Some Pennsylvania programs providing support to the state’s homeless population are shocked after receiving word that their services fall under the president’s “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing” executive order.
The order claims that the Biden administration “forced illegal and immoral discrimination programs” into all levels of government and orders the termination of “all discriminatory programs.”
Many housing programs in the state receive Special Notice of Funding Opportunity awards to provide continuum of care for people experiencing unsheltered homelessness and for those experiencing homelessness in rural communities. The funding comes from a $486 million federal pool administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The funding asks recipients to “implement coordinated approaches — grounded in Housing First and public health principles — to reduce the prevalence of unsheltered homelessness, and improve services, health outcomes, and housing stability among highly vulnerable unsheltered individuals and families.”
In an email obtained by The Center Square, consultants from ICF, a consulting firm contracted to help with the execution of HUD initiatives, wrote to its non-profit partners in the state:
“HUD has issued guidance to ICF to cease and desist all work activities associated with environmental justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). On Friday, we were notified directly to cease and cancel all work related to our TA under the Unsheltered SNOFO initiative and other projects determined to have a primary purpose of advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA).”
Stunned program directors are now sorting out what steps to take next while workers at every level of government struggle to parse out what falls under the broad umbrella of the administration’s definition of DEI.
It is unclear whether the choice to revoke funding from special funding notice recipients is related to DEI staffing initiatives within participating programs, the programs’ stated objectives, or both.
The president’s order specifically calls for an end to all “‘equity-related’ grants or contracts” and targets environmental justice initiatives. Environmental justice aims to address health disparities faced by underserved populations influenced by issues like water contamination, air pollution, and hazardous materials in living and working spaces.
Beyond their environments, those experiencing homelessness often face a wide-range of intersecting factors that place them in vulnerable communities. People of color, the very young, the elderly, veterans, people who have suffered from mental illness or substance use disorder, and people who have been victims of domestic violence are all disproportionately represented in the homeless population.
For these reasons, it can be very unclear as to whether funds allocated toward alleviating homelessness are funds allocated toward DEI, as the intended beneficiaries are by and large facing inequitable conditions and solutions are geared toward creating equity.
