The Trump administration released its budget proposal for fiscal year 2026 on May 2. The proposed funding cuts to the federal Housing and Urban Development Department (HUD) will undoubtedly contribute to increased homelessness in the Athens area.
The proposed budget reduces federal rental assistance programs administered by HUD by an estimated 43%. Affected programs include housing authorities, HUD 811, Housing Choice Vouchers and Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly. These cuts would threaten the stable living arrangements of over 9 million low-income renters across the U.S., particularly older adults and people with chronic disabilities.
In Athens, 4,557 households depend on these essential rental assistance programs for their housing. HUD rental assistance programs are severely underfunded as is, with only one in four eligible households actually receiving the assistance nationwide. In Athens, 5,333 households await affordable housing through the Athens Housing Authority, with an average wait of about two years.
The budget also dismantles two key homeless assistance programs—the federal Continuum of Care (CoC) grant and the Housing for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) grant—by cutting $532 million from their budgets and merging them into the Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG). This consolidation would strip decision-making power from local leaders in favor of priorities informed at state and federal levels, inevitably shrinking the availability of crucial services.
Smaller communities will feel more impact, as they will be competing for the same funding with larger cities. Additionally, the newly consolidated CoC and HOPWA funding would be required to adhere to established ESG restrictions that limit the amount of time a household can receive assistance to two years. $787,811 in ESG funds are currently awarded and productively exhausted by the Athens Area Homeless Shelter and Advantage Behavioral Health Systems.
Athens has a robust CoC, established alongside hundreds of communities in 2009 following the bipartisan HEARTH Act. The Athens CoC is led by a board of service providers and community advocates that conducts a range of critical activities to understand and respond to homelessness in our community. The CoC board reviews applications and allocates over $1 million to Athens programs, conducts an annual census of individuals and families experiencing homelessness, fosters collaboration and strategic planning amongst providers, and governs systems-level policies impacting service delivery and equity.
Each year, the locally allocated CoC funds are distributed to Athens-based agencies that support approximately 105 households annually. In 2025, the CoC awarded funds for permanent supportive housing through Advantage Behavioral Health Systems, short-term rental assistance for survivors of domestic violence through Project Safe, and a new transitional housing program for families managed by Family Promise. The proposed budget cuts would end funding for these vital programs, with a high likelihood that many residents would experience a housing crisis once again. Even a partial loss of programming would damage the already limited homeless response system.
Following national trends, homelessness in Athens has steadily increased over the past 15 years due to market conditions beyond the scope of service providers. The work of the Athens CoC and other CoCs around the country have been largely responsible for community adaptations to the brutal realities generated by the current housing crisis. An underfunded social safety net cannot be expected to overcome the widespread challenges generated by the free market.
Alternative policy options exist. Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) is a widely recognized housing intervention that is already being implemented in Athens with over 234 units as of January 2025. PSH is a cost-effective solution, shown to decrease public costs associated with shelters, hospitals, jails, court proceedings and encampment clean-ups. Research has repeatedly demonstrated that PSH can increase housing stability and connect people to community-based services. With the proposed federal budget, local CoC funds would be lost, including 96 units of PSH that could not be replaced through the ESG program. The combination of permanent, income-based housing with wraparound supportive services has demonstrated time and time again to be a more cost-effective and humane use of public dollars.
PSH is for the most vulnerable neighbors, those with the most strenuous barriers. Many households can exit homelessness with less than two years of housing assistance through an ESG funded program. Others face persistent mental health needs or chronic disabilities that limit their ability to earn income, making it nearly impossible to afford market-rate rent. Permanent supportive housing keeps neighbors safe and healthy, and drastically decreases the likelihood of experiencing an episode of homelessness again.
Ending homelessness in our community and in our country is possible. Increases in federal expenditure for permanent supportive housing resources for veterans over the previous decade have reduced veteran homelessness by 55.6% since 2010, despite large increases in homelessness over the same period. Decades of randomized trials demonstrate success with other unsheltered populations.
Homelessness is a community problem requiring community solutions. Please join us in upcoming roundtable discussions about these topics. These conversations are designed to foster dialogue between community members regarding solutions to reduce and end homelessness in Athens. These discussions will be held on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month from 5–7 p.m., and are hosted by the Athens Homeless Coalition, Athens CoC, Family Connection-Communities in Schools Neighborhood Leaders and Athens Urbanists. Please also consider sharing your thoughts and reflections with elected officials by phone and email.
This column was collaboratively written and adopted by voting members of the Athens-Clarke County Continuum of Care board of directors. John Morris is the current board chair.
Federal Continuum of Care Funding
ABHS Supportive Housing Program 2 Unit FY24: $42,618
ABHS Supportive Housing Program 23 Unit FY24: $327,626
ABHS Supportive Housing Program 5 Unit FY24: $96,923
ACC CoC Planning Project FY 24: $50,000
ABH Shelter Plus Care: $275,000
AIDS Athens Shelter Plus Care: $72,711
Family Promise Joint Transitional Housing: $125,767
Project Safe Rapid Rehousing FY24: $67,109
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Trump’s Budget Cuts Will Cause More Homelessness in Athens
The Trump administration released its budget proposal for fiscal year 2026 on May 2. The proposed funding cuts to the federal Housing and Urban Development Department (HUD) will undoubtedly contribute to increased homelessness in the Athens area.
The proposed budget reduces federal rental assistance programs administered by HUD by an estimated 43%. Affected programs include housing authorities, HUD 811, Housing Choice Vouchers and Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly. These cuts would threaten the stable living arrangements of over 9 million low-income renters across the U.S., particularly older adults and people with chronic disabilities.
In Athens, 4,557 households depend on these essential rental assistance programs for their housing. HUD rental assistance programs are severely underfunded as is, with only one in four eligible households actually receiving the assistance nationwide. In Athens, 5,333 households await affordable housing through the Athens Housing Authority, with an average wait of about two years.
The budget also dismantles two key homeless assistance programs—the federal Continuum of Care (CoC) grant and the Housing for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) grant—by cutting $532 million from their budgets and merging them into the Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG). This consolidation would strip decision-making power from local leaders in favor of priorities informed at state and federal levels, inevitably shrinking the availability of crucial services.
Smaller communities will feel more impact, as they will be competing for the same funding with larger cities. Additionally, the newly consolidated CoC and HOPWA funding would be required to adhere to established ESG restrictions that limit the amount of time a household can receive assistance to two years. $787,811 in ESG funds are currently awarded and productively exhausted by the Athens Area Homeless Shelter and Advantage Behavioral Health Systems.
Athens has a robust CoC, established alongside hundreds of communities in 2009 following the bipartisan HEARTH Act. The Athens CoC is led by a board of service providers and community advocates that conducts a range of critical activities to understand and respond to homelessness in our community. The CoC board reviews applications and allocates over $1 million to Athens programs, conducts an annual census of individuals and families experiencing homelessness, fosters collaboration and strategic planning amongst providers, and governs systems-level policies impacting service delivery and equity.
Each year, the locally allocated CoC funds are distributed to Athens-based agencies that support approximately 105 households annually. In 2025, the CoC awarded funds for permanent supportive housing through Advantage Behavioral Health Systems, short-term rental assistance for survivors of domestic violence through Project Safe, and a new transitional housing program for families managed by Family Promise. The proposed budget cuts would end funding for these vital programs, with a high likelihood that many residents would experience a housing crisis once again. Even a partial loss of programming would damage the already limited homeless response system.
Following national trends, homelessness in Athens has steadily increased over the past 15 years due to market conditions beyond the scope of service providers. The work of the Athens CoC and other CoCs around the country have been largely responsible for community adaptations to the brutal realities generated by the current housing crisis. An underfunded social safety net cannot be expected to overcome the widespread challenges generated by the free market.
Alternative policy options exist. Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) is a widely recognized housing intervention that is already being implemented in Athens with over 234 units as of January 2025. PSH is a cost-effective solution, shown to decrease public costs associated with shelters, hospitals, jails, court proceedings and encampment clean-ups. Research has repeatedly demonstrated that PSH can increase housing stability and connect people to community-based services. With the proposed federal budget, local CoC funds would be lost, including 96 units of PSH that could not be replaced through the ESG program. The combination of permanent, income-based housing with wraparound supportive services has demonstrated time and time again to be a more cost-effective and humane use of public dollars.
PSH is for the most vulnerable neighbors, those with the most strenuous barriers. Many households can exit homelessness with less than two years of housing assistance through an ESG funded program. Others face persistent mental health needs or chronic disabilities that limit their ability to earn income, making it nearly impossible to afford market-rate rent. Permanent supportive housing keeps neighbors safe and healthy, and drastically decreases the likelihood of experiencing an episode of homelessness again.
Ending homelessness in our community and in our country is possible. Increases in federal expenditure for permanent supportive housing resources for veterans over the previous decade have reduced veteran homelessness by 55.6% since 2010, despite large increases in homelessness over the same period. Decades of randomized trials demonstrate success with other unsheltered populations.
Homelessness is a community problem requiring community solutions. Please join us in upcoming roundtable discussions about these topics. These conversations are designed to foster dialogue between community members regarding solutions to reduce and end homelessness in Athens. These discussions will be held on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month from 5–7 p.m., and are hosted by the Athens Homeless Coalition, Athens CoC, Family Connection-Communities in Schools Neighborhood Leaders and Athens Urbanists. Please also consider sharing your thoughts and reflections with elected officials by phone and email.
This column was collaboratively written and adopted by voting members of the Athens-Clarke County Continuum of Care board of directors. John Morris is the current board chair.
Federal Continuum of Care Funding
ABHS Supportive Housing Program 2 Unit FY24: $42,618
ABHS Supportive Housing Program 23 Unit FY24: $327,626
ABHS Supportive Housing Program 5 Unit FY24: $96,923
ACC CoC Planning Project FY 24: $50,000
ABH Shelter Plus Care: $275,000
AIDS Athens Shelter Plus Care: $72,711
Family Promise Joint Transitional Housing: $125,767
Project Safe Rapid Rehousing FY24: $67,109
Like what you just read? Support Flagpole by making a donation today. Every dollar you give helps fund our ongoing mission to provide Athens with quality, independent journalism.
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