BALTIMORE — Maryland is bracing for a significant increase in homelessness as the Trump administration's changes to federal housing programs result in a dramatic decrease in funding for the state. The cuts could force thousands of currently housed residents onto the streets in the coming months.
Jake Day, Maryland's Secretary of Housing and Community Development, warned that the funding reduction will have immediate and devastating consequences for the state's most vulnerable populations.
"That's a 67% decrease from 2024 award. So a big loss, to permanent supportive housing, meaning, households that are currently housed. So it would be continuing to pay for those funding, for the elderly and disabled residents of those units," Day said.
Trump administration cuts threaten thousands with homelessness in Maryland
The funding cuts primarily affect permanent supportive housing programs that provide ongoing assistance to elderly and disabled residents. These programs help maintain housing stability for some of Maryland's most at-risk populations.
Local agencies that work with homeless populations spent the day in meetings trying to develop strategies to address the crisis. Multiple organizations contacted for comment were unavailable as they worked to understand the full scope of the cuts and their implications.
Day acknowledged that Maryland is unlikely to have the resources to fill the massive funding gap left by the federal cuts.
"Our primary objective right now is to get Congress to act, to reconsider this. Congress is considering right now a path forward that would potentially continue the grants as designed in the last fiscal year. That would be the best case scenario," Day said.
Scott Turner, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, defended the cuts in a statement, saying the administration is "stopping the Biden-era slush fund that fueled the homelessness crisis, shut out faith-based providers simply because of their values, and incentivized never-ending government dependency."
Day warned that the impact will be felt almost immediately as current funding runs out.
"It would happen in the very near term, and the reason is, as these funds, the current fiscal year awards dry up... the way it'll be felt is rent checks won't flow, and so eviction proceedings will begin," Day said.
The timing of the cuts means that rental assistance payments will stop flowing to landlords, triggering eviction proceedings for thousands of vulnerable residents who depend on federal housing assistance to maintain their homes.
An In Focus look at resources for people experiencing homelessness
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