CLPHA Advocacy

CLPHA supports the nation’s largest and most innovative housing authorities by advocating for the resources and policies they need to solve local housing challenges and create communities of opportunity. We frequently champion our members' issues, needs, and successes on the Hill, at HUD, and in the media. In these arenas CLPHA also advocates for legislation and policies that help our members, and the public and affordable housing industry as a whole, strengthen neighborhoods and improve lives.

Click below for links to congressional testimonies, statements for the record, action alerts, comments to HUD and other federal agencies, and the latest information about CLPHA's multi-pronged housing advocacy.

Action Alerts

7.11.25

ACTION ALERT: Urge Your Member of Congress to Fully Fund Rental Assistance

CLPHA, Industry Partners and Over 700 National, State and Local Organizations Send Letter Asking Congress to Fully Fund Rental Assistance

CLPHA urges our members to work with your representatives in the House and Senate to fully fund rental assistance. The House of Representatives is set to unveil their Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) bill next week, despite the House not releasing their total funding request.

What’s at Stake?

Critical affordable housing programs that help millions of households afford a place to live and maintain housing stability.

How Can You Help?

Share Two Important Materials with your Members of Congress:

Joint Industry Letter: This morning, CLPHA joined industry partners and over 700 national, state, and local organizations in sending a letter to Congress advocating for full funding of the Housing Choice Voucher program, project-based rental assistance, and continued assistance for Emergency Housing Voucher households. This letter is in response to the administration’s proposal to convert several federal rental assistance programs into a State Rental Assistance Program block grant, which would greatly destabilize the voucher program and put many families at risk of losing their housing assistance.
Joint Funding Request: Earlier this week, CLPHA and industry group partners sent a joint funding request that fully funds rental assistance to the House Appropriations Committee.

Stay on Top of the Appropriations Process

The House Appropriations THUD Subcommittee will meet on Monday, July 14 at 5:00 p.m. ET to consider the legislation. The House Appropriations Full Committee will then meet on Thursday, July 17 at 10:00 a.m. ET to consider the THUD legislation. The Senate is expected to release their bill and hold their markup shortly after the House. A markup is a formal meeting scheduled for members to review and provide amendments to their version of the bill before it is sent to the full chamber for a vote.

CLPHA will continue to monitor the 2026 appropriations process as it proceeds and will update members about key developments.

For questions, contact Madeline Morris, mmorris@clpha.org, or Cynthia Cuestas, ccuestas@clpha.org.

7.8.25

ACTION ALERT: Urge Your Member of Congress to Fully Fund Rental Assistance In 2026 Federal Government Budget

Share CLPHA’s Budget Request before House Appropriations Committee Meets Next Week

The House of Representatives is set to unveil their Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) bill next week, despite not releasing the total amount of funding to be requested. CLPHA and our industry group partners have generated a joint funding request that fully funds rental assistance. We urge CLPHA members to share our joint FY26 HUD budget request to their representatives in both the House and Senate as Congress moves forward with the Appropriations process.

In response to President Trump’s FY26 budget proposal released last month, CLPHA, the Public Housing Authorities Directors Association, the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials, the Local Housing Administrators Coalition, and the MTW Collaborative released our joint FY26 funding recommendations for HUD. Among other requests, we urge HUD to fully fund the Public Housing Fund, including $5 billion for the Capital Fund, $5.72 billion for the Operating Fund, and $580 million to address the Operating Fund shortfall. Furthermore, we requested $300 million for the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative, $37.487 billion for Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Renewals, $3.622 billion for HCV Administrative Fees, and $500 million for Tenant Protection Vouchers.

House Appropriations Subcommittee on THUD will meet on Monday, July 14 at 6:00 p.m. ET to consider the legislation. The full House Appropriations Committee will then meet on Thursday, July 17 at 10:00 a.m. ET. The Senate is expected to release their bill and hold their markup shortly after the House. A markup is a formal meeting scheduled for members to review and provide amendments to their version of the bill before it is sent to the full chamber for a vote. The House and Senate Appropriations Committees held their FY26 HUD budget hearings last month. The House and Senate are now working to release their own FY26 THUD appropriations bills.

CLPHA will continue to monitor the 2026 appropriations process as it proceeds and will update members about key developments.

1.28.25

URGENT: Contact Your Members of Congress to Communicate How the Pause in Federal Funding Is Impacting Your PHA

Yesterday, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) published a memorandum, which directs all federal agencies to pause all “federal financial assistance” (FFA) "to the extent permissible under applicable law." The temporary pause in funding will become effective on January 28, 2025 at 5:00 p.m. ET.

According to news reports, OMB distributed a questionnaire to federal agencies this morning asking them to provide information about whether their programs are in compliance with the Trump administration’s policy goals and executive orders. OMB’s questions for agencies concern undocumented immigration, environmental and climate justice programs, and diversity, equity, and inclusion policies and initiatives.

Capitol Hill staff, HUD staff, advocacy organizations, and other stakeholders appear uncertain about how the memo will be enforced, which programs are affected, and how long this pause will last.

Housing authorities are reporting that they are locked out of eLOCCS before the 5:00 p.m. deadline. We are investigating if this is a systemwide issue or if it is deliberate. We anticipate that PHAs will be locked out of eLOCCS after 5:00 p.m. ET today.

If you are locked out of eLOCCS, contact your member of Congress and Senators to make sure they are aware of the problem. Congress needs to hear how this pause is disrupting daily operations of public housing authorities.

When speaking with Members of Congress highlight the following points:

Highlight how the pause is affecting your daily operations, especially if you are locked out of eLOCCS. Your Member of Congress/Senator may not understand what exactly what eLOCCS is. Explain that it is the system that allows public housing authorities to access federal funds for key housing programs such as vouchers and public housing.
Highlight the breakdown of residents you serve who will be impacted by the pause: the number of seniors, children, veterans who could lose access to federal housing assistance at your PHA.
Highlight the economic impact that your public housing authority has in your community, such as jobs created, number of private landlords affected, and if the pause would halt any development deals.

Please share the outcome of your conversations with Members of Congress with CLPHA Legislative Manager Cynthia Cuestas at ccuestas@clpha.org.

12.6.24

ACTION ALERT: Contact Your Member of Congress to Support Full Funding for Housing Choice Voucher Renewals in the FY25 Appropriations Bill

7.31.24

ACTION ALERT: TAX BILL EXPANDING HOUSING CREDIT HEADED TO SENATE FLOOR

4.15.24

ACTION ALERT: Urge the Senate to Pass the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024

In February, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 7024, The Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024, which received overwhelming bipartisan support. The bill includes two Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) provisions that would restore the 12.5% allocation increase for 2023 to 2025 and lower the 50% bond financing threshold to 30% for Private Activity Bond allocations made in 2024 to 2025. The bill also includes a $33 billion expansion of the Child Tax Credit (CTC) for the next three years. While the CTC in this bill is not as generous as the 2021 provision included in the American Rescue Plan, this expansion and continuation of the program acknowledges that the benefits provided by the CTC should be continued.

The legislation faced various roadblocks in the Senate, including opposition from Senate Finance Committee Chair Mike Crapo (R-ID) due to the CTC provisions included in the bill. However, ongoing discussions are still happening to possibly move the bill forward for a floor vote. We strongly ask that CLPHA members continue to reach out to your Senators and urge them to pass H.R. 7024, the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024.

ACTION:

When asking your Senator to support the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024, mention the importance of, and share your support for, the two LIHTC and CTC related provisions in the bill and ask that the housing provisions are retained in the Senate:

LIHTC provisions:

Restore the 12.5% allocation increase for 2023 – 2025. This allocation increase was initially enacted in 2018 but expired in 2021.
Lower the 50% bond financing threshold to 30% for Private Activity Bond (PAB) allocations made in 2024 – 2025.

CTC provisions:

“Lookback rule” allowing families to use their earnings from the prior year to calculate their credit if they exceed the family’s earnings in the current year.
Increases the maximum refundable amount per child to $1,800 in tax year 2023, $1,900 in tax year 2024, and $2,000 in tax year 2025, along with the inflation adjustment described below.
Adjust the $2,000 value of the child tax credit for inflation in tax years 2024 and 2025, rounded down to the nearest $100.

The ACTION Campaign, where CLPHA is a Steering Committee member, has prepared background and advocacy materials about the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024.

2.2.24

ACTION ALERT: Contact the Senate to Pass the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024

On February 1, 2024, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 7024, The Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024 which includes two Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) provisions that were also included in the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act (H.R. 3238/S. 1557). According to Novogradac, the provisions which would restore the 12.5 percent allocation for 2023-2025 and lower the 50 percent bond financial threshold to 30 percent for 2024-2025, would finance more than 200,000 additional affordable homes.

The bill still needs to be considered by the Senate, which faces several challenges, including a busy legislative agenda for February. Members of the Senate have also floated the idea of scheduling a potential markup of the bill which could potentially amend the legislation and further delay any vote to bring the bill on the Senate floor. The Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act may also be the last opportunity for Congress to pass any tax related provisions until 2025.

The ACTION Campaign, where CLPHA is a Steering Committee member, has prepared background and advocacy materials about the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024.

ACTION:

We strongly ask that CLPHA members reach out to your Senators and urge them to pass H.R. 7024, the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024.
When asking your Member of Congress to support H.R. 7024, mention the importance and share your support for the two LIHTC related provisions in the bill and ask that the housing provisions are retained in the Senate:
- Restore the 12.5 percent allocation increase for 2023 – 2025. This allocation increase was initially enacted in 2018 but expired in 2021.
- Lower the 50 percent bond financing threshold to 30 percent for Private Activity Bond (PAB) allocations made in 2024 – 2025.

For questions or additional information, contact Gerard Holder, CLPHA Legislative Director at gholder@clpha.org. or Cynthia Cuestas, CLPHA Legislative Assistant, at ccuestas@clpha.org.

11.28.22

ACTION ALERT: Ask Congress to Pass a FY23 THUD Funding Bill Before the December 16 Deadline

Congress Needs To Increase Public And Affordable Housing Funding

Background:

The federal government is currently funded under a continuing resolution (CR) that expires December 16 this year. If the government does not take additional action it runs out of money and has to shut down. Given the uncertainty of what will happen in the appropriations process during the next Congress beginning in January, it is critical that the current Congress finish the work already begun and pass a full year FY23 appropriations bill. CLPHA is particularly concerned with the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) proposed legislation currently in final negotiations between the House and Senate.

CLPHA and industry partners recently sent a letter and revised joint appropriations request to the leadership of the House and Senate appropriations committees asking for specific funding levels and authorizing language be included in the final THUD appropriations bill. Among our requests, we ask Congress to increase funding for the HUD defined shortfalls in the public housing operating fund program to $345 million to accommodate all eligible housing authorities. We ask the committees to accept the Senate-proposed level of $364 million in set-aside funding for tenant protection vouchers (TPVs) since HUD recently indicated that the current demand for TPVs has exceeded its initial projections for FY23 and they again anticipate not being able to fund replacement TPVs for vacant units in calendar year 2023 without additional funding. We also ask that HUD be directed to determine the impact of recent changes to the calculation of FY23 Fair Market Rents (FMRs), because of the recent extension of regulatory waivers increasing payment standards up to 120 percent of the FMR in local housing markets affecting the need for additional housing assistance payments (HAP) set-aside funding.

ACTION:

CLPHA is calling on members to:

1) Ask your Members of Congress to support the recommendations included in the public housing industry joint funding request and joint industry letter.

2) Ask your Members of Congress to support the THUD funding bill.

3) Ask your Members of Congress to support final passage of a full-year FY23 appropriations bill.

For questions or additional information, contact Gerard Holder, CLPHA Legislative Director at gholder@clpha.org.

7.12.22

ACTION ALERT: Urge Congress to Reinsert Annual Contributions Contract (ACC) Language in the FY 2023 HUD Appropriations Bill

BACKGROUND:

CLPHA and our industry partners today sent a letter (and attachments Exhibit 1 and Exhibit 2) to House and Senate Appropriations Committee members asking to include legislative language that prevents HUD from implementing unilateral changes to the ACC in the forthcoming FY23 appropriations bill. This joint industry request was made by CLPHA, the MTW Collaborative, the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) and the Public Housing Authorities Directors Association (PHADA).

CLPHA and our industry partners remain concerned that HUD’s continued attempts to revise the ACC will circumvent the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), unilaterally change the contractual relationship between HUD and public housing agencies (PHAs), and strip PHAs of their ability to challenge HUD’s breach of contract actions, which PHAs have recently successfully litigated. Without the inclusion of the legislative language mentioned in our letter, we are concerned that HUD’s ability to make problematic changes to the ACC has been renewed.

This week the full House passed six appropriations bills including its version of the FY23 HUD bill. Since the Senate has not yet taken action on their bill version, we hope to have the ACC language included in the Senate bill, and we are seeking eventual conference committee action between the House and Senate to include the ACC language and committee report language.

ACTION:

We are asking housing authorities to sign and send a similar letter asking their representatives in both the House and Senate to reinstate the legislative language regarding the ACC in the General Provisions section of the FY23 HUD appropriations legislation.

We’ve drafted a sample letter as a guide for you.

Download the Letter Template

Once you’ve downloaded the sample letter, fill out the highlighted fields and personalize the letter as appropriate.
We recommend that you email the letter(s) to your representatives.

If you have any questions, contact Gerard Holder, CLPHA Legislative Director, at gholder@clpha.org.

CLPHA Recent Comments

10.6.25

CLPHA Submits Comments on FY26 Fair Market Rents

9.15.25

CLPHA and Reno & Cavanaugh Oppose HUD’s Plan to Add Personal and Citizenship Information to HUD Records as a Violation of the Privacy Act

8.11.25

CLPHA, Reno & Cavanaugh Ask HUD for Reforms to Section 18 Program

Request Greater Flexibility for PHAs to Manage Portfolio

3.3.25

CLPHA Calls for Reform of Long-Term Costs for Affordable Housing Developers

10.15.24

CLPHA Comments on Choice Neighborhoods Program

Comments Call for Aligning CN Requirements with Other Programs, Streamlining Application to Fit Typical Development Processes

6.17.24

CLPHA Submits Final Comments on Reducing Barriers to HUD-Assisted Housing Proposed Rule

CLPHA, along with Reno & Cavanaugh PLLC,

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View All CLPHA Comments

Latest News

11.17.25

Housing Is Awarded $600,000 Grant from Pritzker Children’s Initiative

Grant to Support Housing Is Will Be Used to Address Homelessness for Infants, Toddlers, Expectant Parents, and Their Families

(Washington, D.C.) November 6, 2025 – Housing Is, a non-profit organization dedicated to bridging gaps among the housing, health and education sectors to improve life outcomes for low-income individuals and families, announced today that the Pritzker Children’s Initiative (PCI) has awarded the organization $600,000.

“Housing Is is honored to receive this grant from the Pritzker Children’s Initiative. The support of our operations enables us to continue our partnership with Prevent Child Abuse America, ZERO TO THREE, and SchoolHouse Connection on our shared goal of addressing homelessness for infants, toddlers, expectant parents, and their families,” said Jeffery K. Patterson, president of the Housing Is board of directors. “Public housing authorities and other affordable housing providers are committed to addressing homelessness in their communities, especially for infants, children, and families, and we know the value of cross-sector partners in these efforts. We at Housing Is are thankful that PCI believes in our work and that they will continue to support us in our critical mission to build a future where all people can thrive from the start of their lives.” Housing Is will use funds from PCI to help further its work with a network of organizations, including Prevent Child Abuse America, ZERO TO THREE, and long-time partner SchoolHouse Connection, on Thrive from the Start. Thrive from the Start is an initiative dedicated to ensuring all expectant parents, infants, toddlers, and their families have the resources and opportunities to thrive. This coordinated multi-sector effort helps national, state, and local partners and networks to build stronger systems of support for families experiencing homelessness and housing instability during pregnancy and in the first three years of life.

Each year, more than 364,000 infants and toddlers experience homelessness in the U.S., and nearly 70,000 babies are born to parents who experienced homelessness during pregnancy. Homelessness during pregnancy or in the first three years of a child’s life has lifelong consequences on physical health and mental well-being. These years are foundational to development, and trauma—including homelessness—can disrupt this growth, leading to long-lasting effects. Homelessness is preventable, and stakeholders must take action to address it. Homelessness in early childhood—recognized as an Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE)—can lead to developmental delays, physical and mental health issues, and lasting effects on well-being. If partners act early—before families reach a crisis point—they can prevent and solve homelessness and mitigate the resulting impact on the developing child.

“We deeply appreciate PCI’s deep commitment to our work,” said Abra Lyons-Warren, director of Housing Is. “For over a decade, Housing Is has been driven by the premise that systems that serve low-income individuals are stronger and more effective when they work together. We are able to extend this commitment and continued to work with a network of partners across issue areas who are aligned by our mutual devotion to ensuring that infants, toddlers, expectant parents, and their families have access to safe and stable housing opportunities.”

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About Housing Is

Housing Is helps build a future where sectors work together to improve life outcomes. Housing stability is a critical first step to improve life outcomes for low-income children, families, and seniors; Housing Is is based on the premise that sectors can better meet needs when they work together. Housing Is establishes, broadens, and deepens efforts to align affordable housing, education, and health systems to produce positive, long-term results. Learn more at housingis.org and on LinkedIn.

10.6.25

CLPHA Submits Comments on FY26 Fair Market Rents

Recently, CLPHA submitted comments on the FY26 Fair Market Rents (FMRs) for the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program published in the Federal Register on August 22. CLPHA is aware that many of our members have seen FMRs that are not aligned with the reality of their local rental markets, which are rapidly growing and outpacing data used by HUD to calculate FMRs. As a result, more PHAs are requesting reevaluations and conducting costly rent studies. Notably, HUD’s FY26 FMRs resulted in an average increase of just 1% from FY25 for CLPHA members.

The key points outlined in our comments are:

The disconnect between published FMRs and actual market rents creates a cascade of negative consequences for PHAs including administrative burden, lower voucher utilization, decreased landlord participation, and limited housing choice;
The FMR methodology still relies on ACS data collected over a five-year period (2019-2023 for FY2026), creating a built-in lag that cannot fully capture recent market shifts;
HUD should continue and expand its use of private data sources for FMR calculations;
HUD should provide additional funding for and streamline the process for reevaluations; and
HUD should eliminate mandated Small Area Fair Market Rents (SAFMRs).

HUD is also soliciting comments on a proposed methodology change for FY27, which uses an alternative utility inflation factor based on a weighted average composite of four fuel and utility components: electricity, natural gas, fuel oil, and water/sewer/trash. HUD proposes using state-level data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration surveys for residential electricity, natural gas, and fuel oil prices, along with national-level data on changes in residential water, sewer, and trash collection costs from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. CLPHA is interested in hearing feedback from members on this proposed methodology change for FY27.

For additional questions about these comments, please contact Madeline Morris, mmorris@clpha.org.

FY26 Fair Market Rents

Federal Register Notice

Read Comment Letter

9.17.25

HUD Announces New OCAF Exception for RAD Projects

CLPHA’s RAD Rents Working Group Central to Policy Update

CLPHA applauds HUD’s newly announced policy allowing RAD project owners to request a one-time, good-cause exception to the standard Operating Cost Adjustment Factor (OCAF), a meaningful step toward addressing the financial strain many public housing authorities (PHAs) are facing. This change is especially important for early adopters of RAD, who have long struggled with operating cost increases that outpace annual OCAF adjustments.

This policy update reflects the sustained advocacy of CLPHA’s RAD Rents Working Group, which has consistently elevated members’ concerns about the inadequacy of current rent-setting mechanisms. While HUD has acknowledged that this exception will not bring RAD rents to the level of Fair Market Rents (FMRs), it demonstrates a willingness to respond to the real-world challenges PHAs are experiencing. CLPHA is proud to see this progress and remains committed to working with HUD and our members to pursue further improvements to RAD rent sustainability through future changes to program operations.

Starting September 30, 2025, RAD project owners may request a one-time, good-cause exception to the standard OCAF if they can demonstrate that cost increases are beyond their control and are causing severe financial strain. An overview of the submission and review process is available here.

Owners will be prompted to answer a series of questions and upload concise supporting documentation to help HUD determine whether the project qualifies for an Alternative Operating Cost Factor (Alternative OCF) under extraordinary circumstances to be applied to the current RAD rents.

If approved, the Office of Recapitalization (Recap) will calculate an Alternative OCF using administrative data on operating cost increases in the project’s market. The adjustment will take effect at the next contract anniversary date, subject to the availability of funding.

Owners may either accept the Alternative OCF or request a more detailed, project-specific analysis if the initial adjustment does not sufficiently address the project’s financial viability. If a PHA requests an in-depth analysis from Recap, the previously offered Alternative OCF based on administrative data will no longer be available.

Additionally, by accepting the Alternative OCF, the owner gives up any claim to missed or under-calculated OCAF adjustments from prior years.

RAD Office Hours

Recap will hold office hours for PHAs and their partners on the Alternative OCF on September 25 at 2:00 p.m. ET.

Join Exception to the Operating Cost Adjustment in RAD Conversions Via Teams
- Meeting ID: 251 262 856 0367
- Passcode: d7Na3iB2
- Dial in by phone 202-510-9533, 53036552#

CLPHA will continue to advocate for additional pathways to make RAD rents more sustainable, including future updates to RAD program operations notices.

View Submission and Review Process