Work requirements and term limits proposed for federal rent assistance

Salt Lake City (ABC4) — The Trump administration’s quest against waste, fraud, and abuse could bring about changes to who can get federal housing assistance and for how long.

Budget hearings in Washington D.C. showed the Department of Housing and Urban Development 2026 budget proposes a term limit of 2 years of assistance for able-bodied working families. HUD Secretary Scott Turner said in a June 11 Senate Appropriations hearing that the administration’s actions are encouraging people to work their way to being able to support themselves while cutting out waste, fraud, and abuse.

Sec. Turner detailed, “HUD’s assistance is not supposed to be permanent. It should be a trampoline, not a hammock, not a resting place, if you will. It’s supposed to be like a treadway, which is a temporary military bridge that is removed once obstacles are overcome.”

Janice Kimball is the CEO of Housing Connect, an organization that handles housing assistance for Salt Lake County. She says most people in federal housing assistance programs are elderly, have a disability or are families with children. The average income of those people in the county is $13,956 a year. They say a family of four needs to make at least $61,240 to afford average rent in Salt Lake County, which is $1,531.

When getting rental assistance, the head of household is required to pay one-third of their income toward rent and the federal government subsidizes the rest.

Kimball explained that a major challenge is that pay for those able-bodied workers in the programs isn’t enough to sustain them without help. She said, “I think part of the problem is wages just haven’t kept pace with the price of housing. And so, even if you’re working a entry level job, you still can’t afford an average two bedroom unit in Salt Lake County.

Kimball said these changes target such a small percentage of people in federal programs, (just 10 percent in Salt Lake County), that it begs the question, ‘What’s the point?’

She claimed it’s added bureaucracy for people who are doing the right things and working their way to independence, cutting them off right in the middle of getting on their feet. Kimball detailed, “You’re going to take somebody in that mid process and say, ‘your time’s up.’ And just kind of spiral. And I think it will increase homelessness. I think it will be really disruptive to families particularly children.”

Housing Connect says in Salt Lake County, 13 years was the longest someone spent in public housing. 9 years was the longest time someone was on housing vouchers. The average time was 2.4 years for public housing 1.45 years for vouchers.