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(202) 550-1381
For Immediate Release
January 28, 2021 |
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(Washington, D.C.) January 28, 2021 – Sunia Zaterman, executive director of the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities, released the following statement upon the conclusion of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs’ nomination hearing for The Honorable Marcia L. Fudge, of Ohio, to be Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development: “The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities applauds HUD Secretary-designate Marcia Fudge’s forceful call for expanding emergency rental assistance at her Senate nomination hearing today for individuals who are facing housing instability due to lost income or are experiencing unemployment because of COVID-19, many of whom are people of color. She understands that the $25 billion allocated to emergency rental assistance in the most recent stimulus was not enough and only a down payment.
“Right now, in back rent alone, 10 million low-income renters have accrued an average of $5,600 in rental arrears, which totals $56.3 billion. The current stimulus package will help approximately 3.5 million renters pay back rent by February. The remaining 7 million renters who are unable to pay back rent will face eviction, compounding the strain on our nation’s economy and compromising our nation’s moral responsibility to address racial inequities among our most vulnerable individuals.
CLPHA calls for Congress to immediately pass President Biden’s American Rescue Plan which contains $50 billion in emergency rental assistance, and for the Senate to swiftly confirm Secretary-designate Fudge so that she can begin her imperative work.”
About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative |
January 6, 2021
(Washington, D.C.) January 6, 2021 – Sunia Zaterman, executive director of the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities, released the following statement on the results of yesterday’s special election in Georgia:
“CLPHA congratulates Raphael Warnock on his historic victory and Jon Ossoff’s election to the United States Senate, thus securing a Democratic Senate majority. The incoming Biden-Harris administration and HUD Secretary-designate Marcia Fudge now have expanded, once-in-a-generation opportunities to improve the lives of low-income Americans who have been especially harmed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The first course of action is for Congress to pass a new stimulus relief bill with $50 billion in emergency rental assistance that addresses housing insecurity and homelessness. These historic wins also provide momentum to permanently expand the Housing Choice Voucher program and recapitalize the public housing portfolio, both of which are concrete steps to eradicating poverty and dismantling systemic racism. CLPHA looks forward to working with the Biden-Harris administration and the 117th Congress to make these legislative goals happen.”
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.
December 22, 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.
The Housing Opportunities Commission of Montgomery County and partners cut the ribbon on The Lindley, a 200-unit high-rise in Chevy Chase, MD. The opening of The Lindley constitutes a net increase of 22 units of affordable housing in the neighborhood. You can watch a time-lapse video of The Lindley’s construction here.
The long-awaited Opportunity Atlas, published today by the Census Bureau in collaboration with researchers at Harvard and Brown, got top billing on today’s homepage of the New York Times’ data-driven digital property The Upshot. “Detailed New National Maps Show How Neighborhoods Shape Children for Life,” includes the new interactive mapping tool, some of the project’s main findings, and examples of the mobility work that public housing authorities are currently doing, and plan to do, with the data. In addition to quoting Raj Chetty, one of the project’s researchers, authors Emily Badger and Quoctrung Bui feature quotes and examples from CLPHA members Greg Russ, Executive Director of the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority, Andrew Lofton, Executive Director of the Seattle Housing Authority and Andria Lazaga also of SHA who each discussed how PHAs are using the data as part of their Creating Moves to Opportunity (CMTO) work.
Additional news coverage of the Opportunity Atlas includes an NPR segment during today’s Morning Edition broadcast that features interviews with Chetty and local officials in Charlotte, NC, who intend to use the data to shape future policy decisions.
Read the article and use the interactive maps on the NYT website and listen to the Morning Edition story on NPR’s site.
On August 9, HUD sent the 2017 Worst Case Housing Needs Report to Congress, providing national data and analysis of critical problems facing low-income renting families throughout the nation. The report, which is HUD's 16th in a longstanding series, chronicles an increase in severe housing problems, with the number of households considered to have worst case housing needs jumping from 7.72 million in 2013 to 8.3 million in 2015. HUD also reports that, since 2007, the U.S. has seen a 41 percent increase in severe housing problems, and a 66 percent increase since 2001. The Worst Case Housing Needs Report defines households with worst case needs as very low-income renters who do not receive government housing assistance and who paid more than one-half of their income for rent, lived in severely inadequate conditions, or both.
Using data from the 2015 American Housing Survey, HUD found that the economic benefits of an improving national economy are not reaching the lowest-income renter households and that overall severe housing problems are on the rise. The report acknowledges a large shift from homeownership to renting as playing a major role in the increase of worst case housing needs, noting that, "modest gains in household incomes were met with rising rents, shrinking the supply of affordable rental housing stock in an increasingly competitive market."
You can view the 2017 Worst Case Housing Needs Report by clicking here.
On August 1, the Senate Finance Committee held a hearing, “America’s Affordable Housing Crisis: Challenges and Solutions.” The hearing focused primarily on the challenge of increasing the supply of affordable housing and strategies to address the significant housing cost burdens faced by many Americans. Senator Hatch opened the hearing, stating that the affordable housing crisis, “is a problem that should be ready for a bipartisan solution.” To view our write-up of the hearing, click here.
To help tackle the affordable housing issues discussed in the hearing, Senators Orrin G. Hatch (R-UT) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) have introduced legislation, S. 548, the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act. The bill would increase Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) credit authority by 50 percent, as well as enact roughly two dozen changes to strengthen the program by streamlining program rules, improving flexibility, and enabling the program to serve a wider array of local needs.
During the hearing, Committee Members expressed their support for the Cantwell-Hatch bill and there was broad bipartisan consensus that the LIHTC program is a vital tool for increasing the production of affordable housing and providing low-income households, safe, quality, affordable homes. However, there were also concerns raised regarding oversight and compliance of the program. Daniel Garcia-Diaz, director of financial markets and community investment at the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), presented testimony that IRS oversight of LIHTC is minimal and that there are no robust controls in place to ensure reasonableness of costs or compliance with program requirements. According to Mr. Garcia-Diaz, the GAO recommends that HUD, as an agency with a housing mission, play a greater role in the oversight of the program.
In our Statement for the Record, CLPHA applauded the leadership the Senate Finance Committee has shown in support of LIHTC to date and encouraged the Committee to support S. 548. The bill is especially beneficial to the public housing program, which has experienced decades of underfunding and federal disinvestment. We noted that LIHTC has proven to be an extremely important preservation tool for public housing, and PHAs have a long history of leveraging private equity through LIHTCs to fill the funding gap created by decreased federal appropriations. Without the LIHTC program, preservation of their public housing stock would not be possible.
CLPHA also acknowledged that competition for more valuable 9% LIHTCs is fierce in many states and that there have been concerns within the affordable housing community about increased demand from the public housing portfolio. Increasing the allocation authority by 50 percent would support the preservation and construction of up to 400,000 additional affordable apartments over a ten-year period, including the renovation of vital public housing units that are currently at-risk. Additionally, the legislation allows for an increased basis boost for projects serving extremely low-income households. This would be particularly beneficial to housing authorities, as 75 percent of public housing residents are extremely-low income.
CLPHA has been strongly supportive of the legislation. In addition to the Statement of Record above, CLPHA has also engaged in this work as a member of the A.C.T.I.O.N. Campaign Steering Committee (A Call to Invest in Our Neighborhoods). The A.C.T.I.O.N. Campaign has taken a lead role in promoting the expansion of LIHTC, including support of S.548. Last month the Campaign submitted a letter to Senator Hatch in response to his request for comments on tax reform, urging Congress to expand and strengthen the housing credit. Along with other Steering Committee members, CLPHA endorsed and signed the letter.
As Congress takes on tax reform in the upcoming months, we will continue to support this important legislation that would provide needed resources to public housing. CLPHA members should support the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act by contacting their senators during recess to urge them to support the bill.
Two-Generation Economic Act reflects the cross-sector collaboration that CLPHA’s Housing IsInitiative promotes.
Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Martin Heinrich (D-NM) recently reintroduced bipartisan legislation in the Senate, calling for the development of support programs that improve family economic security by breaking the cycle of multigenerational poverty through a comprehensive strategy that addresses the needs of parents and children. The Two-Generation Economic Act of 2017, or S. 435, seeks to align and link existing service systems and funding streams that currently support parents and children separately. Heinrich and Collins believe that aligning the support systems to help parents and children together will increase the whole family’s chances for success in life. The bill also establishes the Interagency Council on Multigenerational Poverty to provide guidance on two-generation programs; establish a system of coordination among agencies and organizations; identify best practices; and identify gaps, research needs, and program deficiencies.
The Two-Generation Economic Act of 2017 is a significant step in the fight against poverty. It would be the first piece of legislation to incorporate a two-generation approach aimed at increasing economic security, educational success, social capital, and health and well-being for parents and children together. In seeking to better align service systems and funding streams, the bill would give states, local governments, and tribes more flexibility to develop programs that meet their specific needs. The approach outlined in S. 435 would greatly improve the effectiveness of service delivery, and it highlights the same principles and goals around which CLPHA’s Housing Is initiative was founded, to better intersect housing and other sectors in order to improve life outcomes. CLPHA has long promoted two-generation initiatives as a best practice and has been a leader in fostering partnerships to encourage innovative solutions to address generational poverty.
The Interagency Council on Multigenerational Poverty will create a national focus on multigenerational poverty by facilitating coordinated efforts across multiple agencies and departments. This interagency collaboration will align and link fragmented systems and funding streams, resulting in holistic approaches that simultaneously address the needs of children and their parents or guardians.
A collaboration that has been in the works for several years, the Two-Generation Economic Empowerment Act includes a balance of input and interests from local service providers, families, administrators, and other stakeholders. Heinrich and Collins hope that this innovative approach will help collectively ensure that people will have an opportunity to use already existing federal resources or attract private investment to implement the two-generation approach in their community, regardless of one’s zip code.
When Senator Collins first introduced the bill, she told the story of a five-year-old girl named Arianna who was homeless, living in a tent with her family outside of Portland, ME. A state social worker worked with the Maine Homeless Veterans Alliance to provide support services to the girl and her family, who are now living in an apartment near where Arianna is attending school. This is a small-scale example of the holistic approach that Collins and Heinrich wish to achieve with their legislation.
“Just as a child’s ZIP code should not determine his or her future success, neither should bureaucratic inflexibility make it so difficult for families to get the help they need to escape intergenerational poverty,” Senator Collins said.
You can learn more about the Two-Generation Economic Act of 2017 by reading this fact sheet that explains the principles of the bill or view a copy of the bill by clicking here.
From the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation's website:
At Alaska Housing Finance Corporation’s Anchorage Family Investment Center, more than 20 staff work to connect families to housing and help Alaska Housing tenants identify resources like childcare, job training and education opportunities.
The AFIC is one of three AHFC family investment centers in Alaska, offering in-person and remote support for the thousands of families who utilize an AHFC housing voucher or reside in an Alaska Housing property.
Michael, a case manager with AHFC’s Jumpstart, is a member of this team. For the last decade, he’s worked to support families by helping them to identify barriers to self-sufficiency and develop goals and objectives to overcome these obstacles.
“I enjoy meeting people from different backgrounds, getting to know them and helping them toward their goals.”
From the King County Housing Authority:
After foster care ended, Jonas faced homelessness, hunger, and life-threatening health struggles. What changed everything was access to a federally-funded Foster Youth to Independence (FYI) Voucher, providing him with safe and stable housing and the foundation to rebuild his life.
Jonas’ story shows that housing isn’t just shelter—it’s stability, opportunity, and hope. Programs like FYI housing assistance are critical in helping youth transition successfully out of foster care and into independence.
FYI housing vouchers are funded by the federal government through the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) and administered by local Public Housing Authorities like KCHA.
From the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles' press release:
Nancy Lieberman Charities (NLC) has teamed up with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Monica, BEVEL & P&G, and the BIG3, to present a new Dream Court™ to the Santa Monica community. The outdoor basketball court, located at the Jack & Cindy Jones Youth Center at the Mar Vista Gardens Boys & Girls Club, was donated by NLC and BEVEL – the first and only head-to-toe grooming brand crafted for Black & Brown men. This is the 134th Dream Court™ established by NLC, and will provide a safe place for youth to play basketball, build positive relationships, and much more.
"I speak for all of us when I say that we could not be more honored to unveil another Dream Court™ for the community of Mar Vista Gardens,” said NLC Founder and Chairwoman, Nancy Lieberman. “Through this amazing partnership with P&G and the BIG3, NLC has been able to provide courts to communities that deeply desire a space to come together to learn and grow through the game of basketball. BEVEL aligns precisely with the values held by Dream Courts, the Boys & Girls Club, and the BIG3, and we couldn’t have imagined better partners.”
The Dream Court™ is a high school regulation size (50-by-84 feet) and includes two new basketball goals. It features a high-performance PowerGame™ surface from Sport Court in dark blue and steel blue with the Dream Court™, Boys & Girls Clubs and BEVEL logos. This is the 5th Dream Court™ in California, following the next most recent court, the Kobe and Gianna Legacy Court in Anaheim, CA, in partnership with the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation, established in 2022. Dream Courts serve more than 5.5 million youth annually.
"It’s a privilege to be able to provide another Dream Court™ alongside Nancy Lieberman Charities, P&G, and Boys and Girls Club of Mar Vista,” said BIG3 CEO and Co-Founder Ice Cube. “You don’t have to be an expert to know what kind of impact a space like this has on children. Having a safe, fun, professional-grade space to play makes kids feel valued and empowered. Nancy Lieberman Charities has impacted millions of lives through the Dream Courts initiative, and I thank Nancy, our friends at BEVEL, and the great people at the Boys and Girls Clubs for helping to make this Dream Court™ a reality.”
“At BEVEL, we believe grooming and greatness go hand in hand—and that means showing up for our communities far beyond the bathroom mirror,” said Vice President of Marketing at BEVEL, Breann Satterwhite. “Partnering with Nancy Lieberman Charities, the BIG3, and the Boys & Girls Club of Mar Vista to bring this Dream Court™ to life is an extension of our commitment to creating spaces where young people feel seen, supported, and empowered to thrive. We’re proud to be part of something that inspires confidence and connection, on and off the court.”
After a dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony, kids practiced their skills on their new club court. BIG3 players were on site to share their expertise along with coaches from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Monica.
“This Club location is an access point for hundreds of local kids to get active,” said Brynja Seagren, Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Monica’s CEO. “We are very grateful for this meaningful gift. Dream Court™ will be home to our youth basketball leagues, healthy lifestyle programming, and countless pickup games. It will be a place where our club kids can just be kids – running, playing, laughing, and growing together in a safe space.”
"Mar Vista Gardens is one of HACLA’s many vibrant public housing communities—home to nearly 1,800 residents including almost 600 kids and teens," said HACLA President & CEO Lourdes Castro Ramirez. "We are proud to celebrate the grand opening of this Dream Court, made possible through our partnership with the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Monica and the generous support from Nancy Lieberman charities, BIG3, and BEVEL. This court will be a space for our residents to gather, be active, build skills and strengthen connections. In a time where too much screen time challenges the health of our children, this court is an investment in their well-being, confidence, and future."
This event was part of the BIG3’s Los Angeles weekend, including the final regular-season matchups at Intuit Dome on August 9, and the YOUNG3 community outreach event on August 8. Tip-off was at 1pm PT, and the Los Angeles Riot played their first-ever home game at 2pm. Fans experienced four, 50-minute fast-paced and physical BIG3 games featuring stars like Dwight Howard, Michael Beasley, and Glen Rice Jr, and Naismith Basketball Hall of Famers like Lieberman, Dr. J, Gary Payton, and George Gervin.
From the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority's press release:
Today, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, Hennepin County Commissioner Angela Conley, State Senator Doron Clark, and Councilmember Michael Rainville joined MPHA leaders and residents in Northeast Minneapolis to break ground on MPHA’s Spring Manor redevelopment project, the largest public housing redevelopment in city history.
This $78 million project will preserve 221 units across two neighboring buildings, investing more than $30 million in direct capital improvements to the existing buildings, while also constructing a new four-story building that will create 15 new deeply affordable units designed for residents needing mobility accessibility features (nine one-bedroom and six two-bedroom units). Additionally, the agency will build a one-story structure that will connect 828 Spring to the new building, 824 Spring Street NE.
“Today we have the honor to break ground on the largest public housing redevelopment project in the city’s history,” said Abdi Warsame, Executive Director/CEO of the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority. “This $78 million dollar project will fully rehabilitate 221 units across two existing buildings, preserving them for decades. [And] in addition to making accessibility upgrades to existing units, MPHA is also building 15 new, fully accessible units so residents can age in place with dignity in the community they love.”
“Everyone deserves a safe, comfortable, affordable place to call home,” said U.S. Senator Tina Smith. “Without one, nothing in your life works – not your job, not your health, not your education, or your family. The Spring Manor redevelopment, led by the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority, is turning residents’ ideas and needs into lasting investments for their future. That means clean water will continue to run from the taps, the lights will stay on, the air will stay cool in the summer, and the internet will be easier to access. Thanks to MPHA’s work and the advocacy of the people living there, residents will know they can stay here comfortably and affordably for the long haul.”
“Spring Manor is the largest public housing redevelopment in Minneapolis history — and it’s happening right here in Northeast,” said Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. “We’re maintaining and upgrading homes for 200 seniors, while adding new, deeply affordable housing and modern community spaces that keep people rooted in the neighborhood they love. This project proves that when we work together, big things happen and lives change.”
From the City of Boston's press release:
Mayor Michelle Wu announced $200,000 in funding for the SHORE-UP pilot (“Stabilizing Housing for Our Resident Elders Under Pressure”), a program designed to keep vulnerable older adults in their homes until they can access permanent homes that they can afford. As Boston’s population ages and more seniors become vulnerable to eviction and displacement, the City will use the SHORE-UP pilot to explore effective ways to enable eligible older adults from Boston to remain in their homes for long enough to access subsidized housing off existing affordable waiting lists.
“Our older residents have built Boston over their decades of leadership and neighborhood activism, and they continue to anchor our communities,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “We must continue to find every resource to support our seniors staying and thriving across Boston. This program will help keep older adults in our neighborhoods, close to their friends and families, with a pathway to long-term affordable housing.”
Many of Boston’s older adults are on extremely low fixed incomes, with 21 percent of Boston residents age 65 or older living below the poverty level. Among Boston households led by these seniors, more than a third (35 percent) are severely cost-burdened: approximately 10,000 senior households spend more than half their modest income on housing. At the same time, waiting lists for subsidized affordable housing are long, and residents are often not admitted on timelines that match their immediate housing crises. More than 11,000 seniors are currently housed across BHA housing opportunities, but approximately 10,000 seniors 65 and older are on the Boston Housing Authority (BHA) waitlist today. BHA funds roughly 7,000 units of housing designated for the elderly and disabled community, between public housing (about 3,000 units) and buildings supported by project-based vouchers (about 4,000 units).
The SHORE-UP pilot would allow eligible older adults from Boston who are facing eviction or displacement to temporarily remain in their homes, by helping to bridge the gap between their incomes and their rents, while they await approval for long-term subsidized housing. Low-income older adults participating in this bridge subsidy program would pay up to 30% of their income towards rent, mortgage, or other housing costs, with the bridge subsidy making up the difference. This approach will prevent the spiral of negative physical and mental health impacts that often accompany an older adult being plunged into homelessness even for a short period.
The City of Boston, including the Mayor’s Office of Housing, Age Strong, and the Planning Department, along with the Boston Housing Authority (BHA), will work in collaboration with Mass Senior Action Council, the Mass Coalition for the Homeless, individual Boston seniors, and other non-profit organizations to shape the pilot program. Having the voices of older residents at the table, contributing ideas and sharing lived experiences will help build a program model that best meets the needs of Boston’s older residents.
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“The most difficult part of our work is the gap between how many people on our waitlist need an affordable home and how many we can serve,” said BHA Administrator Kenzie Bok. “We are thrilled to partner with the Mayor, city departments, and advocates for our most vulnerable seniors to identify situations where a small bridge subsidy would make all the difference for older adults until we can welcome them into our homes.”