agencies and nonprofits dedicated to combating homelessness.
Partners For Home has collaborated with Atlanta Housing to identify chronically homeless individuals who qualify for EHVs. Vassell pointed out that eliminating the EHV program will make it more challenging for organizations to transition individuals from homelessness to stable housing.
While AH has not specified how it will extend support to those expected to lose their EHVs, it acknowledges the uncertainty surrounding federal funding and is preparing for anticipated cuts.
Advocates for affordable housing stress that without renewed funding for rental assistance programs, public housing authorities may have to scale back their voucher offerings, resulting in growing waitlists. Currently, Atlanta Housing has over 20,000 individuals waiting for voucher assistance.
“If we do not have enough money or funds for this program, this situation will probably get worse and worse,” said Xinyuan Zheng, a policy and program analyst for Georgia Advancing Communities Together.
The surge in homeless populations across the nation, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, has been alarming. In 2023, the annual HUD-mandated Point-In-Time count revealed an increase in homelessness in Atlanta, with the number of individuals experiencing homelessness rising from 2,017 in 2022 to 2,894 this year.
Statewide, an estimated 12,290 people were unhoused in 2024, a sharp increase from 10,689 in 2022, as reported by HUD.
The Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA), which received 795 of the state’s total 1,039 EHVs from the federal government, anticipates that its EHV funding will be depleted by the end of 2026. DCA spokesperson Justin Vining mentioned that around 560 families in various communities across Georgia currently rely on this critical federal assistance.
“It’s too soon to say how DCA would adapt to these vouchers vanishing,” stated Vining. “As the [EHV] program winds down, we are awaiting further guidance from HUD regarding how agencies should support participants.”
A sense of urgency is brewing as Congress is being urged to take swift action. The Biden administration had initially launched the American Rescue Plan-backed EHV program in 2021 with a dedicated budget of $5 billion to support chronically unhoused individuals, veterans, and renters in abusive situations. Many housing authorities had hoped this funding would be sufficient through the end of the decade.
Olivia emphasized the importance of locals lobbying their representatives in Congress to enhance funding for voucher programs rather than cutting the budget.
“One of the overlooked areas here is not just the impact on the individuals who are in those [EHV-sponsored rentals], but also the ramifications for the local economy and the landlords involved in this program,” she noted.
Cuts to the EHV program or other housing vouchers could deprive landlords of stable government funding. Moreover, housing experts warn of the dire economic consequences of a growing unhoused population, as individuals experiencing homelessness tend to require more emergency services, such as shelters and health care, which often rely on public funds.
“Members of Congress listen to mayors and governors and local leaders,” Olivia said, urging them to prevent the proposed budget cuts and advocate for additional resources to keep vulnerable populations housed.
With Congressional Republicans aiming to finalize the upcoming fiscal year’s budget by July 4, the call for immediate action on housing assistance has never been more critical.
image source from：https://atlantaciviccircle.org/2025/06/04/trump-admin-cutting-emergency-housing-vouchers-atlanta-georgia/
