Fair housing groups are suing the Department of Housing and Urban Development over changes to the Fair Housing Initiative Program they said would gut their ability to serve vulnerable populations in Oregon and nationwide.

One new rule requires housing organizations to have a budget of at least $5 million to qualify for grants, knocking out most nonprofits.

Erin Kemple, vice president of fair housing services for the National Fair Housing Alliance, said small organizations play vital roles in enforcing fair housing practices. For example, some families with more than one child have been denied rentals and were told they needed separate bedrooms for each child.

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"That's actually not true and that's the kind of thing that's going to be missing because of this gap in funding, and because a lot of these smaller organizations may not survive," Kemple explained.

Federal fair housing enforcement has faced severe cuts under the second Trump administration. Officials with HUD said staffing reductions were designed to help focus resources on the agency’s core obligations.

Kemple noted the highest number of complaints fair housing groups receive is from people with disabilities but stressed the services they provide are crucial for everyone. Kemple believes their message often gets buried under the bureaucracy of the federal government.

"'It doesn't affect me, person on the street.' What I hope will become clear is that the organizations that are being funded are people on the street also. It's the difference that people make in everyday lives that is being missed," Kemple emphasized.

Kemple added about 64 organizations across the country are either without funding or facing funding gaps within the next six to eight months.