BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Trump administration proposes $26.7 billion cut to HUD, impacting Section 8 housing in California.
- Housing Authority director Stephen Pelz opposes shifting control of programs to the state.
- Funding cuts could lead to fewer housing openings and strained resources for current assistance programs.
- Tela Herbert a single mother remains hopeful, focusing on her education and future despite uncertainties.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Trumps 2026 budget proposes cuts to section 8 housing.
With residents in Kern County feeling the pinch of housing affordability in their wallet, the Trump administration has proposed cuts to urban housing and affairs impacting programs like section 8 in the state of California.
Tela Herbert, a single mother, has been on section 8 housing assistance for three years. Like many in Kern County, she's felt the squeeze of inflation, with rental prices rising faster than wages — a trend that's been growing for the past two decades, according to the Housing Authority of Kern.
Tela Herbert expresses, "Food is already extremely high, the rent market is extremely high. Having to go from section 8 to the housing market — where it's three times your income — come on now… that's going to be catastrophic."
Herbert's biggest concern isn't just affordability — it's safety and stability for her daughter.
"It's not just me, it's my daughter. It affects where we live, who we're around — the housing market, the school systems... everything matters."
But affordable housing could become even harder to access. The Trump administration's proposed 2026 budget request to Congress includes cuts to urban and housing affairs — including section 8.
Stephen Pelz, Director of the Housing Authority of Kern, says the proposal would shift control of housing programs to the state — a move he strongly opposes.
"It's a bad idea to turn over our programs to the state of California. They're struggling to administer the programs they already have. We don't think they have the capacity or the capability to take on more."
With more than 8,500 households currently receiving assistance and another 18,000 families on a waitlist, Pelz says funding cuts would mean fewer openings and stretched resources.
"We'll look at deferring maintenance, not filling vacant positions — that type of thing — just to respond. But the key is flexibility: we need to respond to our community's needs."
Despite the uncertainty, Herbert isn't giving up, she's pushing forward... pursuing a degree in child psychology — investing in her future, and her daughter's.
Herbert tells me, "Before, I did panic a little bit. But I had to remember who I am… so I pray."
Trumps 2026 budget proposal still needs to get approved by Congress but Pelz believes it will get rejected.
Just when Congress will take up the budget is unclear.
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