Public housing work requirements during the Trump administrations
Public housing refers to government-owned housing units that are rented to low-income families at below-market rates. These units are administered by local public housing authorities (PHAs) with funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).[1]
Public housing is different from the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program, which provides payments to low-income families to help them afford rent on the private market.[2]
Public housing work requirements are mandatory activities that public housing residents must complete to maintain their eligibility. The federal work requirement for residents of public housing is eight hours of community service per month for adult residents who are not elderly, disabled, or already working.
Other public housing work requirements are allowed if the PHA is part of HUD's Moving to Work (MTW) Demonstration Program, which allows PHAs to design strategies to increase public housing efficiency. Of the 124 MTW agencies, 17 had work requirements as of January 2024.[3][4][5][6]
This page features information on public housing work requirements during the Trump administrations.
President Donald Trump's (R) first presidential term began on January 20, 2017, and ended on January 20, 2021. His second term began on January 20, 2025.
Background of public housing work requirements
Federal public housing programs were created by the Housing Act of 1937, which authorized federal subsidies to local housing agencies to provide housing and improve living conditions for low-income families. Public assistance is provided through public housing units, rental assistance, or Housing Choice Vouchers (HCVs), which are vouchers used to purchase individual homes. The Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 altered Section 8 of the Housing Act of 1937 and created the Section 8 Housing Voucher Program. The Section 8 Housing Voucher Program created a tenant-based rental assistance program wherein federal housing subsidy recipients are given a monthly voucher to be used as rent payment to private landlords.[8][9]
Work requirements for public housing assistance
Public housing work requirements are mandated work-related activities that public housing recipients must complete to maintain eligibility for housing assistance administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), such as applying for a job, interviewing for a job, or participating in job training or volunteer activities. The Quality Housing and Work Responsibility Act of 1998 requires eight hours of community service per month for adult residents of public housing who are not elderly, disabled, or already working.[10]
Public housing work requirements are permitted through the MTW Demonstration Program, authorized by the Omnibus Consolidated Rescissions and Appropriations Act of 1996. The MTW program provides PHAs the flexibility to design and implement local strategies aimed at using funds more efficiently, helping public housing recipients become self-sufficient or find employment, and providing better options for low-income residents. If HUD approves waivers for state or local housing agencies participating in the MTW program, those agencies may use federal funds flexibly “to implement activities that otherwise would not be allowable” or “combine activities in order to create more comprehensive initiatives.”[3][11]
Public housing authorities with work requirements
Public housing work requirements during the Trump administrations
This section provides information on activities affecting public housing work requirements during the Trump administrations.
Trump administration, first term (2017-2021)
HUD issues a proposed rule to expand the MTW program and requires at least one group of MTW agencies to implement work requirements
Executive Order 13828, issued by President Donald Trump on April 13, 2018, ordered agencies involved in public assistance programs to enforce work requirements. HUD published a proposed rule for expanding the MTW program on October 11, 2018, citing E.O. 13828. The rule called for expanding the number of agencies participating in the MTW program by 100 by the year 2023. It required one group of the MTW expansion to implement work requirement policies and stated that HUD should evaluate the effects of MTW agencies' work requirement policies for residents. HUD published a final rule to expand the MTW program with an additional 100 agencies over a seven-year period.[12][13][14][15]
Trump administration, second term (2025-2029)
Ballotpedia has not yet identified any noteworthy events related to public housing work requirements during the second Trump administration.
See also
- Arguments about work requirements for public assistance programs
- Court cases related to work requirements for public assistance programs
- Scholarly work related to work requirements for public assistance programs
- Medicaid work requirements
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ HUD, "HUD's Public Housing Program," accessed November 12, 2025
- ↑ HUD, "Housing Choice Voucher Program," accessed November 12, 2025
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 HUD, Moving to Work frequently asked questions, accessed May 23, 2023
- ↑ MTW Collaborative, MTW agencies, accessed May 30, 2023
- ↑ "HUD," "Summary of the Quality Housing and Work Responsibility Act of 1998," accessed October 5, 2023
- ↑ Ballotpedia performed research in 2023-2024 on MTW programs with work requirements.
- ↑ Politico, "Senate confirms Scott Turner for HUD post," February 5, 2025
- ↑ FDR Library, Wagner-Steagall Housing Act of 1937, accessed May 23, 2023
- ↑ HUD, Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, accessed May 23, 2023
- ↑ U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, "Summary of the Quality Housing and Work Responsibility Act of 1998," December 1998
- ↑ HUD, Moving to Work Standard Agreement, accessed May 23, 2023
- ↑ Urban Institute, What Do We Still Need to Know about Work Requirements in Public Housing Agencies? accessed June 5, 2023
- ↑ Federal Register, Executive Order 13828, accessed June 5, 2023
- ↑ Federal Register, HUD MTW Expansion, accessed June 5, 2023
- ↑ Federal Register, HUD, MTW expansion final rule, accessed June 8, 2023
