Image Credit: Donald J. Trump / Facebook & Canva
The Tennessee Conservative [By Olivia Lupia] –
Nashville is the latest of several municipalities across the nation to join a lawsuit against the Trump Administration for changing a program designed to aid homeless people, claiming hundreds of people could end up on the streets because of funding reallocations.
On Nov. 13, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) significantly altered its 2025 notice of funding opportunity for its Continuum of Care program (CoC), which is designed to help end homelessness by providing funding for efforts by nonprofits and state and local governments and promoting access to programs for homeless individuals and families.
HUD reduced allocations for permanent supportive housing from 86% of CoC funds to 30%, redirecting the resources toward short-term shelters that tie participation to employment and substance-abuse treatment. These changes prompted a group including the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC), National Alliance to End Homelessness, and local governments of San Francisco, Boston, and Nashville to file a complaint in federal court against HUD Secretary Scott Turner.
The lawsuit argues the changes HUD is making are illegal, though it is unclear what justifies that claim, and that shifting the resources to short-term, conditional shelters will destabilize communities and increase homelessness. Plaintiffs also claim the new structure could slash their funding by more than 60% or even reduce it to zero.
“This infrastructure has been built over 20 years, and the Trump administration is taking a wrecking ball to it,” Director of Law in Metro Nashville and Davidson County, Wally Dietz, said.
“We have reduced our mortality rate and our homeless population by 45% over the last three years, and it’s because of this permanent supportive housing,” he elaborated. “There’s no doubt that this federal program will result in a dramatic increase in the number of homeless people on our streets; there is no other way around it because there’s no other place of these people to go. If the money disappears, the homes disappear.”
According to Dietz, nearly a thousand people in Nashville who are currently housed could be evicted and revert to unsafe housing situations or homelessness. City officials have said the original program is the “backbone” of Nashville’s housing system, providing permanent housing for veterans, seniors, and domestic violence survivors.
Dietz also believes the program changes could have literal life-or-death consequences. “My initial feeling was it was just cruel. It’s not an overstatement to say that people will be on the streets, and many of them will die,” he said.
But HUD has a different perspective, saying the changes are meant to “restore accountability to homelessness programs and promote self-sufficiency among vulnerable Americans.” The federal agency stated it wants to target the underlying drivers of homelessness, like mental illness and drug addiction, not just focus on the symptoms.
Secretary Turner addressed the program overhaul on Nov. 14, noting that the under the Biden administration, HUD only sent 1% of CoC funding to transitional housing programs which put people onto a path of self-sufficiency, instead majorly funding “Housing First” projects which “simply warehouse our vulnerable neighbors.”
An informational video from Turner explained the CoC’s shortcomings and misuse under previous administrations which have led to skyrocketing numbers of homeless populations instead of a reduction.
“If a policy is bad, all the money in the world can’t turn its failure into success,” he said. “It’s time to let the status quo go. The Trump administration is ditching the homeless industrial complex that has failed our most vulnerable and ushering in monumental reform to deliver real results.”
Earlier this year, Turner also exposed the CoC for being used to promote DEI, gender ideology, support abortion, subsidize illegal immigration, and discriminate against faith-based groups.
“HUD’s Continuum of Care Program was meant to provide funds to end homelessness, unfortunately it was used as a tool by the left to push a woke agenda at the expense of people in need,” Turner wrote. He reiterated that under his direction, CoC funds would only be used for their intended purposes- to help combat homelessness.
The coalition of groups filing suit is hoping to get a hearing date by Friday and is asking for an injunction to block the new program and force the funds initially promised to be distributed.
About the Author: Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
