By Aaron Allen, The Seattle Medium
Last week, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration’s attempt to impose new restrictions on homelessness funding. In response, King County Executive Girmay Zahilay called the ruling a vital step in protecting programs that provide permanent housing and support services for thousands of vulnerable residents.
The court’s decision in the case, National Alliance to End Homelessness et al. v. HUD, which was brought by local governments and nonprofit organizations, challenges recent federal actions that would shift funding away from proven solutions to homelessness. The injunction temporarily halts the administration’s efforts to condition or restrict funding for homelessness response programs as cold winter months approach.
“We are pleased that the federal court has granted a preliminary injunction on behalf of King County and our partners,” says Zahilay. “This injunction blocks the Trump administration’s attempts to implement unlawful restrictions on a critical grant program that funds permanent supportive housing and homelessness services.”
King County and other plaintiffs argued that the proposed changes would threaten the Continuum of Care Program, a federal initiative administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. For years, HUD’s Continuum of Care Program has provided essential resources to local governments and nonprofit partners to build and sustain permanent housing projects for veterans, seniors, people with disabilities, and families and individuals experiencing homelessness.
Homelessness remains a persistent challenge in King County, shaped by rising housing costs, economic disparities, and other systemic pressures. In 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, approximately 11,751 individuals experienced homelessness in the county. About 3,500 of those individuals were unsheltered, living on the streets or in vehicles, while roughly 1,500 families with children struggled to find stable shelter. The majority of individuals experiencing homelessness identified as people of color, highlighting longstanding racial inequities in housing stability. From 2018 to 2019, the overall homelessness rate in the county increased by 5 percent.
The emergence of COVID-19 made housing instability worse for many residents. Between 2019 and 2021, the homeless population in King County grew by about 6 percent as job losses, financial strain, and eviction risk pushed more families and individuals into housing insecurity. In 2021, more than 11,000 people were experiencing homelessness on any given night, with a significant rise in the number of families with children.
Today, estimates place the homeless population in King County at approximately 12,000 individuals, with projections suggesting a potential 10 percent increase from 2024 figures. About 60 percent of people experiencing homelessness are individuals, and 40 percent are families. In addition to high housing costs, mental health challenges and substance use are among the major drivers of homelessness in the county.
Zahilay says federal support is essential in addressing these complex challenges. He says leveraging federal housing dollars is necessary to create and maintain affordable housing and supportive services that can help break the cycle of homelessness.
“We know that in order to break the cycle and bring more people inside, King County must continue to leverage federal dollars to create and operate more affordable housing,” says Zahilay. “Today’s ruling is another step forward in making sure our residents have safe and stable housing.”
The coalition behind the lawsuit includes a broad range of organizations and local governments. Parties to the case include the National Alliance to End Homelessness, the National Low Income Housing Coalition, Crossroads Rhode Island, Youth Pride Inc., and cities and counties across the country including Santa Clara County and San Francisco in California, Boston and Cambridge in Massachusetts, Nashville in Tennessee, and Tucson in Arizona.
In a joint statement responding to the judge’s order, the coalition described the decision as critical relief for communities and individuals relying on federal housing support.
“This order offers local governments and nonprofit organizations doing the hard and important work of supporting people experiencing homelessness some much needed relief after the threat of harmful new conditions imposed by the Trump Vance administration,” the coalition said. “Today’s order means that more than 170,000 people including families, seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities have respite from the government’s assault. The Trump Vance administration has suggested it would double down on its unlawful and unreasonable effort to kick people out of housing and back into homelessness with a new policy shift. We will continue to pursue this case and remain dedicated to protecting proven solutions to homelessness and the hundreds of thousands of people who rely on this housing support.”
Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, in the final months of his term, reiterated his commitment to compassionate, evidence based homelessness strategies. Harrell highlighted recent local progress including increased shelter referrals, a reduction in tent encampments, and the development of thousands of new affordable and supportive housing units.
“In Seattle, our approach to homelessness is driven by urgency and compassion, leading to record shelter referrals, an 80 percent reduction in tent encampments, and thousands of new affordable and supportive housing units,” says Harrell. “After more than a decade of prioritizing evidence based approaches that reduce homelessness, any changes can threaten the stability of the programs and funding and can have devastating impacts for communities.”
Harrell also called on federal leadership to protect and expand investments in housing and support services at a time when local governments are confronting rising need.
“If Trump were actually interested in helping cities, he would stop cutting the social safety net, maintain investments in HUD and housing vouchers, and challenge Washington D C’s status quo by funding affordable housing development and treatment options at scale,” says Harrell.
