A Trump administration proposal to limit housing vouchers to two years could impact thousands of families in the Lansing area who rely on the assistance program.
- The Trump administration is proposing a two-year time limit on government housing vouchers.
- Around 3,000 families in the greater Lansing area currently use these housing vouchers.
- HUD Secretary Scott Turner claims the program has "waste, fraud and abuse" and should be temporary.
WATCH: Lansing families concerned about proposed housing voucher time limits
Christina Ryan worked three jobs to support her family until a fire left them homeless. The housing voucher program helped her find stability again.
"We went from living in a hotel afterwards to finally having this home which is in a wonderful area," Ryan said.
Ryan has lived in her Lansing home for 10 years now. She is among approximately 3,000 families in the greater Lansing area who rely on government-assisted housing vouchers.
"We have made home here," Ryan said.
The proposal from the Trump administration would bring a two-year time limit to how long someone can use the vouchers. When asked what that would mean for her, Ryan was clear about the impact.
"That would mean heartache," Ryan said.
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner defended the proposal during a congressional budget hearing, saying the rental assistance program has waste, fraud and abuse.
"It's broken and deviated from its original purpose which is temporarily help Americans in need. HUD assistance is not supposed to be permanent. It should be a trampoline not a hammock and not a resting place," Turner said.
Doug Fleming, executive director of the Lansing Housing Commission, sees merit in examining the program but emphasizes the importance of details.
"From my perspective I think it's worthy of investigation but like everything else, it's really about the details," Fleming said.
Fleming noted that time-limited programs aren't new. Twenty housing commissions across the country have considered time limits alongside financial planning and career development workshops to help residents. Eleven have stopped such programs, six still have them in place, and three are pending.
For Ryan, the housing voucher program has been crucial for her family's stability.
"If it wasn't for this program, I really don't know that I would've been able to make it," Ryan said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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