County Files Restraining Order in New Lawsuit Against Trump Administration Threats to Homelessness Funding 

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CALIF. —  The County of Santa Clara, along with a coalition of seven local governments including San Francisco and King County, Washington, filed for a temporary restraining order (TRO) today to stop the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) from placing unlawful conditions on federal funding awarded to localities to combat homelessness.

The lawsuit, which was filed on Friday, May 2, in U.S. District Court, challenges the new funding stipulations added by the heads of federal agencies as unconstitutional and an overreach by the executive branch, which does not have the authority to change conditions related to federal grants without the explicit approval of Congress.  

Despite this, the Trump administration has added several unlawful conditions to the HUD Continuum of Care program, which covers grants the County of Santa Clara was awarded to provide housing and other supports and services for people experiencing homelessness. 

“In our Constitution, Congress holds the power of the purse and is the only branch of government authorized to make changes to spending – not the president or the executive branch,” said County Counsel Tony LoPresti. “The Trump administration is once again asserting executive power that it simply does not have. By conditioning funding, they are continuing to bully local governments into complying with the administration’s political agenda at the expense of effectively helping jurisdictions tackle major local challenges like homelessness.”  

Congress established the Continuum of Care (CoC) program through the Homeless Assistance Act. In Santa Clara County, CoC funding directly supports permanent supportive housing, rapid rehousing, and transitional housing programs for people experiencing homelessness. These grants help fund the County’s efforts to provide rental assistance and supportive services to families with children, young adults, survivors of domestic violence, and individuals with disabling conditions.    

The County currently relies on roughly $34 million dollars each year in HUD CoC grant funds. Without this funding, and at a time when the County is facing tremendous budgetary pressure, maintaining housing subsidies and services that families and individuals rely on to stay housed will be made more difficult.  

“Homelessness is one of the most urgent human crises facing local jurisdictions across the country. For this administration to threaten to withhold funding to local governments at a time of such incredible need is callous and cruel,” said County Executive James R. Williams. “The County relies on federal grant funding to keep people securely and safely housed in our community every day. The actions of the federal administration directly imperil the critical work the County has been doing to prevent homelessness and get individuals and families into housing more quickly and efficiently.”  

The case is Martin Luther King, Jr. County, et al., v. Scott Turner, et al. The coalition has made the original complaint available online.

ABOUT THE COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA  
The County of Santa Clara government serves a diverse, multicultural population of 1.9 million residents in Santa Clara County, making it more populous than 14 states in the United States. The County provides essential services to its residents, including public health protection, environmental stewardship, medical services through the County of Santa Clara Health System, child and adult protection services, homelessness prevention and solutions, roads, park services, libraries, emergency response to disasters, protection of minority communities and those under threat, access to a fair criminal justice system, and many other public benefits.
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