CLPHA Advocacy

60,000 Households at Risk of Homelessness,  Thousands of Property Owners Face Loss of Rental Income

Today, CLPHA released a new brief outlining the solutions needed to mitigate the sudden and unexpected termination of the Emergency Housing Voucher (EHV) program, which will be devastating for families, private property owners, and their communities. 60,000 households will face homelessness and thousands of property owners will risk losing rental income if Congress does not act to secure additional funding, enact statutory solutions, and provide regulatory flexibility to redress the negative effects of the EHV program’s termination. 

The EHV program, established in May 2021 through the American Rescue Plan, represents one of the most significant and successful federal investments in addressing homelessness in recent history. EHVs have proven to be a lifeline for some of the nation’s most vulnerable populations, including young children, seniors, and people with disabilities, by providing immediate access to stable housing and supportive services. The program’s success has been driven by flexible funding that enables public housing authorities (PHA) to offer landlord incentives, pay security and utility deposits, and support tenants with housing search assistance. 

With $5 billion in funding, the program created 70,000 vouchers to assist individuals and families who are homeless, at risk of homelessness, fleeing domestic violence, or transitioning out of homelessness. CLPHA members administer approximately 30,000 EHVs, accounting for nearly half of the total leased EHVs in the United States. 

Congress must act to protect 60,000 households from facing homelessness and thousands of property owners from experiencing lost income. Learn more about CLPHA's EHV advocacy on clpha.org. 

• See Also: CLPHA, Industry Partners Outline Disastrous Effects of Ending Funding for the Emergency Housing Voucher Program in 5/19/25 Letter to Congress 

In response to President Trump’s Administration fiscal year 2026 (FY26) budget proposal released this 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 the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (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. 

“Competitions like this are so important for students to be able to address real-life situations and learn through doing,” said UC Berkeley Team Blue Faculty Advisor Lydia Tan. “UC Berkeley’s Team Blue this year was exemplary—the team dug deep into the local issues facing the Palm Beach County Housing Authority and the community, talking with a plethora of local stakeholders in an effort to truly understand the local ecosystem.  The team’s ultimate proposal is realistically executable, would result in an amazing environment for current and future residents, and can act as a catalyst to bring the local community even closer together. Thanks to CLPHA and all of those who picked up the task of carrying out the competition so that all the students who competed could have their ideas shared with the public.” 

The University of California, Berkeley’s Team Gold earned second place in the competition and will be awarded $5,000. Runner-up teams from the University of Kansas and Yale University will be awarded $2,500 each. Eleven teams entered the competition from universities including Columbia University, University of Florida, University of Iowa, and University of Maryland College Park. 

On May 8, the finalist graduate student teams presented their final projects to a jury of practitioners. The jurors included: 

• Jonathon Brown, Director, Palm Beach County Housing and Economic Development 
• Sonia Chao, Associate Dean for Research, Director, Coastal Resilience (CoRe) Lab, Faculty Lead on Climate, Environment & Resilience, Institute for Advanced Study of the Americas, University of Miami  
• Carol Jones-Gilbert, CEO, PBCHA 
• Tammy McDonald, Chief Development Officer, PBCHA 
• Marcus J. Williams, Director of Real Estate Development, PBCHA 

The design competition is supported by sponsors from across the architecture, real estate, and finance sectors, including Bank of America, the Cooper Housing Institute, CSG Advisors, Enterprise, Merritt Community Capital Corporation, The Pacific Companies, Raymond James Affordable Housing Investments, Palm Beach County Housing Authority, Redstone Equity Partners, Related California, and US Bankcorp Impact Finance. 

 

Media Contact:
Kirsten Greenwell, CLPHA
kmackay@clpha.org

(916) 716-9088

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About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities 
The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities is a national non-profit organization that works to preserve and improve public and affordable housing through advocacy, research, policy analysis and public education. CLPHA’s 85 members represent virtually every major metropolitan area in the country. Together they manage 40 percent of the nation’s public housing program; administer more than a quarter of the Housing Choice Voucher program; and operate a wide array of other housing programs. Learn more at clpha.org.

About the Palm Beach County Housing Authority 

Located at 3333 Forest Hill Boulevard in West Palm Beach, Florida, PBCHA advocates for those who need housing and strives to provide Palm Beach County residents with affordable housing options, self-sufficiency programs, and leadership opportunities. The agency is committed to providing quality living environments through new and existing housing developments. To contact PBCHA, call 561-684-2160 or visit the website at pbchafl.org.