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!
New Funds Will Develop and Sustain Public Housing Authority Initiatives to Improve Postsecondary Achievement for Low-Income Households
WASHINGTON (November 25, 2019) – The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities, a housing advocacy organization and leader in efforts to improve life outcomes for low-income individuals and families, announced today that it has been awarded $300,000 from The Kresge Foundation to deepen connections between public housing authorities and their postsecondary education partners.
The three-year grant enables CLPHA to build on work that began last year, in partnership with The Kresge Foundation, to convene cross-sector housing and education partners who are collaborating to improve postsecondary achievement for students served by public housing authorities, including residents and housing insecure college students.
“Last year we showcased how these two sectors are working together to improve educational outcomes for low-income households. With generous funding from The Kresge Foundation, we will help more cross-sector partners develop and sustain their work,” said CLPHA Executive Director Sunia Zaterman. “As a national organization representing 70 of the largest public housing authorities in the country, CLPHA is well-positioned to identify promising innovations and facilitate peer-learning among those doing the work with the goal to scale successful initiatives that can be replicated nationally. We are very grateful to The Kresge Foundation for its multi-year support of our work.”
With the funds, CLPHA, through its Housing Is Initiative, will establish a leadership institute for a cohort of public housing authority staff and their partners who demonstrate the experience and capacity for postsecondary collaboration. In addition to virtual meetings aimed at institutionalizing their cross-sector work, members of the cohort will travel for in-person site visits to learn about the different projects in the field.
“By supporting stronger partnerships between housing authorities and postsecondary stakeholders, CLPHA’s leadership institute will help increase college access and success for both public housing residents who have postsecondary aspirations but need support to realize their dreams, and current college students, whose housing insecurity threatens to derail their educational progress," said Bethany Miller, program officer with the Kresge Education Program.
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 Kresge Foundation
The Kresge Foundation was founded in 1924 to promote human progress. Today, Kresge fulfills that mission by building and strengthening pathways to opportunity for low-income people in America’s cities, seeking to dismantle structural and systemic barriers to equality and justice. Using a full array of grant, loan, and other investment tools, Kresge invests more than $160 million annually to foster economic and social change. For more information visit kresge.org.
###
CLPHA Submits Public Comments Opposing HUD’s Dangerous Non-Citizen Proposal
HUD’s cruel proposal would force mixed-status families to decide between a roof for some, or homelessness for all.
WASHINGTON (July 9, 2019) – The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA) today submitted public comments strongly opposing a proposal from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that seeks to eliminate mixed-status immigrant families from HUD-assisted housing, including 55,000 children who are either U.S. citizens or otherwise eligible for HUD assistance.
HUD’s proposal, published in the Federal Register on May 10 for a 60-day comment period, would reinterpret Section 214 of the Housing and Community Development Act to disallow anyone who cannot verify their immigration status from living in public housing or living in a market-rate apartment with a federal rental subsidy, even if their child or other family members are eligible for assistance. Under current law, rental assistance to these households is prorated and those ineligible for a subsidy pay their portion of the rent unassisted, often at market rates.
“HUD’s cruel proposal would force mixed-status families to decide between a roof for some, or homelessness for all,” said CLPHA Executive Director Sunia Zaterman. “This reversal of long-standing policy is antithetical to the mission of public housing, which is to provide safe, affordable housing to very low-income families.”
“We know that stable housing is a platform for improving life outcomes and a foundation for healthy communities. Yet, this proposal instills fear and distrust, and would divert scarce resources, exacerbate the already crisis levels of homelessness, and, in the end, would do nothing to make our communities safer or better off,” said Zaterman.
“HUD’s proposal is contrary to our mission. Our members feel strongly that this re-interpreted regulation is bad public policy and our comments on the proposed rule reflect this,” said Zaterman.
Read CLPHA’s public comments and previous statements on HUD’s non-citizen rule on the CLPHA website, clpha.org.
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 Housing Is Initiative to better intersect the housing field and other areas of critical importance such as health and education.
###
For Immediate Release: July 2, 2019
CLPHA, Housing Experts Discuss Potential Dangers of HUD’s Proposed Housing Assistance Family Rule
A recording of the call is available HERE.
Washington, DC - Earlier today, immigration and housing experts gathered to address concerns regarding a recently proposed rule by the Trump administration that cruelly targets immigrant families to prevent them from receiving federal housing assistance. Experts discussed how the rule, which would affect about 25,000 households, would cruelly impact families of mixed-status.
The rule, the experts noted, would force families apart as they struggled to keep their current housing threatening many with homelessness, including the 55,000 children who are either U.S. citizens or otherwise eligible for housing benefits and who would be separated from their families
Below are quotes from today’s speakers.
Doug Guthrie, President and CEO, Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles, said, “If this proposed rule change were to go through it would be devastating for Los Angeles families with mixed immigration status. It would impact as many as 11,600 individuals in assisted housing the majority of whom are young children who are American citizens and it would cost the housing authority millions of dollars. This would likely result in thousands of people becoming homeless at a time when homelessness is already a crisis in Los Angeles.”
Sunia Zaterman, Executive Director, Council of Large Public Housing Authorities, noted, “HUD’s proposal would force mixed status families to decide between a roof for some, or homelessness for all. This is antithetical to the mission of public housing, which is to provide safe, affordable housing to very low-income families. Instead, this proposal would exacerbate crisis levels of homelessness, divert scarce resources from already underfunded public housing authorities, and instill fear and distrust while doing nothing to make our communities safer or better off.”
Diane Yentel, President and CEO, National Low Income Housing Coalition, added, “The cruelty of Secretary Carson’s proposal is breathtaking, and the harm it would inflict on children, families and communities is severe,” said National Low Income Housing Coalition President and CEO Diane Yentel. “Tens of thousands of deeply poor kids, mostly US citizens, could be evicted and made homeless by this proposal, and – by HUD’s own admission – there would be zero benefit to families on waiting lists. This proposal is another in a long line of attempts by the administration to instill fear in immigrants throughout the country. We will not stand for it.”
Arianna Cook-Thajudeen, Bank of America Legal Fellow, National Housing Law Project, said, “The National Housing Law Project opposes this proposed rule because it would have a detrimental impact on the housing stability of millions of families. The federal housing programs in particular serve as a lifeline for many families who are one step away from homelessness. What the Administration is doing is through this proposal is ruthless and reckless. We urge everyone to submit comments to HUD to oppose this rule by July 9th.”
Tory Gunsolley, President and CEO, Houston Housing Authority, remarked, “The current system works. Undocumented occupants are not receiving federal subsidies. The proposed regulations, on the other hand, would cause a needless increase in homelessness and cost the federal government more money. The proposed regulation would force HHA to be an extension of immigration enforcement, a role that does align with our mission to provide safe, affordable housing. It simply doesn't make sense to implement.”
###
The Immigration Hub is a national organization dedicated to advancing fair and just immigration policies through strategic leadership, innovative communications strategies, legislative advocacy and collaborative partnerships.
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.
|
(Washington, D.C.) November 19, 2021 -- Council of Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA) Executive Director Sunia Zaterman released the following statement after the House passage of the Build Back Better Act today:
“The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities applauds the U.S. House of Representatives' passage of the $1.9 trillion Build Back Better Act. The $150 billion targeted to affordable housing is the single largest investment in public housing ever.
“Today represents a fundamental change in America’s approach to public and affordable housing. The Build Back Better Act is historic legislation that seeks to remedy two generations of chronic disinvestment that has left millions of public housing residents suffering and exacerbated health, safety, climate risks, and racial inequities. These long-term investments to public housing, along with significant expansion of rental and homeownership assistance, will increase housing stability, reduce poverty, provide substantial climate benefits, and spur economic activity that strengthens local communities.
“CLPHA is thankful the House continued to listen to housing advocates by re-inserting provisions that will strengthen the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit’s ability to better leverage the capital required to develop and redevelop aging public housing infrastructure.
“As the Act moves to the Senate, CLPHA will continue its work with Senators to ensure that the public and affordable housing funding levels remain intact in the Senate version.”
|
|
|
|
(202) 550-1381
|
||
|
|
||
|
About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative |
||
|
(Washington, D.C.) October 28, 2021 -- Council of Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA) Executive Director Sunia Zaterman released the following statement applauding President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better announcement this morning: “The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities applauds President Biden’s announcement of a $1.85 trillion reconciliation framework with $150 billion targeted to affordable housing, the single largest investment in public housing ever. “For decades, millions of public housing residents have suffered from chronic disinvestment in their neighborhoods, exacerbating health, safety, climate risks, and racial inequities. The Build Back Better Act is historic and transformational in its comprehensive long-term approach by making public housing safe and sustainable for generations to come and significantly expanding rental and homeownership assistance. Stable, affordable housing is foundational to the health and economic well-being of all Americans and to our nation as a whole. This unprecedented and long overdue investment in the preservation and expansion of affordable housing, coupled with the Build Back Better Act’s other investments such as universal prekindergarten, the child tax credit, and climate change remediation, will have an historic impact on reducing poverty and improving the climate. “The Biden administration is delivering on a promise that has been decades in the making. CLPHA strongly supports the Building Back Better Act as a history-making investment in public housing and expanding housing opportunities.”
|
|
|
|
(202) 550-1381
For Immediate Release
October 28, 2021 |
||
|
|
||
|
About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative |
|
|
|
(Washington, D.C.) October 1, 2021 -- Council of Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA) Executive Director Sunia Zaterman released the following statement urging Congress not to cut proposed funding for public housing and rental assistance in the Build Back Better reconciliation bill:
“The transformational Build Back Better Act, proposed by President Biden and currently moving through Congress, will significantly expand the nation’s social safety net by providing safe, quality, and affordable housing to millions of low-income and marginalized families. The $90 billion in expanded rental assistance, $80 billion to preserve public housing, and $37 billion investment in the national Housing Trust Fund that passed the House Financial Services Committee in mid-September represents a significant step forward in federal funding for public and affordable housing. These funding levels are appropriate and justified as they finally make up for generations of chronic neglect and underfunding. For this reason, as negotiations about the size of the reconciliation bill move forward, CLPHA urges Congress to retain the funding levels for expanding rental assistance, preserving public housing, and investing in the nation’s Housing Trust Fund.
“Public and affordable housing has suffered under persistent disinvestment for decades. This has left public housing authorities unable to complete capital improvements, which has helped contribute to the loss of 400,000 affordable homes since 1990. Currently only 1 out of every 4 families who are eligible to receive a Housing Choice Voucher are able to access the program because of a lack of funding. This inadequacy of federal resources not only perpetuates the cycle of poverty, but also costs the American economy about $2 trillion every year in lower wages and productivity because of a shortage of affordable housing in major metropolitan areas.
“CLPHA thanks Speaker Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Schumer, House Financial Services Chairwoman Maxine Waters, and Senate Housing, Banking, and Urban Chair Sherrod Brown for championing housing throughout their careers and during the negotiations over the Build Back Better reconciliation process. Now Congress must commit to fully funding public and affordable housing at the levels in the House Financial Services Committee bill.”
|
||
|
(202) 550-1381
|
||
|
|
||
|
About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative |
||
On May 21, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Dr. Ben Carson, testified before the House Financial Services Committee at a hearing entitled “Housing in America: Oversight of the U.S. Department of Housing and Development” where he received pointed questions from the committee Democrats on recent HUD proposals such as rent reform, the non-citizen rule, and HUD’s FY20 budget request which would slash funding for public housing.
In her opening remarks, Committee Chairwoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) expressed her disappointment in the Secretary’s leadership at HUD, referring to his rent reform proposal as an “outrageous plan” that would “triple rent for the lowest income households and put 1.7 million Americans at risk of eviction and homelessness at a time when we are in the midst of a national homelessness and housing affordability crisis.”
Waters also admonished the Secretary for the Department’s budget proposal that would cut its budget by 18 percent and eliminate new funding for the capital fund and housing trust fund, halt the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule implementation, and delay disaster recovery funding for Puerto Rico. Referring to the proposed non-citizen rule as “cruel” and one that, “puts mixed immigration status families at risk of being evicted, separated, and left homeless,” Waters concluded that these actions are inconsistent with the Department’s mission.
Continuing the focus on recent HUD proposals, several Democrats expressed their outrage to Carson over the rent reform and non-citizen proposals. Reps. Sylvia Garcia (D-TX), Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Juan Vargas (D-CA), Nydia Velazquez (D-NY), were among those who challenged the Department’s assertion that removing mixed-status families from HUD-assisted housing would reduce waiting lists and help address the lack of affordable housing.
Carson defended the proposed rule by stating that the current interpretation of the statute unfairly allows undocumented immigrants to live in federally assisted housing at the expense of U.S. citizens. “It’s not that we’re cruel or mean-hearted, it’s that we’re logical,” he said. “This is common sense. You take care of your own first.”
Velazquez also reproved Carson for acknowledging the affordable housing crisis while at the same time eliminating the capital fund, referring to HUD’s budget proposal as “shameful and immoral.”
In contrast to the frustrated tone of their colleagues, Republican committee members generally expressed support for Carson’s proposals and asked about issues such as impediments to affordable housing construction, opportunity zones, recent changes to FHA loan program rules, and disaster recovery.
When discussing options for increasing affordable housing production, Secretary Carson touted LIHTC, RAD, and the potential for combining those programs with opportunity zone tax incentives to engage in unprecedented opportunities to build affordable housing and create economic opportunities. Calling RAD one of the most spectacular HUD programs, he said that lifting the RAD cap would be tremendously helpful.
Rep. Ann Wagner (R-MO) and Rep. Al Green (D-TX) both raised concerns with the cumbersome CDBG-DR disbursement process and asked the Secretary what could be done to provide, or codify, a framework that would speed delivery of aid to areas impacted by natural disasters. In his response, the Secretary expressed concerns with the duplicative requirements across HUD and FEMA and said that there are ways to streamline the process that can, and should, be codified to ensure grant dollars can be disbursed more expediently.
Several committee members focused their questions on Housing Choice Vouchers and landlords’ unwillingness to consider applicants who use them. Rep. Alma Adams (D-NC) asked the Secretary whether a federal law prohibiting source of income discrimination is needed to increase lease-up rates and ensure that families can put their voucher to use. Carson responded that the Department is looking at impediments to people accepting vouchers, and if after going through that evaluation process the problem continues, then a federal source of income discrimination law may be needed.
When asked about his legacy at HUD, Secretary Carson said that he hoped the Department would be known for putting people on a positive trajectory. And, if given a magic wand to implement any policy possible, Carson said he would “make this country stop hating each other. We’d get a whole lot done.”
In Affordable Housing Finance's (AHF) article discussing Rep. Maxine Waters' (D-CA) draft legislation of her Housing is Infrastructure bill, CLPHA's Sunia Zaterman told reporter Donna Kimura that Waters' bill, which would allocate $70 billion for the public housing capital fund, is attempting to get the public housing industry "on an even keel."
Zaterman told Kimura, “We do have challenges moving forward in the appropriations process on the annual funding levels for public housing operating and capital funds, but what Ms. Waters is saying in this bill is that we can no longer stand by idly and watch this public investment start to crumble when we need it the most.”
Zaterman added that Congress must also consider expanding additional tools that PHAs can employ in their public housing development and renovation efforts, such as the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program and Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTCs).
AHF also quoted Zaterman's April 30 press statement on Waters' draft legislation and the House Committee on Financial Services April 30 hearing “Housing in America: Assessing the Infrastructure Needs of America’s Housing Stock":
“Public housing is as a much a part of the national infrastructure as Route 66, the Lincoln Tunnel, and the Hoover Dam,” said Sunia Zaterman, executive director of the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities. “Public housing helps communities and families thrive by providing more than 1 million low- and very low-income families, children, elderly, and persons with disabilities with a stable place to live, connecting low-income workers to economic opportunities, and spurring regional job creation and economic growth.”
“But, years of chronic underfunding have led to the deterioration of the public housing stock, and, since 1990, at least 300,000 units have been lost because of the lack of adequate resources to maintain them. The federal disinvestment in public housing has contributed to an untenable shortage of stable housing for low-income households,” Zaterman added.
In Affordable Housing Finance's article "Turning Point for Public Housing," CLPHA' Executive Director Sunia Zaterman says of the massive capital needs backlog facing public housing authorities that “[t]he handwriting has been on the wall. The funding levels were not sustainable."
Zaterman adds, "We have lost about 10,000 units a year from underfunding," but that "[t]he number of public housing units lost may have slowed to about 8,000 a year, thanks to RAD, in the last couple of years.”
With RAD, says Zaterman, “[w]e have achieved proof of concept,... We could have the portfolio totally recapitalized in 10 years.”
Read Affordable Housing Finance's article here.
Vancouver, WA newspaper The Columbian quoted CLPHA Executive Director Sunia Zaterman about the disastrous effect President Trump's budget proposal would have on pubic and affordable housing in their article "Trump’s budget would cut social safety nets:"
"The administration wants us to think beyond investing in bricks and mortar, and instead think about investing in people. This budget does neither of those things. The disinvestment in housing and supportive services is a disinvestment in our nation’s most vulnerable populations, including the 2.2 million low- and very low-income families, children, elderly and persons with disabilities who are served by public housing. Congress has previously rejected draconian budgets that shred our safety net, and we call on them to do so again."
Vancouver Housing Authority (VHA) Executive Director Roy Johnson, who contributed comment for the story, explained how Trump's proposed budget would negatively impact the individuals and families served by VHA. Johnson told the paper that losing public housing funding would result in 114 planned units losing subsidy, including Caples Terrace, an under-construction project in Vancouver for homeless youth and youth aging out of foster care slated to open in July, and two other public housing projects the housing authority hopes to start at the end of 2019.
Read Zaterman's full statement on Trump's proposed 2020 budget
Scotsman Guide, a resource for mortgage originators, quoted CLPHA Executive Director Sunia Zaterman about how President Donald Trump's proposed FY 2020 budget will affect affordable housing in their article "2020 budget: How does it affect the mortgage industry?":
“The administration wants us to think beyond investing in bricks and mortar, and instead think about investing in people. This budget does neither of those things,” said Sunia Zaterman..."The disinvestment in housing and supportive services is a disinvestment in our nation’s most vulnerable populations, including the 2.2 million low- and very low-income families, children, elderly and persons with disabilities who are served by public housing."
Read Zaterman's full statement on Trump's proposed 2020 budget
From Tacoma Weekly:
The bright colors of two new housing structures in town have been catching the eye of passersby lately, and now Hilltop Housing North and Hilltop Housing South are officially christened as Tacoma Housing Authority’s largest affordable housing project in 20 years.
To celebrate the Housing Hilltop project, dignitaries, Hilltop residents and people from communities across the city gathered the morning of Aug. 3 for the official ribbon cutting ceremony.
Apartments in Housing Hilltop’s South building are currently being leased and the North building is on track to open by the end of this year. Together, both buildings bring 231 living units, 94 in Housing Hilltop South and 137 in Housing Hilltop North.
Housing Hilltop is leasing at 60 percent Area Median Income and is offering priority leasing opportunities to households that have been displaced or at risk of displacement from Hilltop "to help keep the Hilltop community whole,” according to information posted at tacomahousing.org. This means, for example, that a single occupant must make below $48,660 a year, below $55,620 for a family of two, and below $69,480 for a family of four.
To increase affordability in both buildings, the THA Board of Commissioners has approved additional subsidy to the project to ensure that 25 percent of units in both buildings are affordable to more residents.
Elected leaders speaking at the ribbon cutting event included Mayor Victoria Woodards, Sen. Maria Cantwell, Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland, Sen. Yasmin Trudeau, Pierce County Council Chair Ryan Mello, and U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer by remote video.
"One of the crises we face as a city is affordable housing,” Woodards said. "To have these units coming online at 60 percent AMI is going to make a real difference. It doesn’t stop here, but this will go a long way to allowing us to build those 10,000 units that we feel we need to have in the city of Tacoma in the next 10 years.”
Cantwell brought a view of a bigger picture, that of the need for 200,000 more units nationwide over the next two years.
"I’m trying to do something in Washington D.C. – and that is to get a hell of a lot more money for affordable housing. We’re going to keep fighting until we get it done,” Cantwell said.
Read Tacoma Weekly's article "Ribbon cutting celebrates Housing Hilltop."
From CBS News Fort Worth:
The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs recently announced more than $95 million in housing tax credits to develop or renovate 63 rental properties across Texas to address the affordable housing need.
Eleven of the developments are slated for North Texas.
"It's a big issue for all cities," said Amy Connolly, the assistant director of City of Fort Worth Neighborhood Services. "In the DFW area, growth is just so tremendous."
Fort Worth in particular has been impacted by the population and business boom.
"We're building a lot of apartments and we're building a lot of single-family homes, but we're not really keeping up with the affordable housing need," Connolly said.
...
Fort Worth Housing Solutions will put the tax credits toward the continued construction of a massive housing redevelopment in the Stop Six neighborhood. The Former Cavile Place public housing will be replaced with new apartment buildings.
Read CBS News Fort Worth's article "Fort Worth affordable housing developments receive $8 million in tax credits."
From the Los Angeles Times:
Teenage residents at Jordan Downs, one of L.A.’s largest public housing communities, will earn a paycheck this summer while learning hands-on skills like carpentry and welding, launching them on pathways to careers in industries facing strong demand and a critical lack of qualified workers.
The program is made possible by the joint efforts of Harbor Freight Tools for Schools, the flagship program of The Smidt Foundation, and BRIDGE Housing. BRIDGE Housing is a nonprofit housing developer participating in the $1-billion redevelopment effort of Jordan Downs. First built in the 1940s, Jordan Downs is now going through a physical transformation that includes doubling the number of residential units and adding retail and community spaces along with new parks and open spaces for residents.
“The City of Los Angeles is committed to providing opportunity to all Angelenos. The launch of this program will equip young Angelenos with hands-on experience and essential skills that can help them succeed now and in the future,” said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. “I want to recognize Harbor Freight Tools for Schools for establishing this real-world learning model and for your work to ensure L.A.’s skilled workforce remains strong.”
Operating like a construction workplace, the program uses the “earn and learn” model where students are paid while developing meaningful skills that can lead to future employment. The 15 high school-aged residents participating in the summer’s pilot program at Jordan Downs were recruited by community-based service providers to participate.
Students will complete 40 hours of hands-on project work to practice foundational trade skills, such as plumbing, electrical wiring, welding and framing a mini house. Students will also master basic skills that apply to a variety of construction disciplines, including safety, measurement, site prep and clean-up.
“The transformation of Jordan Downs goes far beyond buildings – it’s about quality of life for residents,” said BRIDGE Housing president and CEO Ken Lombard. “We jumped at the opportunity to partner with Harbor Freight Tools for Schools because we’re literally putting tools in young people’s hands to help them prepare for careers.”
Read the Los Angeles Times' article "Teens from Jordan Downs Community in Watts Getting Paid to Learn Skilled Trades This Summer."
From the Chicago Housing Authority's press release:
Davora Buchanan was shy while growing up in Trumbull Park Homes. She kept to herself and read. Then she attended CHA’s Learn and Earn program, where teenage students explore career fields like entrepreneurship, arts and technology while earning a paycheck.
“It was the first program I did outside of Trumbull, the first program where I interacted with other kids and took the bus all the way to South Suburban College,” she said. “It was a turning point, not just because of what I was learning but because of the people I met. It was a life-changing experience for me.”
Ten years later, Learn and Earn – six weeks of career exploration for CHA residents ages 13-15 that includes a $600 stipend – continues to inspire. It and other summer programs are on track to reach CHA’s performance goal of a 10 percent increase in participation (2,429) over last year (2,215) with summer earnings that are expected to reach $3 million.
The Learn and Earn experience certainly helped Buchanan, who got involved in other CHA programs like Summer Youth Employment Program. She eventually graduated from DeVry University Advantage Academy, earned a bachelors and masters in sociology and now works for Metropolitan Family Services as a Domestic Violence Advocate and Housing Coordinator doing what she loves: housing people.
“If I’m able to house one person I feel successful,” she said. “I put my all into it because someone put their all into it for me and my mother when it was time to get housed.”
Learn and Earn is one of several paid summer opportunities for CHA residents ages 13-24 that CHA is offering this summer, providing early exposure to career and education pathways and opportunities that stem potential summer learning loss. It concludes Aug. 1.
Other CHA summer programs include:
Become a Filmmaker: Participants in this award-winning program collaborate with DePaul University’s School of Cinematic Arts to learn all aspects of filmmaking, from story development to editing. Guided by graduate students, they create short films for global festivals, with industry expert visits and field trips. Participants earn $15.80/hour.
Be Your Own Boss: High school age participants develop a startup addressing a passion-driven problem, guided by entrepreneurs and business professionals through virtual sessions, meetings, and field trips. Youth gain skills in identifying opportunities, acquiring customers, building prototypes, and pitching to investors for lifelong success! Participants earn $15.80/hour.
Counselor in Training (CIT), a collaboration between the Chicago Housing Authority and the Chicago Park District, provides 40 teens 15 years old a summer opportunity as a counselor. Youth gain life skills and the opportunity to grow, learn and gain skills in leadership and financial capability while earning a $1,320 stipend.
CHA Student Internship Program: This program provides opportunities for college students to participate in a professional environment, building workplace skills and gaining experience for future careers. Participants earn $17.00/hour.
Movie and TV Scripts 101: Participants in this screenwriting program with DePaul University's award-winning screenwriters learn to write original screenplays through film analysis, format, style, scene craft, story structure, character development, and dialogue. The program includes writing a short movie or TV script, followed by a table read with actors from DePaul’s Theatre School, alongside industry expert visits and field trips. Participants, ages 15-20, earn $15.80/hour.
Next Level Photography: In collaboration with the DePaul University School of Cinematic Arts, participants master technical foundations, explore genres like nature and portraiture, develop personal styles, and build portfolios for freelance opportunities. Participants, ages 15-20, earn $15.80/hour.
PeacePlayers: PeacePlayers Chicago provides participants a transformative summer experience centered around fostering healthy relationships and unlocking the leader in youth. This program offers a unique blend of basketball, leadership development, career readiness, and peace building. Participants earn a $600 stipend.
Summer of Code: This program teaches programming basics using Swift, helping build a fundamental understanding and practical skills to develop a basic iOS app from start to finish, including essential user interface design principles. Participants earn $15.80/hour.
Summer Youth Employment Program: This program offers youth ages 16-24, meaningful, paid work-based opportunities with a variety of industries throughout the city. Participants earn $15.80/hour.
From the Charlotte Observer:
A Charlotte-based reentry organization renewed a contract with Inlivian on July 3 to support families recognized by a federal law that ensures children lacking stable housing receive an education.
The Freedom Fighting Missionaries board of directors allocates the vouchers to families with children currently recognized by the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. Inlivian is a nonprofit formerly known as the Charlotte Housing Authority.
Freedom Fighting Missionaries announced the contract renewal.
Through funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, low-income families can rent safe, affordable homes thanks to the Inlivian vouchers.
Families who join the program will receive a voucher that enables Inlivian to pay the property management or owner directly for a portion of their rent.
Freedom Fighting Missionaries said in a news release that over 5,400 children in Charlotte are enrolled in the program.
Read the Charlotte Observer's article "Charlotte nonprofit expands housing support to homeless parents with prior convictions."