Emergency Housing Voucher (EHV) Program Update
On March 6, 2025, Everett Housing Authority (EHA) was informed by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that housing assistance payments funding for our Emergency Housing Voucher (EHV) program is running out, and EHA will be allocated all remaining available funds this year. EHA projects that the available funding will run out later this calendar year.
Currently, our EHV program serves 52 families, which includes 108 children. We partnered with the Snohomish County Continuum of Care and the Everett School District to prioritize families with children experiencing homelessness to receive these vouchers. With the EHV program funding ending, this jeopardizes the support for these families.
In an effort to continue to raise awareness around EHV funding and support for these families, our Executive Director Mary Swenson has reached out to our federal Congressional delegation sent them the following letter. We hope that our representatives will connect with their colleagues in Congress and the Administration and identify additional funding and resources to ensure that these families and others like them across the country are not impacted by the lack of available funds to continue this program.
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EHA's letter to our Congressional delegation:
On March 6, 2025, the Everett Housing Authority (EHA) was informed by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that funding for the Emergency Housing Voucher (EHV) program will not be renewed beyond a final allocation intended to cover Calendar Year 2025-and possibly into 2026. We were previously under the impression that funding would remain available through at least 2030, as required by the program's authorizing statute.
This unexpected early termination will deeply impact 52 families-178 individuals, including 108 children-who currently rely on this assistance to remain housed. When EHA received our allocation of EHVs, we partnered with the Snohomish County Continuum of Care and the Everett School District to prioritize families with children experiencing homelessness to receive these vouchers. The abrupt end of this support places them at serious risk of returning to homelessness.
Snohomish County remains one of the most expensive housing markets in Washington, and available federal resources already fall far short of the need. EHA's Housing Choice Voucher waiting list has been closed since 2018, and over 300 families remain on that list. EHA is contacted by hundreds of families each year looking for housing assistance.
We urge you to work with your colleagues in Congress and the Administration to identify additional funding and resources to prevent these families from losing their homes. We also request that HUD provide clear guidance and support to help agencies like ours transition these families into other stable housing options.
