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Federal Court Blocks Trump Administration From Restricting Grants That Help Homeless, Survivors of Violence
A federal judge in Rhode Island today blocked sweeping restrictions the Trump-Vance administration imposed on 22 organizations that rely on federal grants to help survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, LGBTQ+ youth, and people experiencing homelessness.
The preliminary injunction against the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) blocks the administration from enforcing new requirements in grant programs that target diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and support for transgender individuals.
The decision stems from a lawsuit filed on behalf of 17 state domestic violence and sexual assault organizations and five housing, youth and homelessness organizations that vulnerable communities across the country depend on.
Read the full decision here.
“When this administration claims to be targeting ‘illegal DEI’ and ‘gender ideology,’ what it is really trying to do is strip life-saving services from survivors of sexual violence and domestic violence, LGBTQ+ youth, and people without homes. Today’s order makes clear that these federal grants exist to serve people in need, not to advance a regressive political agenda,” said Emily Martin, chief program officer at the National Women’s Law Center, one of five organizations representing the coalition. The others are Democracy Forward, Jacobson Lawyers Group, Lawyers’ Committee for Rhode Island, and the ACLU Foundation of Rhode Island.
“Withholding funding to push a racist, xenophobic, and transphobic agenda is indefensible. Today’s decision protects the rule of law, the lives that the Violence Against Women Act and other laws were written to safeguard, and the communities that refuse to be erased by hate.”
The clients represented operate programs offering safety and support services for survivors, including case management, counseling, housing assistance, legal help, and medical care. They sued after the Trump administration prohibited them from receiving HHS and HUD grants unless they certified their programs would not center on “gender ideology” or “illegal DEI” activities.
Affected programs include many created under the congressionally created and authorized Violence Against Women Act, the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act, and the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.
“We welcome the court’s recognition that the government cannot weaponize funding authority to silence, exclude, or punish inclusive service providers. This decision ensures that vital programs grounded in equity and compassion can continue uninterrupted. Domestic and sexual violence survivors, LGBTQI+ youth, and unhoused individuals deserve dignity and access to support without restrictions—it’s a relief and a win that gives us breathing room to continue this vital work,” the plaintiff coalition said in a joint statement.
The coalition members in the lawsuit, which was filed on July 21, 2025, are: Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence, California Partnership To End Domestic Violence, Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault, District Of Columbia Coalition Against Domestic Violence, End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin: The Wisconsin Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Idaho Coalition Against Sexual And Domestic Violence, Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Jane Doe Inc. (the Massachusetts Coalition Against Sexual Assault And Domestic Violence), Kansas Coalition Against Sexual And Domestic Violence, Montana Coalition Against Domestic And Sexual Violence, North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Oregon Coalition Against Domestic And Sexual Violence, Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence, ValorUS, Violence Free Minnesota, Virginia Sexual And Domestic Violence Action Alliance, Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault, House of Hope Community Development Corporation, Community Care Alliance, Foster Forward, Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness, and Haus of Codec.
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