New jersey sues trump administration over hud homeless housing funding changes

New Jersey Sues Trump Administration Over HUD Homeless Housing Funding Changes

Posted by
1 min read
July 7, 2026

TRENTON, N.J. — New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport has joined a coalition of states in filing a federal lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, challenging the Trump administration’s latest changes to federal homelessness funding that the states argue could eliminate permanent housing assistance for thousands of people nationwide.

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday, contends HUD is once again imposing unlawful conditions on funding through the federal Continuum of Care (CoC) program after a federal court last month blocked similar restrictions for fiscal year 2025. According to the complaint, HUD’s new fiscal year 2026 funding requirements would significantly reduce funding for permanent housing programs, despite Congress historically directing most CoC funding toward those services.

Attorney General Davenport said the changes could force more than 1,300 New Jersey residents out of permanent housing.

“The Trump Administration is trying once again to evict thousands of people, despite a court order holding its previous attempt unlawful,” Davenport said. “The drastic changes that HUD is attempting to impose on this grant program would increase homelessness and send over 1,300 New Jerseyans back to the streets. This is not right.”

For more than 20 years, HUD has supported the Housing First model, which prioritizes placing people experiencing homelessness into permanent housing before addressing other challenges. The lawsuit alleges the Trump administration is attempting to move away from that approach by placing new limits on funding for permanent housing projects.

The coalition argues HUD violated the Administrative Procedure Act by implementing the new funding conditions without required notice-and-comment rulemaking and that the policy changes are arbitrary and capricious.

According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, the funding changes could affect housing assistance for at least 97,000 people nationwide, including more than 1,300 in New Jersey.

The lawsuit asks the court to declare the new funding conditions unlawful and prevent HUD from enforcing them while the case proceeds.

New Jersey is joined in the lawsuit by the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia, along with the governors of Kentucky and Pennsylvania.

Phil Stilton is the Editor and Publisher of Shore News Network, an independent digital newsroom providing original reporting on New Jersey, national news, government, public policy, public safety, courts, and community affairs.

As founder of the publication, Stilton leads editorial strategy, investigative reporting, and daily newsroom operations while overseeing coverage that reaches millions of readers annually.

With extensive experience covering municipal government, county government, state legislatures, elections, law enforcement, emergency management, and public records, Stilton specializes in translating complex government actions into clear, factual reporting. His work frequently relies on primary source documents, including court filings, legislation, public meeting records, election finance disclosures, government databases, police reports, and Freedom of Information and Open Public Records Act (OPRA) requests. He has reported extensively on local government accountability, taxpayer spending, campaign finance, public corruption investigations, infrastructure, public safety, and the policies affecting New Jersey residents.

Under Stilton's editorial leadership, Shore News Network has grown into one of New Jersey's largest independent digital news organizations, publishing thousands of original news articles each year while providing breaking news coverage, investigative reporting, and analysis across state and local government. The publication's reporting is routinely sourced from official government agencies, public officials, court records, and firsthand documentation, with a commitment to transparency, attribution, corrections when warranted, and clearly distinguishing factual reporting from opinion.

Stilton's journalism follows established newsroom standards emphasizing accuracy, verification, fairness, and accountability. Every effort is made to verify information through official records and multiple reliable sources before publication. His reporting is intended to provide readers with timely, well-documented information that helps them understand the issues affecting their communities, while maintaining editorial independence from political parties, government agencies, advocacy organizations, and commercial interests.

Readers can submit story tips, corrections, public records, or media inquiries through the official Shore News Network website or its verified social media channels. Shore News Network welcomes corrections and updates when new information becomes available as part of its ongoing commitment to accurate and transparent journalism.

Don't Miss

Exit mobile version