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.
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To view all of CLPHA's press statements, click here.
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(202) 550-1381
For Immediate Release
December 10, 2020 |
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(Washington, D.C.) December 10, 2020 – The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA) is proud to support the nomination of Congresswoman Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) to be the 17th Secretary of the Housing and Urban Development Department. CLPHA Executive Director Sunia Zaterman released the following statement:
"Congresswoman Fudge is a longtime champion of affordable housing, urban revitalization, and infrastructure investment. She has demonstrated her leadership as a mayor, as a Member of Congress, and as the head of the Congressional Black Caucus. She understands that racial and economic inequities are deeply rooted, particularly in our housing systems, and that working across sectors is imperative. Her many years of work on economic justice issues such as food insecurity and education access can bring much-needed leadership to aligning systems and services to better meet the needs of low-income Americans. We look forward to working with Congresswoman Fudge in her role as HUD Secretary to address the growing need for COVID emergency rental assistance and safe, affordable housing."
About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities |
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(202) 550-1381
For Immediate Release
November 9, 2020 |
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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 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 and follow @housing_is for news on CLPHA’s work to better intersect the housing field and other areas of critical importance such as health and education.
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 and follow @housing_is for news on CLPHA’s work to better intersect the housing field and other areas of critical importance such as health and education.
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 Housing Authority of Cook County's press release:
The Housing Authority of Cook County (HACC) hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony on September 13, 2024 to celebrate the opening of Otto Veterans Square, an affordable housing development for veterans located in downtown Chicago Heights, IL. Otto Veterans Square is an 82-unit, four-story development located at 1440 Otto Boulevard on the former site of St. James Hospital. The $30.8 million project includes modern apartments that provide veterans with safe and comfortable residence.
“This is truly a beautiful, thoughtfully designed building by HED and partners that our veterans can be proud to call home,” said Danita W. Childers, Executive Director, Housing Authority of Cook County. “This development is a standing reflection of our commitment to address veteran homelessness in the community and contribute to the revitalization of downtown Chicago Heights.”
The property represents the first new development to emerge from the Downtown/East Side Choice Neighborhoods Plan, which was jointly developed by the City of Chicago Heights and the Housing Authority of Cook County and funded by a $350,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
“Today marks an important step in our ongoing commitment to ensuring that every veteran in Cook County has access to safe, dignified, and affordable housing,” said Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle. “Otto Veterans Square is more than just a building; it is a testament to our dedication to the men and women who have served our country and a meaningful contribution to the revitalization of Chicago Heights. I commend the Housing Authority of Cook County, the City of Chicago Heights, the Cook County Bureau of Economic Development, and all our partners for their unwavering collaboration and hard work in bringing this vision to life.”
The Housing Authority of Cook County secured financing through partnerships with several organizations, including the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA), the Cook County Bureau of Economic Development (BED), the National Equity Fund (NEF), BMO, the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago, Wintrust Bank, the ComEd Energy Efficiency Program and Nicor.
“ComEd is proud of our work with the Housing Authority of Cook County to ensure energy-efficiency measures are included in Otto Veterans Square that will help provide a comfortable environment for veteran tenants but also help them save money and energy,” said Bonita Estelle, ComEd’s external affairs manager for the Southland Region. “These efforts are estimated to save 1.2 million kilowatt-hours of electricity, which helps avoid more than 920,000 pounds of carbon being emitted into the atmosphere. This is the equivalent of planting nearly 500 acres of trees or removing almost 100 cars from the road each year.”
In addition to providing affordable housing, Otto Veterans Square will offer comprehensive supportive services through partnerships with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Respond Now. The VA will provide a range of veteran-specific services, including an onsite social worker, healthcare, mental health counseling, and access to peer support specialists, ensuring that residents receive the care and support they deserve. Respond Now, a local nonprofit based in Chicago Heights, will offer additional supportive services such as case management, access to community resources and emergency assistance, tailored to meet the unique needs of veterans. Together, these partnerships ensure that Otto Veterans Square residents receive a holistic network of care and resources to help them build stable, fulfilling lives in their new community.
“Otto Square Veterans Housing represents the pinnacle of what we can achieve when the federal government supports the vision of local leaders and public, private, and non-profit partners,” said Richard J. Monocchio, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Public and Indian Housing at the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, and former HACC Executive Director. “The Biden-Harris Administration’s work to end veteran homelessness would not be possible without the focused and collaborative efforts of amazing partners like the Housing Authority of Cook County and the City of Chicago Heights to ensure that every veteran has a roof over their head and the support they need when they return home.”
Following the ribbon cutting, guests were invited to view a model apartment and finished spaces with the design team. Otto Veterans Square offers residents a range of amenities, including an exercise room, media room, walking paths, and raised planting beds for community gardens. The property is pet-friendly, with designated spaces for service animals both indoors and outdoors. Additionally, the building provides 82 parking spots, including spaces for handicap and electric vehicles.
From the Chicago Housing Authority's press release:
The Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) continues to make steady progress on its Restore Home initiative, fully restoring and leasing several multi-family buildings and single-family homes that were previously vacant due to extensive repair needs.
Announced in late 2023, Restore Home is a major capital effort to renovate and rehabilitate vacant buildings in the small and medium-sized apartments portfolio (commonly known as “scattered sites”). Approximately three dozen small and medium-sized vacant apartment buildings around the city have been targeted for renovation, with more than 175 units brought back into leasable condition by mid-2025. An additional 40 single family homes are being renovated and made available for leasing or affordable homeownership opportunities.
CHA pledged to invest up to $50 million over eighteen months under Restore Home.
At Thursday’s meeting, CHA’s Board of Commissioners approved contracts totaling more than $17 million dollars to renovate four additional buildings that will bring 60 apartments back into leasable condition. These include:
- A 1920s brick six-flat building located at 4834-36 North Kimball Avenue in Albany Park, near the Kimball Brown Line station.
- A 1960s brick three-story/ 24-apartment building located at 4008-14 S. Prairie Avenue in Bronzeville.
- Two vacant properties in the North Lawndale neighborhood: a six-apartment building located at 1500 S. Christiana Avenue and a 24-apartment building located at 1404-1414 S. Homan.
Work on these buildings is expected to be completed by mid-2025.
As of August 31, 2024, under Restore Home:
- Five multi-family buildings are complete with sixteen apartments occupied.
- Two multi-family buildings are complete and will be occupied by the end of September (four apartments).
- Eleven multi-family buildings are currently under construction (29 units). All are expected to be completed and fully occupied by the end of the year.
- One single-family home completed and occupied; one single-family home is completed and set to be occupied shortly; and one single-family home is under construction;
- Renovation is set to begin on 16 single-family homes shortly.
“Today’s Board action demonstrates that CHA is doing what we said we would do - providing quality living environments in strong communities that help families move forward. We are proud of the progress that we’ve made on the Restore Home initiative to date and are excited to begin this next phase of work,” CHA CEO Tracey Scott said.
Today, HUD awarded $6.5 million in Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grants to 13 communities in 11 states. Each selected project will receive a $500,000 grant to create a comprehensive neighborhood transformation plan. Summaries of each community's grant project are available here.
Four CLPHA members received planning grants:
- Housing Authority of the Birmingham District for the Kingston/Woodlawn neighborhood
- Miami-Dade County Public Housing & Community Development for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Station
- Detroit Housing Commission for the Greater Forest Park/Eastern Market neighborhood
- Houston Housing Authority for the Near Northside neighborhood
CLPHA congratulates our members on these grant awards and wishes them the best of luck in the planning process.
From Fort Worth Housing Solutions' press release:
The Stop Six community, Fort Worth city and civic leaders, developers and supporters joined Fort Worth Housing Solutions to celebrate the groundbreaking of Babers Manor on Aug. 28 at the Eastside Boys & Girls Club of Greater Tarrant County.
Also in attendance were family members of Clarence Donald Babers, the namesake of the planned 80-unit community who was instrumental in bringing HUD funding to Stop Six.
“In the years I go to know Mr. Babers working alongside our Mayor Pro Tem Gyna Bivens, I was struck by his tenacity for change, the recognition that public housing would be different and that you could completely transform communities with the right level of public-private partnership,” Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker said. “And that’s what this groundbreaking really represents.”
Babers Manor, which will include townhome and garden apartments on Ramey Avenue between S. Hughes Ave and S. Edgewood Terrace, joins current Stop Six Choice Neighborhood Initiative developments Cowan Place Senior Living and Hughes House, which is under construction.
Bivens, who grew up in Stop Six and whose district includes Stop Six, has represented the area on the Fort Worth City Council since 2013 and has long advocated for investment in the area. She worked closely with Mr. Babers for years.
“When you visit people who get lucky enough to move to Babers Manor, I want them to know who my friend was because it his knowledge, his connections and overall his passion for his community is why we have Cowan Place … (and) Hughes House,” Bivens said.
Babers Manor is part of the landmark Stop Six Choice Neighborhood effort that launched in 2020 when the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded FWHS and the City of Fort Worth a $35 million Choice Neighborhood Implementation Grant. Former Cavile Place residents who relocated as part of the redevelopment process have the right to return to the community as new Stop Six CNI properties come online.
“I want to emphasize what brought about the funding here,” said Candace Valenzuela, HUD Regional Administrator for the Southwest. “Because of the incredible partners, because of the members of the community, we have this Choice Neighborhood Grant.”
The HUD grant will be spread across six phases of development and is expected to leverage $345 million in investment for the neighborhood. In all, FWHS and partners will develop approximately 925 new units across the community. The City of Fort Worth plans additional infrastructure improvements, including a new community hub and aquatics center.
“The Choice Neighborhood process is all about getting to a yes,” said Mary-Margaret Lemons, President, Fort Worth Housing Solutions. “In 2019 this community stood up and said it’s time.”
The groundbreaking also included numerous partners, including Hunt Capital Partners; Aetna; CVS Health; the City of Fort Worth; Urban Strategies, Inc.; McCormack Baron Salazar Development, Inc.; GMA Construction; RPGA Design Group, Inc. and Mason Joseph Company.
As part of the celebration, donations were made to the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Tarrant County and the C. Donald Babers Memorial Scholarship.
From the Durham Housing Authority's press release:
Tomorrow the public-private partnership of Laurel Street and the Durham Housing Authority (DHA) along with its tax credit equity partners, CVS Health® (NYSE: CVS) and Red Stone Equity Partners, will join other community partners at a groundbreaking ceremony for Commerce Street Apartments, a mixed-income housing community located in downtown Durham.
Commerce Street Apartments is the second housing phase of a four-phase redevelopment initiative in downtown Durham known as Durham Choice. Durham Choice is a partnership between the DHA and the City of Durham created under the umbrella of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Program. Durham Choice will advance the vision outlined in the DHA Downtown & Neighborhood Plan and has three core goals:
- Redevelop two aging public housing developments in downtown Durham, 519 E. Main, and Liberty Street Apartments, into vibrant mixed-income communities in partnership with Laurel Street.
- Provide DHA residents with comprehensive health services, as well as educational and employment training opportunities, to assist them in pursuing their personal goals.
- Invest in the surrounding neighborhood, with a focus on the historic African American community of Hayti, by supporting community institutions, building connections among residents, and supporting small and minority-owned businesses.
Commerce Street Apartments will offer 172 mixed-income apartment homes in two four-story buildings. 88 of the units will be reserved for older adults (62+), while 84 will be available to individuals and families of all ages. 71 of the apartments will be public housing replacement units, while another 58 will serve households with incomes below 60% of Area Median Income. Additionally, nine units will be designated for persons with disabilities or experiencing homelessness and ten units will be reserved for those with mobility impairments.
CVS Health's support of Commerce Street Apartments includes a more than $17 million equity investment towards the construction of the property through Red Stone Equity Partners. The investment is a local demonstration of CVS Health's commitment to improving the health of individuals across the country, which includes creating and preserving access to quality, safe, affordable housing, especially in historically underserved communities. To date, CVS Health's investments have led to the creation or preservation and renovation of over 2,500 affordable and supportive housing units across the State of North Carolina.
"The first step to improving an individual's health and wellbeing is addressing housing insecurities," said Keli Savage, Head of Impact Investment Strategy, CVS Health. "Made possible through community programs like Durham Choice and impactful collaboration, the construction of Commerce Street Apartments will provide Durham residents with a new safe, beautiful, and affordable place that they can proudly call home."
DHA will provide on-site services free of charge to all Commerce Street Apartments residents with the aim of holistically improving the social and environmental determinants that help lead to economic stability, educational success, and improved quality of life. Services provided will include workforce development, education (early learning and school-aged children), and health services. The Durham Children's Initiative and other local partners will provide additional programs and services.
"Commerce Street Apartments further advances the mission to provide more affordable housing options for our residents in various economic levels," said DHA CEO, Anthony Scott. "We are so proud of this development and it being the first phase of our $40 Million Choice Neighborhood Initiative Grant awarded in 2022. This is a continuation of many exciting new communities, and we're thrilled to see this progression and celebrating the milestones with our partners and community."
The complex will be located about one half mile southeast of downtown Durham within walking distance from a senior center, Edgemont public park, a police station, convenience store, and an elementary school. Within just about a mile radius of the properties are restaurants, banks, Family Dollar, grocery stores, and Lincoln Community Health Center. Property amenities will include community rooms, on-site management, computer centers, playgrounds and "tot lots", central laundry, storage, and secured access.
"Commerce Street embodies our commitment to creating vibrant, inclusive communities that cater to the needs of residents of all ages and incomes," said Dionne Nelson, President and CEO of Laurel Street. "We are proud to continue our efforts to increase the vitality of the east side of Downtown Durham through Commerce Street and our other new developments on East Main Street."
Representing its significance to the community, Commerce Street Apartments has also received significant local support totaling $21.7 million, including soft funding from a $9.4 million Choice Neighborhoods Implementation ("CNI") grant loan, an $8.2 million HOME loan from the City of Durham, and a $4.1 million land acquisition loan from DHA. The total development costs for the property are $58.3 million.