On August 5, 2016, the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), issued a joint letter regarding immigrant access to housing and services. The letter reminds recipients of federal funds that certain housing and services, such as emergency shelter for the homeless and victims of domestic violence, should be made available to all, regardless of the immigration status of recipients.
According to a summary of the letter posted on the HUD Exchange website:
Housing and service providers must not turn away immigrants experiencing homelessness or victims of domestic violence or human trafficking, on the basis of their immigration status, from certain housing and services necessary for life or safety – such as street outreach, emergency shelter, and short-term housing assistance including transitional housing and rapid re-housing funded through the Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) and Continuum of Care (CoC) Programs. This letter reiterates existing laws and policies and applies those policies to programs that were not in effect when the original Attorney General Order was signed in 2001.
Click here to read the letter.
