Welcome Secretary Marcia Fudge!
By: Nick Thompson
Texas Homeless Network would like to extend our warmest welcome to incoming Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Marcia Fudge.
It is our hope that under Secretary Fudge we can work together to make homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurring and expand affordable, accessible housing options in Texas and across the country.
The last four years under the previous HUD Secretary have not been the kindest to many of the most oppressed in our communities, including transgender people experiencing homelessness, people with criminal histories, low-income people, and communities of color.
Thankfully, the previously proposed modifications to Equal Access have yet to be finalized and should be revoked immediately. The sheer notion that service providers across the country could deny clients on the basis of gender expression and identity is bigoted and runs in direct contradiction to the shared mission of homeless service providers.
It is also our hope that Sec. Fudge and HUD will focus their efforts in re-imagining safe, inclusive communities in the aftermath of the Trump administration and Sec. Carson eliminating the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) rule. HUD should also consider reinstating the 2013 Disparate Impact rule and codify protections for mixed-status families.
Across the country, people are finding themselves housing insecure, living in substandard housing, facing eviction, and/or homeless potentially for the first time. American renters, homeowners, and people experiencing homelessness need bold changes to stay afloat (and in many cases stay alive).
While we know Secretary Fudge’s plate will be incredibly full the first few days, weeks, and months of her term, the good news is that she can choose to tap into the amazing talent and vigor of housing organizers, homeless service providers, and communities across the country that have been neglected in the past couple of years.
We encourage HUD to continue to work with Congress to expedite recently passed COVID-19 relief to our communities.