Welcome to CLPHA's Press Room
CLPHA experts welcome interview requests from print, radio, television, and online reporters and are happy to provide their insights on issues of public housing and related legislation and policy.
For media inquiries, please contact:
David Greer
Director of Communications
(202) 550-1381 or dgreer@clpha.org.
*Please let us know if you are working on deadline.
To view all of CLPHA's press releases, click here.
To view all of CLPHA's press statements, click here.
You can subscribe here to our biweekly newsletter, events invite list, and topic specific newsletters. You can also follow us on Twitter at @CLPHA. Or, send us an email with your interests and we would be happy to add you to our press lists.
Thanks again for your interest in CLPHA!
Grants will help PHA residents with immediate and locally defined needs exacerbated by COVID-19
Washington, D.C. (February 9, 2021) -- The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA) is pleased to announce the ten recipients of its COVID Resident Support Grants. The recipients are CLPHA member public housing authorities (PHAs) from across the country that will utilize their grants to meet immediate and locally defined needs exacerbated by COVID-19 for projects such as providing residents with essential household supplies, helping households successfully lease affordable units with their housing vouchers, and supplying technology and devices that will help resident children attend virtual school or connect resident seniors with healthcare resources. The recipients were chosen via a competitive selection process, and the robust response to CLPHA’s call for applications demonstrates the need for additional funds to support COVID-19 relief services and supplies for low-income Americans.
“As housing providers for some of the nation’s most vulnerable children, families, and seniors, our members are uniquely positioned to serve the low-income residents in their communities that are hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic effects,” said CLPHA Executive Director Sunia Zaterman. “We are pleased to provide these ten grants that will support PHAs in their efforts to not only keep residents stably housed, but also to provide crucial supplies and resources that will help residents cope with the new normal created by the pandemic."
The grantees are:
- INLIVIAN (Charlotte, NC)
- Elm City Communities (New Haven, CT)
- Housing Authority of the City of Goldsboro (Goldsboro, NC)
- Jersey City Housing Authority (Jersey City, NJ)
- Lucas Metropolitan Housing (Toledo, OH)
- Oklahoma City Housing Authority (Oklahoma City, OK)
- Home Forward (Portland, OR)
- Housing Authority of the City of San Buenaventura (Ventura, CA)
- Tacoma Housing Authority (Tacoma, WA)
- Wilmington Housing Authority (Wilmington, NC)
Learn more about CLPHA’s grantees and how they will use these funds to help meet the public health, education, employment, and basic urgent needs of their residents profoundly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic here.
These ten sub-grants are made possible through CLPHA’s grant from the Center for Disaster Philanthropy’s (CDP) COVID-19 Response Fund.
###
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 70 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 and on Twitter @CLPHA .
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative
The Housing Is Initiative, led by the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities, 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; CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative 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 Twitter @housing_is.
About The Center for Disaster Philanthropy
The Center for Disaster Philanthropy’s mission is to leverage the power of philanthropy to mobilize a full range of resources that strengthen the ability of communities to withstand disasters and recover equitably when they occur. CDP manages domestic and international Disaster Funds on behalf of corporations, foundations and individuals through targeted, holistic and localized grantmaking. For more information, visit: disasterphilanthropy.org, call (202) 464-2018 or tweet us @funds4disaster.
About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative |
November 20, 2020
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 70 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 and on Twitter @CLPHA .
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative
The Housing Is Initiative, led by the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities, 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; CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative 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 Twitter @housing_is.
About The Center for Disaster Philanthropy
The Center for Disaster Philanthropy’s mission is to leverage the power of philanthropy to mobilize a full range of resources that strengthen the ability of communities to withstand disasters and recover equitably when they occur. CDP manages domestic and international Disaster Funds on behalf of corporations, foundations and individuals through targeted, holistic and localized grantmaking. For more information, visit: disasterphilanthropy.org, call (202) 464-2018 or tweet us @funds4disaster.
(Washington, D.C.) March 31, 2022 -- Council of Large Public Housing Authorities Executive Director Sunia Zaterman released the following statement on the Biden administration’s FY23 budget request:
“The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities applauds the Biden administration’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 budget request with its 9.4-percent increase in HUD discretionary funding over 2022 enacted levels. The Biden administration has consistently demonstrated a commitment to expanding housing opportunities for low-income Americans. The FY23 budget request reflects this commitment.
“CLPHA is pleased that the FY23 budget increases funding across many programs that CLPHA members operate. Among CLPHA’s top legislative priorities is a significant expansion of the Housing Choice Voucher program. The multi-billion dollar increase in the funding request for the HCV program, which represents an expansion of 200,000 households, is an important step forward to fulfilling this key priority.
“The expansion of the HCV program coupled with increased administrative fee funding, more Tenant Protection Vouchers, additional LITHCs, new RAD conversion subsidies, and targeted climate and health investments can have a major impact on preserving public housing, expanding rental assistance and developing new affordable housing.”
|
|
|
(202) 550-1381
|
|
||
|
About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative |
(Washington, D.C.) March 9, 2022 -- Council of Large Public Housing Authorities Executive Director Sunia Zaterman released the following statement about the HUD budget in fiscal year 2022 spending omnibus package:
“The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities applauds the $4 billion increase in funding for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development over last year in the fiscal year (FY) 2022 omnibus appropriations bill released last night. The increase amounts to $53.7 billion for HUD in this omnibus bill. "Subcommittee Chairman David Price and the Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee recognized the critical role that public housing and Housing Choice Vouchers play with several funding increases. First, an expansion of up to 25,000 new incremental vouchers for those experiencing or at risk of homelessness, including survivors of domestic violence and veterans as part of the $200 million increase in the Tenant-Based Rental Assistance Program. Second, the Project-Based Rental Assistance budget increase of $475 million over the FY 2021 budget will continue to safely house 1.2 million very low- and low-income households.
“For public housing a $645.5 million increase over FY 2021, including $3.2 billion to meet the full annual capital accrual need in order to improve the quality and safety of public housing for more than 2 million residents. Finally, the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative received an increase of $150 million above FY 2021, which represents a 75 percent increase. While America’s housing crisis continues, these funding increases recognize that public and affordable housing programs are the most effective way to keep low-income families housed.”
|
|
|
(202) 550-1381
|
|
||
About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative |
(Washington, D.C.) February 25, 2022 -- Council of Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA) Executive Director Sunia Zaterman released the following statement about President Joe Biden’s nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court: “The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities applauds President Biden’s historic nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court. If confirmed, Judge Jackson will be the first Black woman on the Supreme Court after more than two centuries of the Court’s existence, and she will bring near gender parity with four women serving on the Court. Judge Jackson will bring experience as a public defender to the Court for the first time since Justice Thurgood Marshall retired in 1991. “President Biden campaigned on the promise to be intentional with his first Supreme Court pick. Intentionality is at the heart of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion movement to bring greater racial equity to our nation’s workplaces. President’s Biden choice of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson for a seat on the nation’s highest court represents an important step forward for racial justice in our country.” |
|
|
(202) 550-1381
|
|
||
About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative |
Pew Charitable Trust's state policy news outlet Stateline quoted CLPHA Executive Director Sunia Zaterman and CLPHA member executive directors in an article about the COVID-19 pandemic's effects on public housing authorities.
Zaterman told Stateline that PHAs need $5 billion in emergency supplemental funding due to several challenges PHAs are facing during this crisis, including a "significant reduction" in rental income, a dramatically reduced workforce, massive cleaning-related expenses, and communications challenges with residents while PHAs' physical offices are closed. PHAs also need a further $3.5 billion in emergency supplemental funds for the for the Housing Choice Voucher program.
“I’m worried,” Emilio Salas, acting executive director of the Los Angeles County Development Authority, told Stateline. “Tremendously.”
Douglas Guthrie, president and CEO of the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles, told Stateline that his PHA is working hard to address his city's homelesssness crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic. “We can't wait for waivers from HUD to do what needs to be done today,” Guthrie said. “Shelter is the most important thing right now.”
Andrew Lofton, executive director of the Seattle Housing Authority, told Stateline that PHAs are also preparing for the inevitable surge of residents who test positive for COVID-19: "It’s just a matter of time."
Read Stateline's article "Public Housing Authorities Hit Hard by the Pandemic."
As of January 1, 2020, California has a state-wide law prohibiting landlords from rejecting potential tenants solely on their use of a housing voucher. The law, known as Source of Income (SOI) protection, replaces SOI ordinances that were previously in place in several California cities, such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Santa Clara County to cover voucher holders across the state.
A recent HUD-commissioned study on landlord acceptance of voucher holders in five cities found that those cities with an existing SOI law protecting voucher holders had higher rates of landlord acceptance compared to those cities without SOI protection. While cities with SOI laws devote varying amounts of resources to enforcement, HUD’s study suggests awareness of local SOI protections meaningfully deter discrimination by landlords. The Poverty & Race Research Action Council maintains an updated list of all SOI laws in place across the country.
In an effort to call attention to the affordable housing crisis during the 2020 election cycle and to spur presidential debate moderators to ask candidates about their affordable housing plans, the National Low Income Housing Coalition’s Our Homes, Our Votes: 2020 campaign placed a full-page ad in the Los Angeles Times on December 16 & 17. The ad featured OHOV: 2020’s letter urging PBS NewsHour, Politico, and debate moderators to ask presidential candidates how they would address the nation’s affordable housing crisis during the next debate, which will be held on December 19 at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. CLPHA joined more than 1,000 organizations as co-signers to OHOV: 2020’s letter.
Following the devastating November fire at the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority’s (MPHA) Cedar High apartments, Minneapolis’s Star Tribune reported on the chronic federal underfunding of public housing that contributes to the massive, nationwide capital needs backlog at public housing communities and requires PHAs to make tough choices about building maintenance and repairs.
“Our priority is to make sure that life and safety are always taken care of,” said MPHA Interim Executive Director/CEO Tracey Scott in an October interview with the paper. “Quite simply that’s the hard choice you have to make because you would like to replace a kitchen cabinet but that has to come second to life and safety. We have to make choices.” MPHA estimates that its properties need an estimated $152 million in maintenance and renovations.
New York City Housing Authority Chair & CEO and CLPHA Board Member Greg Russ, MPHA’s former Executive Director/CEO, underscored the difficult choices housing authorities have to make when it comes to prioritizing maintenance and renovation projects: “We don’t have enough funding to keep basic systems in place nationally and have to pick and choose when we do get the capital money.” Russ added that inadequate federal funding is why MPHA and other agencies employ the RAD program to diversify and their funding sources so that they can afford the important and expensive rehabilitation of their properties.
CLPHA Executive Director Sunia Zaterman said that more “organized political will and bipartisan support” is needed in Congress in order to increase funding and fully address PHAs’ capital needs. “We are at the turning point in part because the affordable housing crisis is so heightened in our communities,” Zaterman said. “This is such an essential resource, the understanding that we have to invest is more pervasive and people are beginning to understand that ... but we haven’t had the reflection in our funding yet.”
Scott further stressed the effects that insufficient federal funding has on her agency’s ability to house and serve their low-income residents. “We’re a public agency and the mission is that we provide quality, well maintained homes for families to thrive and these are members of our community that need support and that helping hand,” she said, “We are providing a roof today, but if we don’t maintain it there would not be a roof tomorrow.”
CLPHA Members Elm City Communities, Miami-Dade Public Housing & Community Development Also Featured
Affordable Housing News magazine featured Executive Director Sunia Zaterman in its Fall 2019 issue, where Zaterman discussed CLPHA’s priorities, goals, and strategies for preserving and improving public and affordable housing. “We are very focused on appropriations and polices that support public housing authorities and the people they serve,” said Zaterman, adding that “[f]rom the beginning, we’ve been very focused on supporting the most innovative housing authorities in the country.” She cited programs like the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) and Moving to Work (MTW) as flexible, locally-oriented policies that innovative housing authorities are using to improve their housing stock and resident outcomes. Zaterman also emphasized the public housing portfolio’s capital needs backlog of more than $50 billion and the chronic underfunding of public housing programs, issues that are at the center of CLPHA’s advocacy efforts.
The article also highlights CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative, which seeks to broaden and deepen efforts to align housing, education, and health organizations to produce positive long-term outcomes for low-income individuals and families. Zaterman discussed some of the Housing Is Initiative’s work, including the Housing Is Summit, an annual convening dedicated to collaboration among the housing, education, and health sectors, and the creation of a data sharing agreement template for housing authorities and school systems so that they can identify shared issues and interests and develop evidence-based interventions. “We understand that housing is absolutely essential and foundational, but often, for families and special needs populations, is not sufficient in and of itself,” Zaterman said. “Our goal with the Housing Is Initiative is to improve and enhance our partnerships in healthcare, education, and workforce development to improve life outcomes for families, seniors, and persons with disabilities who reside in assisted housing.”
Read Affordable Housing News' article (on pages 20 and 21).
CLPHA members Miami-Dade Public Housing & Community Development (Miami-Dade PCHD) and Elm City Communities (ECC) were also featured in Affordable Housing News’ Fall 2019 issue. Read about Miami-Dade PCHD’s RAD-assisted Liberty Square redevelopment on pages 34-36 and about ECC’s employment of MTW flexibilities to create innovative resident programming and redevelop its public housing portfolio on pages 64-65.
From the Minneapolis Housing Authority's press release:
Today, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Great Lakes Regional Administrator, Diane Shelley, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, and Hennepin County Board Chair Irene Fernando joined MPHA staff, residents, and partners to celebrate the grand opening of the first of 84 new deeply affordable family homes across Minneapolis.
“Today is a historic day for the agency, welcoming home the first of 84 families to their beautiful new homes,” said Abdi Warsame, Executive Director/CEO of the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority. “This innovative modular project demonstrates the power of partnership among local governments to address our region’s affordable housing crisis. This successful project creates a blueprint for MPHA and housing authorities across the country to deliver quality, cost-effective, deeply affordable family housing.”
“Every American, regardless of their life experience, deserves a place to call home,” said Diane M. Shelley, HUD’s Great Lakes Regional Administrator. “I am excited to witness how HUD’s investment in these new homes, in partnership with other agencies and businesses, will help families level their opportunity to succeed and thrive in a beautiful new community.”
“The grand opening today is another step forward in our efforts to provide all Minneapolis residents with safe, stable, and permanent housing,” said Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. “Today isn’t just about new public housing – it’s about constructing bridges to brighter futures and providing foundations for families to thrive in this city. I am incredibly grateful to MPHA, and our federal and county housing partners, who continue to partner with us on this important work.”
“The Family Housing Expansion Project meets so many of Hennepin’s priorities,” said Hennepin County Board Chair Irene Fernando. “In partnership with MPHA, we are changing what’s possible for some of our most vulnerable friends, family members, and neighbors.”
The Family Housing Expansion Project (FHEP) will bring 26 two- and 58 three-bedroom units in fourplexes and sixplexes to 16 sites across Minneapolis. These new buildings will be a part of MPHA’s deeply affordable scattered site family housing portfolio. Sixteen of the units will be disability accessible, with another 17 being high-priority homeless units with services funded through Hennepin County’s Coordinated Entry program. The agency estimates these 84 new homes will be able to serve approximately 420 families over the next 30 years. This project is the agency’s largest new-unit development in more than two decades.
Projected to be fully completed within 13 months after its financial closing (and less than a year since its groundbreaking), FHEP includes several innovations that make it different from a typical housing development. Building 84 units on 16 sites is a highly unusual approach that provides families with housing options they can afford in many different neighborhoods. Using a modular construction approach has resulted in less noise and fewer neighborhood disruptions at each site while delivering the project 30 percent faster than a conventional construction approach. The first families are moving home in September, with the agency estimating the final units being available to families in December.
The agency maintains more than 700 deeply affordable family homes scattered across Minneapolis through its wholly owned and controlled nonprofit, Community Housing Resources (CHR). These homes account for more than 80 percent of the MPHA housing available for families with children. The agency maintains a family housing waitlist that has recently been as many as 7,500 people, with more than 80 percent of those on the agency’s waitlist being households of color. This new project aims to address the significant unmet demand for this kind of housing.
These scattered site homes are a critical piece of city infrastructure, as they are a proven tool to provide families with a solid foundation for upward mobility. Of the nearly 3,100 residents currently living in CHR homes, 87 percent are Black/African American, 55 percent are ages 17 or younger, 85 percent of households are female-led, and two-thirds of the households have five or more family members living there—families with young children.
Of the current heads of household, 19 percent were employed when entering their new home. On average, these residents earned $20,722 a year in income. Today, 67 percent of these residents are employed, earning an average of $34,225 a year, with more than 60 percent of these residents’ earned income increasing while in these homes. Better yet, between 2020 and 2022, 17 percent of all families leaving CHR homes went on to purchase their own homes.
From FHEP’s inception, MPHA residents have been involved in every step of the process. Before the agency conducted any external engagement, agency staff sat with residents to understand what should be prioritized in any new-unit developments. The agency created a resident design panel, connecting residents with project architects to provide guidance on everything from layout designs to finishings used on surfaces throughout the new units. The unique resident-led approach afforded project architects invaluable insights, including an emphasis on maximizing storage space throughout the units not previously considered.
The Family Housing Expansion Project was made possible through financing across various partners. This included $19.9 million in equity from Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (US Bankcorp Impact Finance), a $12.5 million contribution from MPHA, a $8.9 million permanent loan to cover project costs (Citi Community Capital), $4.6 million in federal ARPA dollars awarded from the City of Minneapolis, a $1.4 million Local Housing Incentives Account (LHIA) award from the Metropolitan Council, a $1.2 million award from the City of Minneapolis’ Affordable Housing Trust Fund (AHTF), and a $500,000 award of Hennepin County’s Affordable Housing Development Accelerator fund. US Bankcorp Impact Finance provided a $25 million construction loan via Housing Revenue Bonds issued by Minneapolis’ Community Planning and Economic Development department. The project also benefitted from more than $500,000 in equity through solar tax credits, which nearly doubled because of the recent federal Inflation Reduction Act. The project’s solar system (361.6 kW) is projected annually to cover nearly 30 percent of all electrical consumption in the new homes.
From The Columbian:
While residents experiencing homelessness and housing leaders recognize the issues preventing the unhoused from accessing health care, some have taken matters into their own hands and made care more accessible.
...
The Apple Health and Homes program launched in Washington last year, and provides housing and other health care necessities to people with physical and mental health challenges. The program uses Medicaid dollars to pay for housing assistance and tenant resources.
“This is a novel approach that the state of Washington is doing … providing housing for some of the most needy people,” said Dr. Richard Kubiniec, medical director at Sea Mar. “I think what will follow is a model that is going to be adopted elsewhere.”
PeaceHealth partners with Vancouver Housing Authority to provide medical care at permanent supportive housing locations and Share of Vancouver provides medical respite shelter beds.
Read The Columbian's article "Bringing health care to the streets of Clark County," featuring the Vancouver Housing Authority.
From Opportunity Home San Antonio's press release:
The San Antonio City Council voted today to support Opportunity Home San Antonio through an Accessibility and Modernization fund as part of the FY 2024 Annual Operating and Capital Budget. The purpose of the fund is to address the pressing capital needs including repairing, rehabilitating and modernizing housing units operated by Opportunity Home, particularly those occupied in family and elderly communities.
With the support of District 5 Councilperson Teri Castillo, who formally submitted the Accessibility and Modernization fund proposal to City Council, Opportunity Home introduced the proposal in an effort to establish a funding stream to aid in the critical work of the organization for San Antonio residents.
The $1 million budget allocation will help address capital needs at some of the more than 70 housing communities across the city affecting more than 60,000 families.
“The city’s vote to provide annual local funding to Opportunity Home will make actual, sustainable inroads in providing quality local housing for San Antonio residents that they can access and afford,” said Ed Hinojosa, Jr., president and CEO of Opportunity Home. “These critical funds will help us to maintain and modernize our existing affordable-housing stock to improve the quality of life of those we serve.”
Specific funding goals are to improve housing infrastructure conditions, enhance accessibility, increase the resiliency of housing units to natural disaster and other emergencies, heighten safety in Opportunity Home communities, and impact the local economy by generating employment opportunities with the creation of construction and maintenance jobs.
“We are grateful for the support of Mayor Nirenberg and the City of San Antonio. It truly underscores our collective effort to address the housing crisis and potential cuts in federal funding,” said Gabe Lopez, Opportunity Home Board of Commissioners chair.
Opportunity Home will continue to work with local, state and congressional partners to explore all available financial avenues to address public housing infrastructure.
Since 1937, Opportunity Home San Antonio has built and maintained affordable housing for the residents of San Antonio, which is primarily funded by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Opportunity Home San Antonio’s aging public housing infrastructure, some of which was built in the late 1930s, is deteriorating. More than 6,000 families live at these properties. Federal funding is currently limited and there are potential cuts in funding for 2024. HUD allocates approximately $13 million a year for capital improvements despite the nearly half a billion in infrastructure needs for the aging housing portfolio. To adequately address maintenance concerns and upgrades, local funding is essential to closing this financial gap.
Currently, the organization provides housing assistance to more than 62,500 children, adults and seniors through its Public Housing, Housing Choice Voucher and Mixed-Income housing programs. Opportunity Home manages more than 70 public housing communities, 27 mixed-income apartment complexes and administers over 13,000 rental vouchers throughout San Antonio.
From ABC 7 Denver:
Denver housing authority leaders celebrated Friday the completion of their pilot program's first accessory dwelling unit, aimed at providing more affordable housing in the west part of town.
An accessory dwelling unit, or ADU, is a self-contained living space that is an extension of a pre-existing property. In 2021, the Denver Housing Authority and West Denver Renaissance Collaborative (WDRC) launched an ADU Pilot Program.
“We're happy to say that we've gotten to a place where we've impacted 30 households. That's 15 ADUs and we have just as many in the pipeline preparing themselves for construction next year,” Renee Martinez-Stone, Denver Housing Authority director of planning and data, said Friday. “Accessory dwelling units are so helpful for a family. They provide stability for homeowners, they provide affordable rent.”
Martinez-Stone said the program helps homeowners build ADUs by connecting them with resources.
“So what's critical in that is, we have partners — including the Habitat for Humanity — and lenders who are working in all the different levels to deliver affordability. So we're lowering the cost of construction, we are providing a unit that doesn't have to draw very high rent to pay for the construction of the unit,” Martinez-Stone said. “ADUs have an average rent of $800 a month.”
Read ABC 7 Denver's article "West Denver housing policy leaders celebrate pilot program's first accessory dwelling unit," featuring the Denver Housing Authority.
From the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority's press release:
Leaders with the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) and The NRP Group, a vertically integrated, best-in-class developer, builder and manager of multifamily housing, joined Tuesday with Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther, state Sen. Hearcel Craig, D-Columbus, and local dignitaries in a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the grand opening of The Sinclair Apartment Homes (“The Sinclair”), a new, $40 million, 180-unit fully affordable apartment community in Columbus.
Situated on 5075 Sinclair Avenue, The Sinclair provides well-crafted, affordable housing options for Columbus-area residents whose incomes range from 30 percent to 80 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI). The former site of the live music venue Alrosa Villa, which closed permanently in early 2020, has been transformed into a community of three four-story apartment buildings consisting of one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom units.
"In a city that's growing and evolving, we must ensure that the heartbeat of Columbus remains strong,” said Mayor Ginther.
“Since Alrosa Villa closed its doors three years ago, the site has gone from an abandoned property on a main transit corridor to a vital housing community,” Ginther said. “This is a remarkable example of Columbus' commitment to addressing the pressing housing crisis and providing affordable housing solutions where families and individuals can thrive."
In addition to offering high-quality rental options that meet the rising demand for more affordable housing in Columbus, The Sinclair has also revitalized the Sinclair Avenue streetscape into a prospering community hub. CMHA played a lead role in helping to fund the development by issuing $27.7 million in tax-exempt and taxable bonds.
“Developments like The Sinclair and collaborating with like-minded organizations that are committed to providing more affordable housing options to our region’s families is more critical now than ever,” said CMHA Commissioner Frederick L. Ransier.
“With a large percentage of households in Franklin County spending nearly half of their income on housing, Sinclair Apartments will provide them with relief while simultaneously allowing for the community to grow and flourish,” Ransier said.
Located near I-71 and I-270, with immediate proximity to Central Ohio Transit Authority, The Sinclair connects residents to work, shopping and local Columbus attractions. The property provides access to an active bus line linking residents to restaurants and retail options, including Target, Kroger and Saraga International Grocery.
“The grand opening of the new Sinclair Apartments development is fully supported by local neighborhood association leaders because it will provide high-quality homes that will raise the bar for what an affordable home should look and feel like in this thriving neighborhood,” said state Sen. Hearcel Craig, D-District 15.
“The Sinclair Apartments are a testament to what Columbus does best – collaboration,” Craig said. “Partners have leveraged their resources to build housing our residents can afford, something our growing city desperately needs.”
Less than two miles from the rapidly growing Clintonville neighborhood and only seven miles north of downtown Columbus, residents will experience a swift commute to thousands of job opportunities. Additional on-site amenities include a fitness center, private clubhouse, playground and outdoor gathering space.
"Our valued partnership with The Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority has been instrumental in establishing a housing community that not only grants easy public transit connectivity but also fosters pathways for residents to access employment opportunities," said J. David Heller, Principal, President and Chief Executive Officer at The NRP Group. “This collaborative effort embodies our commitment to creating not just homes, but a supportive environment where residents can thrive."
The transit-oriented project was developed with tax-credit funding support from the Ohio Housing Finance Agency and Huntington National Bank.
"Huntington is dedicated to strengthening the communities we serve, and this project helps us further that goal in Columbus,” said Sue Zazon, Central Ohio Regional President for Huntington National Bank. “Stable, affordable housing has unfortunately become too scarce, and we can’t have a strong community without it. We are proud to work so closely with the City of Columbus, the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority, the Ohio Housing Finance Agency, and The NRP Group to assist with this vital need.”