Raye Michelle Vang knows what it’s like to start over.
The Fresno radio host and single mom of three said she wouldn’t be where she is today without the federal housing voucher she received nearly eight years ago. At the time, she was trying to leave an abusive relationship, raising two daughters, and pregnant with a third.
“I just thought, you know, what am I going to do? Am I going to go homeless with three kids?” Vang said.
She applied for a voucher on a whim, expecting to wait years. Instead, she was approved in a year. It changed everything.
The voucher, which pays 30% of her rent, allowed her to focus on providing for her daughters’ needs: diapers, new clothes and being present. She started taking communications classes at Clovis City College, where she landed the radio hosting job.
Vang now hosts a two-hour daily show on Hmong Radio where she speaks “Hmonglish.” She covers everything from parenting to voting in local elections.
“I would have never even thought about trying this [radio show], because I would be working two to three jobs,” she said.
But now, Vang fears she and thousands of others could lose their safety net.
Under pressure from the Trump administration, Congress is proposing sweeping cuts to the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s budget and programs.
More than 900,000 Californians rely on federal housing assistance, and only 1 in 4 eligible residents currently receive help, according to the California Budget & Policy Center.
“If Congress doesn’t act, we could see tens of thousands of people, including seniors, people with disabilities, and working parents, pushed out of their homes,” said Monica Davalos, a housing policy analyst with the California Budget & Policy Center.
The Trump administration’s proposal aims to cap assistance at two years for able-bodied adults.
If implemented, that time cap could strip rental assistance from an estimated 306,800 people across the state, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
“It’s a heinous proposal that ignores the realities of California’s housing market and what it actually takes for people to get back on their feet,” she said.
Neither the House nor Senate budget bills currently include that proposal, but Davalos warns that it reflects the kind of policy direction that could still shape final negotiations.
Congress is expected to finalize a federal budget by Oct. 1.
If federal cuts go through, the Fresno Housing Authority said up to 15,000 people across Fresno County could lose their homes. Other programs that help people transition off assistance, like Family Self-Sufficiency or Jobs Plus, are also on the chopping block.
“It would totally restructure housing rental assistance across the state,” said Tyrone Williams, CEO of the Fresno Housing Authority. “Once they decide to cut this funding, we won’t be able to rein it back in.”
On top of the federal threats, Fresno is also facing the consequences of state-level setbacks.
In June, California’s Housing and Community Development department revoked the city’s pro-housing designation, a label that helped Fresno competitively apply for state housing grants. The city lost that status after falling behind on several key housing obligations.
“This doesn’t just limit funding,” said Marisa Moraza of Power California. “It reflects the city’s ongoing failure to meet the moment and to take bold action in a housing crisis.”
Advocates say Fresno’s housing strategy often focuses too much on new development and not enough on protecting the people already here.
“Over 50% of Fresno residents are renters,” Moraza said. “If we want to keep people housed, we have to protect them. That means rent caps, eviction defense, and deeply affordable units.”
Groups like Power CA Action and the Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability are pushing for stronger tenant protections, more community input, and investment in alternative housing models like land trusts or co-ops.
Vang is worried for herself and the neighbors she sees struggling.
“It’s like you finally catch your breath, and then you fall again,” she said. “We’re trying to get assistance. But you can’t get back on your feet in two years when you barely get a raise. You just can’t.”
If the voucher system is gutted, Vang would likely have to move her kids back into her parents’ house, which she called going back to “ground zero.”
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