LeadingAge on March 19, 2025, filed a statement for the record regarding housing access for LGBTQ+ older adults to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), a powerful agency that assists with White House objectives.

In February, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) initiated a reversal of the Equal Access Rule; the Equal Access Rule stipulates that LGBTQ individuals have the same access to HUD programs as non-LGBTQ individuals, including to ensure access without impact on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.

LeadingAge’s statement for the record follows an oral statement that Juliana Bilowich, LeadingAge’s Senior Director for Housing Operations and Policy, provided to OMB’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) during their review of HUD’s official proposal to change the Equal Access Rule (FR-6518).

In our statement, LeadingAge urged HUD to prioritize the need for secure, stable access to housing and services for all older adults, including LGBTQ older adults: “In LeadingAge’s view, any weakening of even parts of the Equal Access Rule would erode housing access for the older adult LGBTQ community and diminish both the effectiveness and cost-efficiencies of HUD’s investment in the American people.”

“Serving older adults with housing and services needs does not, in LeadingAge’s view, hinge on excluding LGBTQ older adults from care and service. In fact, LeadingAge housing provider members from across the country…are not calling for those requirements to be reversed or sharing that they are in need of regulatory relief in the area of Equal Access,” the statement reads.

As the U.S. government’s central authority for the review of Executive Branch, OIRA reviews pending regulatory actions, including HUD’s Equal Access proposed rule. LeadingAge anticipates that the next step is for HUD to publish the proposed rule to the Federal Register for continued public comment. We will continue our advocacy for housing access for LGBTQ+ older adults across the country.