President Donald Trump's aggressive federal cuts could affect Cleveland's core city services and close neighborhood community development corporations, said Mayor Justin Bibb Monday.
"Most residents in Cleveland think we can still deliver the same quality of services without the federal government," said Bibb during a National Housing Crisis Task Force meeting at the Cleveland Foundation. "Without the right federal partnership, core basic city services… will be in jeopardy."
Speaking to former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Henry Cisneros, Bibb said he believes addressing the housing crisis can and should be a unifier between Democrats and Republicans in an increasingly divided America.
"We have a housing affordability crisis in our country right now," Bibb, a task force co-chair, told other members. "I think this task force has the ability to solve that and address that."
But with so much uncertainty about the future of HUD and other federally-supported social service programs, Bibb cautioned the task force against "assuming the world is going to look like what it did in 2024."
The Trump administration's recently proposed federal budget would dramatically shrink federal rental aid, according to NPR. The proposal would essentially end Section 8 and other housing voucher programs and cut rental aid by about 40%. That money would be sent to states "to design their own rental assistance programs based on their unique needs and preferences."
Bibb said Monday the city has yet to hear from HUD if funding will continue the federally-funded Community Development Block Grant program, which has reliably been a "predictable" revenue source to Cleveland and its community development corporations. CDCs are nonprofits that often work as a bridge between communities and government by working to improve neighborhoods through programming that supports housing, economic development and more.
If that program ceases, Bibb said he anticipates job losses at City Hall and social service nonprofits. He said some CDCs may even have to close their doors.
"We've got to be innovative and find a way to make it work," Bibb said. "In chaos, there’s always opportunity. We’re going to have to be forced to think differently."
Bibb said the key to filling those gaps will be philanthropy and public-private partnerships. He cited a partnership with KeyBank, which committed $20 million on top of the city's anticipated $18 million toward the Cleveland Housing Investment Fund. That $100 million fund will fuel the creation of about 3,000 affordable housing units over five years.
Bibb also cited local governmental efforts to better Cleveland's housing crisis, such as the sweeping Residents First policies to crack down on predatory landlords, the Home for Every Neighbor initiative addressing homelessness and upcoming plans to revamp permitting processes and stimulate development.
“All those things will go a long way to address stabilizing our housing stock," Bibb said. "And we're looking at big, bold investments to attract new housing."
