CHAMPAIGN, IL (Chambana Today) — The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on Friday unveiled a proposed rule that would allow local housing authorities to impose work requirements and time limits on able-bodied adults receiving federal housing assistance — a move federal officials say is designed to promote self-sufficiency and reduce long-term dependency.

Standing alongside local housing leaders and residents, HUD Secretary Scott Turner said the proposal would give public housing agencies flexibility to require up to 40 hours per week of work and establish time limits of two years or more for able-bodied adults. “Housing assistance was never meant to trap work-able individuals on government support their entire lives,” Turner said. “Getting a paycheck is empowering. Getting a welfare check is not.”

Turner emphasized that seniors, children and people with disabilities would not be affected. “We’re not kicking seniors out. We’re not putting children in the streets,” he said. “Our proposal expands access for deserving families on waiting lists, while still preserving protections for elderly and disabled households.”

The rule must undergo a public comment period before it can take effect.

As part of the announcement, HUD launched its new “Work and Dignity Coalition,” aimed at encouraging housing authorities to adopt work-focused policies. The Housing Authority of Champaign County and the Vermilion Housing Authority became the first two agencies in the nation to join.

Lily Walton, Executive Director of the Housing Authority of Champaign County, welcomed federal officials and voiced strong support for the proposal. “It was truly a pleasure to welcome Secretary Turner and Assistant Secretary Hobbs to our agency,” Walton said. “We appreciate the opportunity to showcase our work and the impact of our initiatives.”

Walton said Champaign County has already implemented self-sufficiency programs under federal flexibility provisions and believes broader authority would help more families. “We are fully supportive of the proposed rule and optimistic that more agencies will seize this opportunity to expand pathways to self-sufficiency and long-term stability for the families we serve,” she said.

Jaclyn “Jackie” Vinson, Executive Director of the Vermilion Housing Authority, said her agency hopes to replicate Champaign County’s success. “We look to our neighbors here in Champaign County and the successes you have had with your families and your participants,” Vinson said. “We look forward to helping empower our families to move toward self-sufficiency.”

“This flexibility gives us the opportunity to partner locally and create pathways forward,” she added. “It allows us to align our programs with community resources and help families build toward economic independence.”

Turner framed the proposal as part of a broader cultural shift within HUD. “In all labor there is purpose,” he said. “Purpose brings meaning. Purpose brings motivation. We want Americans to live purpose-driven lives, to restore pride in work.”

Citing federal data, Turner said nearly half of non-elderly, able-bodied assisted households did not have a working adult in 2024. He also noted that the average length of stay in major rental assistance programs has grown to nearly eight or nine years, with roughly half of able-bodied Section 8 voucher recipients spending more than 15 years in subsidized housing. “We’re not doing the most vulnerable people in our country any favors when we let them just wither in public housing for decades,” Turner said. “Enablement that destroys lives is not loving.”

HUD estimates the proposed changes could result in up to $51 million in increased income nationally, though Turner stressed the impact goes beyond dollars. “It’s not just about earning more money,” he said. “Work requirements and time limits enrich lives by improving quality of life and general well-being.”

Also speaking at the event was Benjamin Hobbs, HUD’s Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing, who oversees federal housing voucher and public housing programs nationwide.

“Welfare checks bring temporary material relief — but permanent dependence on them destroys the human spirit,” Hobbs said. “Work, not a welfare check, is the pathway to opportunity, stability, and the achievement of the American Dream.” Hobbs said the rule would give local housing authorities flexibility to align housing assistance with other federal programs that already include work requirements.

“One of the interesting things this will allow communities to do is connect their programs with other welfare programs and align those work requirements,” Hobbs said.

Several local residents credited work-based housing programs with helping them achieve financial stability and even homeownership.

Al’kela, who entered the voucher program in 2016, said employment requirements and financial literacy courses helped her steadily increase her income before purchasing a home in 2024. “They helped me become very self-sufficient,” she said. “I couldn’t have done that without the Housing Authority of Champaign County. They gave me the pathways to become a homeowner.”

Another participant, Chandre, said supportive services allowed her to return to school while raising her children. “You only get what you put in,” she said. “The resources are there if you want to move forward and take care of yourself.”

Turner said stories like theirs illustrate the long-term vision behind the proposal. “If you change a life, you change a generation,” he said. “These are generational changes.”

The proposal now heads into the federal rulemaking process, where it will be subject to public comment before any final decision is made.