With the Trump administration pursuing a major restructuring of the nation’s top housing agency, local leaders gathered in Downtown Pittsburgh on Thursday to highlight what they say could be crippling cuts and to urge concerned citizens to fight to save critical programs.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development oversees the flow of billions of dollars that go toward homelessness assistance programs, public housing vouchers, enforcement of fair housing law and other housing initiatives. Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency have reportedly called for slashing at least half of HUD’s staff, as they work to trim the size of the federal government.
Already, at least $60 million in funding earmarked for affordable housing projects across the country has been delayed while HUD’s $1 billion Green and Resilient Retrofit Program, which supports the preservation of affordable housing, has been put on hold, according to the Associated Press.
Congresswoman Summer Lee, D-Swissvale, among those at the Thursday event at the City-County Building, decried looming plans that would reportedly shutter Pittsburgh’s HUD field office, as part of an effort that could leave 34 states without a HUD office.
The Pittsburgh office alone oversees $413 million in housing assistance for more than 44,000 low-income households across 29 counties, she said.
By largely eliminating HUD’s presence in local communities, Ms. Lee warned that the few offices left could be overburdened by taking on issues across multiple states. And, in Pittsburgh, it could eliminate hundreds of jobs, she said.
“It’s like they’re looking for the quickest way is to enact the cruelest policies, and right now, [they are] planning to gut the very programs next [that] keep our communities stable, safe and affordable,” Ms. Lee said.
HUD Secretary Scott Turner, in a video posted on Mr. Musk’s social media site X on March 12, said change is coming but the goal is to better serve communities while “taking a surgical approach” to eliminating waste, fraud and abuse.
“HUD has taken inventory of every program and process to determine when and where our department can be more efficient in the delivery of its statutorily required programs,” Mr. Turner said.
Housing advocates and lawmakers at Thursday’s gathering in Pittsburgh aren’t optimistic. Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey said sweeping cuts by the federal government would harm Pittsburgh’s already struggling residents.
“Let’s be clear, any rollback of HUD’s role is an attack on our people ... who are already struggling with housing affordability right now,” Mr. Gainey said. “We know in our city right now, people are having a difficult time paying their rent.”
The city’s Housing Authority administers roughly 2,200 public housing units that serve more than 18,000 people.
The mayor said changes to HUD might also impact subsidies that local governments receive for disaster recovery efforts, assistance for first-time homebuyers and efforts to crack down on corporate “slumlords” who illegally evict tenants and create untenable living conditions.
Mr. Gainey, who is running for re-election, has made affordable housing a top issue and pushed for changes to city rules to require more development of residential structures that include some units affordable for lower-income residents.
Local housing advocate Jala Rucker said many public housing residents already face delays in getting basic repairs done and resolving dangerous conditions like mold and broken heating.
The single mom of five said she knows the challenges firsthand as someone who has relied on low-income housing.
“We don’t know how far these cuts will go, but we know the risk, and we’re preparing to fight back,” said Ms. Rucker, who was recently reappointed as a board member of the Housing Authority of the city of Pittsburgh.
Some of the changes being considered for HUD are not a done deal. Mr. Gainey called on community members to call up their representatives to voice their concerns — “40 to 50” times if they have to.
With many lawmakers also pushing back, Ms. Lee said the hope is that the federal government will consider reversing course.
“We’re talking about whistleblowers, people sending up the alerts, picking up the smoke signals that this is happening, right?” she said. “We’re trying to stop it.”
First Published: March 20, 2025, 11:51 p.m.
Updated: March 21, 2025, 2:48 p.m.
