CVH STATEMENT ON HUD DIRECTIVE ORDERING CITIZENSHIP VERIFICATION

CVH Statement on the HUD Directive ordering immediate citizenship verification for tenants in federally funded housing nationwide:

"This HUD directive is a blatant attack on our communities and will only push more people into homelessness – especially here in New York City, where shelters are full and rents are skyrocketing.

Rolling this out in the middle of winter, as a major storm hits, only deepens the harm, adding stress and fear to families who are already struggling to stay housed and safe.

Much of what HUD frames as “eligibility verification" issues is the result of longstanding federal data quality failures, not tenant fraud. Yet tenants are the ones being punished.

Fear is the goal here, and intimidation is the tactic. Criminalizing and displacing vulnerable tenants is not housing policy – it’s cruelty dressed up as enforcement."

Juanita O. Lewis

Executive Director

Community Voices Heard