Snohomish County had no choice but to sue over new grant rules
By The Herald Editorial Board
By any measure, efforts to address the homelessness problem experienced throughout Snohomish County remain a work in progress, yet that progress is being made with every individual and family who is placed in housing or whose existing housing is better secured through a range of programs administered by the county and its cities.
A move by the Trump administration, however, now threatens to block one of the critical sources of federal funding used for the supportive housing that provides rapid rehousing and rental assistance and supportive services for young adults, veterans, people with disabilities and survivors of domestic violence.
Local governments across the county that had qualified for federal grant programs — Continuum of Care grants through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; and public transit grants through the Federal Transit Administration — were informed that this year’s funding would now have to comply with the terms of executive orders that President Trump had signed in the opening weeks of his second term, specifically related to immigration status, abortion and reproductive care, “gender ideology” and DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) programs.
Snohomish County is among those that had qualified for Continuum of Care grants, and it also one of eight local governments across the country who now are suing the Trump administration over the potential loss of funding’ and further loss of even more money if a grant applicant fails to adhere to new contract conditions imposed by the agency and administration.
https://www.heraldnet.com/opinion/editorial-county-had-no-choice-but-to-sue-over-new-grant-rules/