“An Assault on Working Families”: Mayor Bass Slams Trump Administration’s Proposed Change to Longstanding Federal Housing Rule, Reaffirms City's Commitment to Support Immigrant[...]

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With Homelessness Down for Second Year in a Row, New Proposed Change to Federal Mixed-Status Rule Could Push Vulnerable L.A. Families into Homelessness

LOS ANGELES - Mayor Karen Bass today condemned the Trump Administration's latest assault on immigrant families with its proposed change to a 30-year rule that prorates federal housing assistance based on the immigration status of family members. This proposed federal rule change has the potential to push more than a thousand Angelenos into homelessness, undoing the significant progress the City has made. We cannot move backwards.

"With this proposed change to the mixed-status rule, the Trump Administration's ongoing assault on working families continues," said Mayor Bass. "Los Angeles is a city of immigrants. This proposed rule change threatens every mixed-status household with the loss of the federal housing assistance they rely on to stay afloat - assistance that was designed solely to keep Americans housed in the first place. To every worried family in Los Angeles right now, know that I will never stop fighting for you."

The proposed change would impact thousands of individuals in mixed-status family households

across Los Angeles. To be clear, public funds are not used to pay for ineligible residents. Since 1995, the U.S. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has allowed mixed-status families to reside in federally assisted housing so long as the housing subsidy is prorated and only provided to eligible household members. Because household members without eligible status pay full, market-rate rent, mixed-status families contribute more rental income to Public Housing Agencies than most other assisted households. The current federal rule provides housing stability to vulnerable families while allowing them to remain together and support one another; for example, many mixed-status families may include U.S. citizen children whose parents may otherwise be ineligible for assistance.

The Trump Administration's new proposed rule would eliminate federal housing assistance for mixed-status families altogether, including both public housing and a range of Section 8 voucher programs, threatening the housing stability of thousands of L.A. families. Importantly, just because a household member is ineligible for federal housing assistance does not mean that they are undocumented - immigrants can have legal status and still not be eligible to receive federal housing assistance.

The City created a dedicated webpage to ensure immigrant families know their rights and can access critical resources they need - ensuring no family is left behind.

Mayor Bass has been fighting to defend L.A. families since the Trump Administration first began its reckless immigration raids last summer and has worked to accelerate the building of affordable housing citywide:

• Earlier this month, she signed Executive Directive 17outlining a sweeping set of directives, including measures that prohibit the use of City property for immigration enforcement staging areas, processing locations, or bases of operation; increase transparency around the conduct of federal agents through the use of body-worn cameras; and other mechanisms.

• She joined mayors from some of America's largest cities - including Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno, and Portland Mayor Keith Wilson - to demandimmediate reform and an end to ICE's unchecked and reckless operations in cities across the country.

• She renewed her commitment to house every Veteran in Los Angeles through her "House our Vets" initiative, which was expanded through a new partnership and public information campaign on Metro buses, trains, stations, and kiosks. Since its launch, "House Our Vets" has housed nearly 700 Veterans.

• More than 32,000 units of affordable housing are in the pipeline under Mayor Bass' Executive Directive 1 and more than $14 million in rental assistance will be provided for seniors and people with disabilities through ULA.