The Potential End of Emergency Housing Voucher Funding: Public Housing Agencies’ Search for Solutions
Published On December 11, 2025
Authors:
Christi Economy, Research Associate
Ryan Finnigan, Deputy Director of Research
Claudia Aiken, Director of New Research Partnerships, NYU Furman Center
Ellie Lochhead, Doctoral Fellow, NYU Furman Center
Launched in 2021, the Emergency Housing Voucher (EHV) program was designed as a decade-long effort to rapidly house people experiencing or at risk of homelessness by providing them with rental assistance. At the program’s peak, EHVs helped house almost 70,000 households nationwide. In March 2025, however, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced that funding for EHVs will now run out before the end of 2026.
The lack of ongoing funding for EHVs could push voucher holders back into precarious housing situations, place additional administrative burdens on already capacity-strapped public housing agencies (PHAs), and may disrupt established partnerships with landlords. In addition, PHAs will face challenges absorbing EHV holders into their Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) programs; many do not have available resources, and those that can accommodate EHV households might have to push back their waitlists and affordable housing pipelines.
PHAs are exploring creative ways to sustain support to EHV households, including moving EHV holders to other forms of rental support. However, these efforts will likely be insufficient. We estimate that a ~3.3 percent increase in the 2025 annual HCV budget for housing assistance payments would allow the program to absorb all currently leased EHVs in a way that accounts for rising rents, significantly reducing the risk of returns to homelessness for EHV recipients.
This research was conducted jointly with the NYU Furman Center’s Housing Solutions Lab.
Share This Post:
Related Articles
How Local Market Conditions Shape Housing Policy Outcomes: Terner Housing Policy Simulator
Findings from the Terner Housing Policy Simulator at Terner Labs Local market conditions—such as land values, construction costs, and regulatory…
Key Advances Toward a One-Stop Shop for Affordable Housing in California
California is on the cusp of a major transformation of its affordable housing delivery system. Beginning July 1, 2026, the…
2026 California Legislative Preview
After enacting several high-profile housing bills in 2025, lawmakers have shown no indication that 2026 will be any less eventful.…
Terner Center Comments on Build to Rent Provisions of the 21st Century Road to Housing Act
As Congress examines and debates the 21st Century Road to Housing Act, the Terner Center was asked to provide feedback…
