This month, HUD published a proposed rule that would prohibit “mixed status families” from living in public and other HUD-assisted housing. Mixed status families are households that include members who are eligible and others who are ineligible for housing assistance based on their immigration status. Currently, HUD allows families to live together in subsidized housing even if one family member is ineligible so long as the housing subsidy is prorated to exclude the ineligible person from the assistance. The cruel and burdensome proposed rule would require housing agencies and private property owners to collect and verify the eligible immigration status of all recipients under 62 years old of a covered HUD program, which is more than 9 million people. Families with members who are then deemed ineligible would be evicted from subsidized housing within 18 months.
The National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) and the National Housing Law Project (NHLP) have launched a new website, www.Keep-Families-Together.org, where you can find fact sheets and other advocacy resources, read the latest news and find ways to get involved about this issue.
Comments on this proposed rule are due on July 9th. NYHC intends to submit comments on this dangerous proposal that will result only in the destabilization of families and communities, increased homelessness, and additional administrative burdens across the country. Rachel Fee discussed the implications of the HUD proposal in interview linked below, aired on Verizon FiOS News/RNN TV.
Watch interview.