Pittsburgh leaders push back as possible HUD field office closure threatens low-income housing

As a single mother of five, Jala Rucker has depended on low-income housing to help to support her family.

But with the federal government reportedly poised to close numerous U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development field offices — including Pittsburgh’s — through reorganization, the future of low-income housing hangs in the balance.

Rucker, a tenant advocate and board member of the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh, said while the details of the potential cuts remain unclear, Pittsburgh leaders are preparing to fight back.

“We heard disturbing reports from inside HUD that oversight is being intentionally weakened, making it hard to hold landlords accountable and ensure that tenants have safe and stable housing,” she said Thursday during a news conference in front of Pittsburgh’s City-County Building. “Pittsburgh renters deserve answers now.”

Here outside of Pittsburgh’s City-County Building, @MayorEdGainey and @RepSummerLee held a press conference opposing @HUDgov’s plans to shut down field offices nationwide — including the Pittsburgh Field Office.

More details regarding potential impact to come @TribLIVE pic.twitter.com/NCG96p0zu9

— Megan Swift (@mgswift7) March 20, 2025

HUD is responsible for policy and programs to address housing needs and enforce fair housing laws. Trump-appointed HUD Secretary Scott Turner has been reviewing the department’s charge as an agency and considering cuts to its field offices.

Eliminating field offices in most states would leave them without sites or staff to underwrite mortgages, Bloomberg reported. It also would potentially violate current federal law, according to department staff as well as a union that represents federal workers.

Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey and U.S. Rep. Summer Lee spoke out Thursday in opposition to the possible shutdown of field offices.

Lee said she has been alarmed by the Trump administration’s possible plan, which also includes slashing staff by 50% and eliminating critical funding for affordable housing and maintenance.

“Housing is a human right, not a luxury … right now we are in the fight for our lives to protect that right,” she said.

Eliminating HUD staff would cripple its ability to deliver needed programs, including rental assistance, fair housing enforcement, lodging housing discrimination complaints and assisting first-time home buyers, Gainey said.

“We can’t afford for our Black, brown and low-income families to be discriminated against,” he said.

Lee said housing should not be a partisan issue.

“Housing is a problem for each and every one of us, and we all should be in the business of ensuring that housing is preserved and persists for all people,” she said.

Local impact

HUD’s Pittsburgh Field Office currently oversees 34 housing authorities across 29 counties, according to Lee, providing $413 million in housing assistance that “thousands of families rely on.” More than 44,000 low-income households are able to have safe and stable housing through the office, she said.

Families on the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program who depend on HUD to approve and process vouchers would be affected by cuts, Rucker said. Longer delays would mean more families stuck in limbo — and at risk of homelessness, she said.

HUD cuts will also make it harder for low-income workers who rent in private markets, according to Rucker, as they will make it harder to enforce fair housing laws, prevent illegal eviction and ensure landlords aren’t overcharging.

The Pittsburgh Field Office addresses life-threatening housing conditions and federally assisted properties like Mon View Heights and Homewood House, Lee said.

Lee and her fellow Pennsylvania Democratic congressional colleagues sent HUD Secretary Scott Turner a letter asking for the Pittsburgh Field Office not to be closed.

Rucker said Pittsburgh leaders cannot afford to wait for a crisis to erupt, and action needs to be taken now.

“We will fight to make sure Pittsburgh remains a city where renters have power and not just wealthy investors” who would face less oversight from HUD if the cuts go through, she said.

The closest of the six field offices remaining under the plan would be in Greensboro, North Carolina, aside from HUD headquarters in Washington, D.C., according to the National Housing & Rehabilitation Association, but a regional HUD office would remain open in Philadelphia.