Rep. Maxine Waters has sent a letter to Rep. French Hill urging him to join her in requesting that the House Appropriations Committee renew funding for existing Emergency Housing Vouchers (EHVs) in the Fiscal Year 2026 Appropriations Bill.
The letter was prompted by a recent notice to Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) announcing that EHV funding—originally expected to last through 2030—has been fully exhausted.
The EHV program provides a significant opportunity for PHAs, Continuums of Care (CoCs), and Victim Service Providers (VSPs) to develop collaborative partnerships and strategies that effectively address the needs of vulnerable populations in their communities. Through the EHV program, HUD has provided 70,000 housing choice vouchers to local PHAs in order to assist individuals and families who are homeless, at-risk of homelessness, fleeing, or attempting to flee, domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, or human trafficking, or were recently homeless or have a high risk of housing instability.
In the letter, Rep. Waters underscores how the EHV program that she secured $5 billion through the American Rescue Plan Act during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, due to the program’s success rates, growing demand, and rapidly rising market rents, the allocated funds were spent much faster than anticipated. Rep. Waters warns that failing to continue the EHV program would impact more than 59,000 families, and would exacerbate the national housing and homelessness crisis.
On March 6, 2025, in a letter sent to PHA Executive Directors, HUD states that it will obligate a final allocation for “all EHV [Emergency Housing Voucher] HAP [Housing Assistance Payment] funds that remain available to HUD under the American Rescue Plan …” The letter also states that “after this final allocation, the Department will provide no additional EHV Calendar Year HAP Renewal funding allocations to PHAs, but the amount allocated is anticipated to extend beyond the end of CY 2025 and those remaining amounts will be available to cover HAP costs in 2026.”
The notice notes that PHAs should not expect any additional funding for this program beyond the final allocation amount.
“The success of EHVs in helping to end homelessness for tens of thousands of households cannot be overstated and, in addition to building more affordable housing, are an effective tool to combat homelessness. I hope that you will consider this urgent request to keep over 59,000 families housed through the EHV Program,” said Rep. Waters in the letter. “The success of EHVs in helping to end homelessness for tens of thousands of households cannot be overstated and, in addition to building more affordable housing, are an effective tool to combat homelessness. I hope that you will consider this urgent request to keep over 59,000 families housed through the EHV program.”
The President’s budget request is what often kicks off an appropriations cycle—a request is usually sent to Congress towards the end of February or early March. On the years after a presidential election, this time can be delayed when a new president is sworn into office, as at that point in the year they are in the process of staffing up their administration. This is the case in 2025, as President Trump’s budget request still pending.
Click here to read Rep. Waters’ letter regarding the extension of the EHV program.
