NAHRO CEO Adrianne Todman’s Statement on the Public Charge Rule

Local housing agencies provide housing assistance to low- and moderate-income families; for many, this includes helping residents access other services that help families achieve their full potential. For several generations, subsidized housing has been and still is a stable launch pad into the middle-class.

The new public charge rule has created a Sophie’s choice for hundreds of thousands of people who must now decide to either access public services such as subsidized housing, or to apply for a green card.  

When the federal government moves the goalposts and changes the rules this dramatically within a short time frame, it is unfair to the families who are following the rules and doing the right thing, and, quite frankly, unfair to localities, agencies and non-profits who will have to help them understand and navigate the new rule in real time.

And it is also these local agencies and their communities who will have to contend with the possible negative repercussions, including shifting household compositions, food insecurity, and homelessness.  

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Contact: Sylvia Gimenez

About NAHRO

NAHRO, established in 1933, is a membership organization of nearly 20,000 housing and community development agencies and professionals throughout the United States whose mission is to create affordable housing and safe, viable communities that enhance the quality of life for all Americans, especially those of low- and moderate-income. NAHRO’s membership administers more than 3 million housing units for 7.6 million people.