ST PAUL, Minn. — When Kristine Maassen tends to the plants that fill the window of her small St. Paul apartment, she says caring for something living helps her stay grounded.

A former nurse, she lost her job after a disability left her unable to work. As a widow with no second income, she spent nearly two years couch-surfing or staying in shelters.

“I was just grateful to be inside, because sleeping on concrete ain’t no fun at all,” she said.

Maassen eventually moved into a permanent affordable housing unit with help from Catholic Charities at their Dorothy Day residence. But she worries she could lose the stability she fought so hard to regain.

Federal funding for long-term housing programs that support people like Maassen may be cut sharply under a plan developed by the Trump adminis

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