***PHOTOS AND B-ROLL FROM EVENT HERE***
***AUDIO HERE***
Everett, WA — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, held a roundtable discussion on the Trump administration’s senseless decision to jeopardize Continuum of Care (CoC) grant funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)—which helps communities address homelessness—by placing new, potentially unlawful conditions on the grant funding. Joining Senator Murray for the roundtable were: Snohomish County Human Services Director Mary Jane Brell-Vujovic; Joe Alonzo, CEO of Cocoon House; Kathryn Opina, Interim CEO of Housing Hope; Mary Anne Dillon, Vice President of Permanent Housing for the YWCA Seattle | King | Snohomish; Becky Megard, Chief Operations Officer of Domestic Violence Services of Snohomish County; and Theresa Jones, a single mother of three whose family has benefitted from Housing Hope’s programs and who is now working toward obtaining her associate’s degree in Family and Social Services.
Local governments and non-profits across the country that had qualified for the federal CoC grant programs were informed in March that this year’s funding would require recipients to comply with vaguely worded executive orders that Trump signed in the opening weeks of his second term, specifically related to immigration status, abortion and reproductive care, “gender ideology,” and DEI programs. Snohomish County had already been allocated $16.7 million in CoC grant funding this year—only to be told their receipt of that funding is conditional on meeting the requirements of the president’s various executive orders. CoC grant funding goes toward 23 programs that offer housing and supportive services for homeless individuals and families in Snohomish County. Snohomish County anticipates that its partner agencies—who provide rapid rehousing and rental assistance, as well as specific services for young adults, people with disabilities and survivors of domestic violence—would also not be able to sign off on the administration’s new conditions.
Snohomish County is one of eight original plaintiffs in a King County-led coalition of local governments across the country who are suing the Trump administration over the potential loss of funding. The lawsuit was filed on May 2nd. Pierce County also joined the City and County of San Francisco, Santa Clara County, New York City, Boston, and Columbus (Ohio) in filing the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Seattle. Sound Transit, the Port of Seattle, and at least 20 other local governments across the country have since joined the lawsuit, which also challenges similar conditions in U.S. Department of Transportation grant agreements. On May 8th, District Court Judge Barbara Rothstein granted a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) preventing the Trump Administration from imposing these conditions on CoC funds or withholding CoC funds based on the conditions, and on May 23 she extended that TRO to June 4.
“Continuum of Care grant funding helps local organizations provide really important services for people experiencing homelessness—these are proven, effective investments that actually save communities money in the long run. But Trump is ripping away funding to prevent homelessness at the same time that he’s pushing Republicans to pass new, deficit-busting tax breaks for billionaires,” said Senator Murray. “Affordable housing and homelessness is a crisis and President Trump is making it a lot worse—from pushing out staff across HUD who work with groups like everyone here to keep programs running and get grants we pass out the door, freezing funding across the government, and turning federal funds meant to help people into a tool for his own partisan goals with outrageous, illegal restrictions that cut providers off from funds. President Trump hasn’t put out his full budget yet, but when it comes to housing, I’ve seen enough—he would kick millions out onto the street and make the homelessness and affordable housing crisis so much worse. Trump can write a budget, but Congress can tear it up—and we will as long as I have anything to say about it. I’ll keep fighting back in Congress to protect our investments in preventing homelessness when we write our funding bills and highlight the stories of organizations like the ones we heard from today.”
President Trump’s “skinny budget” proposal for Fiscal Year 2026 would slash funding for HUD by almost 50 percent—a staggering cut that would decimate the HUD housing assistance programs, making millions of Americans vulnerable to homelessness. Trump’s budget proposes to convert all rental assistance programs into a formula-based “State Rental Assistance Block Grant” and reduce total funding by $26.7 billion, or a 42 percent cut. His budget also proposes to consolidate the CoC Program with the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) program within the formula-based Emergency Solutions Grant and to time-limit assistance to two years, all while reducing overall funding by $532 million, or 12 percent. In addition, President Trump’s budget proposes to eliminate or reduce numerous HUD programs, including eliminating major formula programs communities rely upon to develop new affordable housing and for community development activities. The President’s full budget request has not yet been released. As the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Murray plays a key role in negotiating annual funding for HUD through the appropriations process.
“Snohomish County has created one of the most successful Continuum of Care networks in the nation, and the federal support is essential to save lives and reduce human suffering,” said Snohomish County Department of Human Services Director Mary Jane Brell Vujovic. “There are no additional resources at the local or state level to make up for the federal funding, and the lives of people literally hang in the balance.”
“If the most vulnerable members of our community—domestic violence victims, people with disabilities, unhoused youth and veterans—cannot receive basic life-saving support from the federal government, they will suffer and possibly die,” said Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers. “The programs funded by the Continuum of Care are some of the most powerful tools to keep people off the streets and safe. We are very grateful for Senator Murray’s compassionate advocacy for these fundamental responsibilities of the federal government.”
“Our housing program is a critical component of the safety net for survivors of domestic violence. It not only provides immediate refuge but also a foundation for long-term stability, recovery, and self-sufficiency. Without this vital support, families are at risk of cycling back into danger or falling into homelessness. Continued federal investment ensures that our shelter system remains responsive, accessible, and equipped to break the cycle of violence—one safe home at a time,” said Domestic Violence Services of Snohomish County Chief Operational Officer Becky Megard.
“The young people we serve don’t care about political power struggles, nor do they have interest in having their identities erased. They want the opportunity to find a stable and supportive housing environment, to gain skills, and to break the cycle of poverty and homelessness. In this situation, they unfortunately stand to lose the most,” said Joe Alonzo, CEO of Cocoon House. “Loss of CoC funds will have immediate and ripple impacts on homeless youth and young adults in Snohomish County. Without CoC funding or a viable replacement option, nearly 200 young people will experience loss of housing and vital supports. These funds are critical for the operation of programs and services that were designed to address their unique situations.”
“In Snohomish County, HUD Continuum of Care funds are the backbone of our homelessness response system. These funds are absolutely essential for providing services to individual families and ensuring that our system functions effectively,” said Kathryn Opina, Interim CEO of Housing Hope. “Without this funding, we will see a significant increase in homelessness, particularly for families with children and other vulnerable populations. Housing Hope thanks Senator Murray for fighting for this critical funding.”
“The women and families YWCA serves matter. Cutting funding only creates more barriers for those we serve, and these threats have the potential to be devastating. Even in the face of these challenges, it’s important that we continue to provide the services our community relies on,” said Mary Anne Dillon, Vice President of Permanent Housing at the YWCA Seattle | King | Snohomish.
“Housing Hope has been active in my life since 2020, so five years now,” said Theresa Jones, a 45-year-old single mother of three. “They were a godsend; they came into my life 2 months before everything shut down for COVID. At the time they came into life I was living in a motel room with my 3 daughters… And I was working two jobs, so it was ultimately up to my 16-year-old, with an autoimmune disease, to raise my younger two just so I could work to keep some sort of roof over our head and some sort of food. And every time I tried to get assistance, I was told I didn’t qualify or I made too much money, all because I didn’t check the right boxes. And so by the time Housing Hope came into my life, my kids were not going to school regularly because of mental and physical health reasons, with us being homeless. My physical health was getting worse… [Housing Hope] immediately got us into a family shelter. That way I could back off from working enough to help raise my family and to see what steps we needed to do next. They got me into a transitional housing unit, which I am still there, and it is a very big blessing. Because of having the safe and stable housing that I can afford, without having to struggle, I have been able to get myself and my children the mental health they need. We are now better physically than we have been in a long time, because I’m able to keep up with our physical issues as they come up instead of having to postpone them because I can’t afford to take off of work… Now I’m a full-time college student going to get my associate’s degree in Family and Social Services because that’s where I feel I can have the most impact.”
Senator Murray has consistently worked to address Washington state’s housing crisis and has secured major federal investments to help families keep a roof over their heads. Throughout the pandemic, Senator Murray—then Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension (HELP) Committee—played a major role in writing federal COVID-19 relief legislation that secured major support for people facing housing insecurity, championing sizable investments in rental assistance and other programs that collectively resulted in the largest eviction prevention effort in American history. In the Fiscal Year 2024 government funding bill Murray negotiated and passed as Appropriations Chair, Murray secured billions for HUD as well as millions of dollars in Congressionally Directed Spending for affordable housing projects throughout Washington state.
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