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Delaware could have less for housing assistance if HUD budget is slashed

Delaware could see a decrease in federal housing assistance if the White House plan to slash the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s budget is approved. Delaware already suffers from a shortage of affordable housing.

The Trump administration is proposing to cut HUD’s budget by nearly $9 billion. It reduces safety net programs like Section 8 rental assistance and it wants people getting public housing assistance to meet work requirements.

Delaware State Housing Authority Director Anas Ben Addi said if Congress passed the proposed cuts, it would make housing resources to Delawareans, which are already in short supply, even harder to get.

“This is not just reducing the expense, but really putting a huge obstacle in the likelihood of families achieving self-sufficiency in the future,” he said.

Ben Addi also said this 2019 budget proposal is similar to funding cuts the administration suggested the last fiscal year. But he reached out to Delaware’s Congressional members to help protect the funding.

“Luckily enough, working with the delegation and the legislators in D.C. on both sides of the aisle - they understand the importance of affordable housing and keeping some of these programs - so we ended up in a much better place than what was proposed last year and we hope it will be the same for the next year,” he said.

A lack of affordable housing can increase costs elsewhere. More homeless students in Delaware’s school system requires additional money to transport them to and from school. Housing advocates say creating more affordable housing would reduce the number of homeless kids and school transportation costs.

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