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.
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Thanks again for your interest in CLPHA!
Announcing the New CLPHA.org
(WASHINGTON) January 7, 2019 - The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA) is pleased to announce the launch of our newly-redesigned website.
The new CLPHA.org showcases our member PHAs and offers industry news and updates with a bright, modern look and dynamic, user-friendly content that is easy to navigate on a desktop computer or a mobile device.
DYNAMIC: A carousel of stories and the latest news on the front page keeps the content fresh. CLPHA.org is a website to bookmark and visit regularly.
INFORMATIONAL: At the new CLPHA.org, you will find articles and information about the latest developments on Capitol Hill and from HUD, facts and updates about programs important to public and affordable housing, and news from CLPHA about our work on behalf of our members.
USER-FRIENDLY: The new CLPHA.org features sections on each of CLPHA's priorities: Public Housing, Housing Choice Vouchers, Moving to Work, RAD, and our cross-sector initiative Housing Is. Plus, dedicated sections for Legislation & Policy, Press, News & Events, and Membership.
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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.
Experts to Present First National Snapshot of Health Partnerships in Public Housing
Free Webinar Aug. 29, 12 PM ET
WASHINGTON (August 28, 2018) - Half of the nation’s public housing authorities (PHAs) are engaged in a resident health initiative, most with a health organization partner according to Health Starts at Home: A National Snapshot of Public Housing Authorities' Health Partnerships, the latest report released by the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA) and the Public and Affordable Housing Research Corporation (PAHRC). The report provides the first national snapshot of PHA efforts to address residents’ health care needs and emphasizes opportunities for collaboration between the health and housing sectors.
Report authors Steve Lucas, MPH, CLPHA Health Research and Policy Manger for the Housing Is Initiative, Keely Stater, PHD, PAHRC Director of Research and Industry Intelligence, and Kelly McElwain, PAHRC Research Analyst III, will present their analysis during a free webinar on August 29, 2018 at 12:00 PM ET.
“Housing and health systems need to work together,” said Lucas, who designed and implemented the original survey that led to the report. “Public housing authorities are significant providers of housing to those in need, offering the health sector scale and expertise. We found that PHAs across the country are engaged in a wide range of partnerships with different health organizations that address various target populations and health priorities. Though there are barriers to housing-health collaboration, such as funding and staffing capacity, these can be overcome with cross-system partnerships that seek to address these needs.”
Lucas published the initial survey findings in an issue of CityScape, a research publication of the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development. The article, “Connecting Fragmented Systems: Public Housing Authority Partnerships with the Health Sector,” is posted to the HUD User website.
What: Free Webinar: Building PHA Health Initiatives and Cross-Sector Partnerships
When: Wednesday, August 29, 2018, 12:00 PM ET
WEBINAR RECORDING: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5-jm5eF_YU&t=24s
Webinar Presenters
Steve Lucas, MPH
Health Research and Policy Manager, Housing Is Initiative,
Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
Keely Stater, PhD
Director of Research and Industry Intelligence,
Public and Affordable Housing Research Corporation,
HAI Group's Research Division
Kelly McElwain
Research Analyst III,
Public and Affordable Housing Research Corporation,
HAI Group's Research Division
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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 26 percent 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 Housing Is
CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative helps establish, broaden, and deepen efforts to align affordable housing, education, and health systems to produce positive, long-term results. We are building a future where systems work together to improve life outcomes for low-income people. Learn more at HousingIs.org and on Twitter @Housing_Is.
CLPHA Opposes Administration Proposal to Increase Rent Burden on Lowest-Income Residents
WASHINGTON (May 14, 2018) - The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA) strongly opposes the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) recently announced proposal to increase rent burdens on low-income residents residing in public housing and assisted housing.
The core of HUD’s rent reform proposal is to shift the burden of chronic federal underfunding of assisted housing to low-income residents who can least afford it. While there are advantages to a proposal that simplifies rent calculations and reduces administrative burdens for public housing authorities (PHAs), this proposal requires that PHAs raise rents in order to benefit from common sense rent simplification. Even with the benefit of housing assistance, many public housing residents are already spending more than 30% of their income on rent. A 2017 HUD study reported that the average Housing Choice Voucher recipient had a rent burden of 37% in 2015. Nationally, we represent PHAs serving residents in the most expensive housing markets in the country, where voucher holders are especially likely to have to incur high rent burdens to gain access to higher opportunity neighborhoods of their choice.
Given existing rent burdens, this proposal raises serious concerns about the negative impact the proposed rent calculations would have on residents. Through changes to 35% of unadjusted income for families and 30% of unadjusted income for the elderly and disabled, many assisted households would see significant rent increases. For example, the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) estimates that public housing residents would see an average 36% rent increase while Housing Choice Voucher households would experience an average 23% rent increase. With an average annual household income of $21,000 for public housing residents and $16,000 for voucher holders served by HACLA, these increases represent substantial burdens that may interfere with a household’s ability to afford other necessities.
Beyond concerns regarding the fairness of further cost-burdening residents, there is some evidence to suggest that increased rents do not financially benefit PHAs and may have the opposite effect. When the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) implemented a HUD-mandated flat rent increase in 2014, impacted residents experienced an average rent increase of 46%. NYCHA saw their rent collection rate decrease among those impacted by the increase. NYCHA’s experience reflects the reality that increased rent payments only exacerbates affordability issues and puts more residents at risk of delinquency and eviction, resulting in more challenges for PHAs and less predictable revenue.
In addition to our concerns about the impacts of the proposed rent calculations, we note that the timing of these proposed changes are problematic for two reasons. First, some components of the proposal contradict important changes to housing assistance made through the recent federally enacted Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act (HOTMA) in 2016 by unanimous vote of the House and Senate. HUD has yet to publish implementation regulations for some of the key provisions in the bill. For example, HOTMA increased the deduction of medical expenses for elderly and disabled families and tied the deduction to inflation, while HUD’s proposal eliminates these deductions entirely. A significant number of elderly and disabled households currently use medical deductions, many of whom have substantial medical costs. We question the elimination of this deduction particularly when it is already undergoing a very different set of changes through congressionally-mandated HOTMA.
We also question the timing of these proposed changes given the fact that in 2012, HUD commissioned a four-site demonstration from MDRC to study several rent reform elements included in the proposal, including triennial recertification, elimination of income deductions, and ignorable asset limits. One of the research questions the demonstration is explicitly testing is whether these reforms reduce work disincentives and increase family self-sufficiency among families receiving vouchers. With results expected in 2019, HUD should use insights from the study to inform design of a rent reform model that most effectively promotes self-sufficiency.
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About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
CLPHA, headquartered in Washington, D.C., is a non-profit organization working to preserve and improve public and affordable housing through advocacy, research, policy analysis and public education. It represents most of the nation’s largest public housing authorities.
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(202) 550-1381
For Immediate Release
May 11, 2021 |
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(Washington, D.C.) May 11, 2021 – CLPHA Executive Director Sunia Zaterman released the following statement supporting the New York City Housing Authority’s call to double the public housing infrastructure investment proposed in the American Jobs Plan to $80 billion:
“The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities urges the Senate Majority Leader to stand firm on his call to double the public housing infrastructure investment in the American Jobs Plan to $80 billion in his meeting today with President Biden, Speaker Pelosi and GOP leadership.
“The New York City Housing Authority deserves its fair share of Senator Schumer’s request since it serves nearly double the amount of residents than any other housing authority, and its housing portfolio is among the oldest in the nation. Decades of chronic disinvestment has driven its unmet capital repairs alone to $40 billion. The $80 billion request enjoys critical support from Congresswoman Nydia Valezquez (D-NY) and the NYC-area Congressional delegation. This investment would also be a significant step to addressing racial inequity, a key priority of the Biden administration.
“As the American Jobs Plan moves through the legislative process, political leaders must guarantee that housing will remain in the infrastructure bill and that the commitment to recapitalize public housing infrastructure be doubled to $80 billion so that the needs of NYCHA and public housing portfolios across the nation are adequately met.”
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About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative |
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April 28, 2021
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(Washington, D.C.) April 28, 2021 – CLPHA Executive Director Sunia Zaterman released the following statement in response to President's Biden's joint address to Congress tonight to mark his first 100 days in office:
"President Biden’s commitment to investing in our nation’s future through the American Jobs Plan and the American Families Plan, which was released tonight, has the potential to lift the lives of more than 2 million families living in our nation’s public and affordable housing. The American Jobs Plan improves the lives of public housing residents through a $40 billion commitment to retrofit and rebuild public housing properties to 21st century codes and standards.
"The American Families Plan improves the lives of public housing residents by expanding access to quality pre-school, direct support to children and families through child care, and investing of the childcare workforce, of which many public housing residents are employed. Because public housing residents are often employed in low-wage positions that do not offer paid leave they will be among the many beneficiaries of the national comprehensive paid family and medical leave program in the Families Plan.
"Public housing has always been about more than buildings. It is about the hopes and dreams of millions of Americans. The combination of the American Jobs Plan and American Families Plan is a powerful offer to make those dreams a reality."
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About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative |
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April 22, 2021
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About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative |
In this December 27, 2018 article by Bruce Japsen for Forbes.com, CLPHA Executive Director Sunia Zaterman discusses the importance of cross-sector collaborations between housing and health care to improve life outcomes for low-income families and seniors.
“We’re housers with expertise in the management and operation of affordable housing for low-income families and seniors, but we are not experts in the complexities of health care service delivery,” Zaterman said. “That’s why nearly all of the public housing authorities we surveyed work with a partner to provide health services. Most would do more if they had the funding and resources to commit to their health partnerships.”
Anthony Scott, CEO of Durham Housing Authority (left) and A. Fulton Meachem, President & CEO of Charlotte Housing Authority (right) in Durham, NC.
CLPHA is pleased to see that our members are visiting each other’s communities to share knowledge, ideas, and best practices for preserving and strengthening their public housing portfolios and resident services.
In August, the Charlotte Housing Authority (CHA) hosted the Durham Housing Authority (DHA) and Durham city officials on a bus tour of Charlotte public housing properties. The Durham delegation also met with CHA staff, board members, and residents to discuss how Charlotte is transforming its housing portfolio and resident services through entrepreneurial efforts in real estate development, bond programs, property management, and family self-sufficiency programs. You can watch a video slideshow of the Charlotte & Durham meeting here.
In October, residents, staff, and board members from the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority (MPHA) traveled to Cambridge, MA to meet with Cambridge Housing Authority staff and tour public housing communities. MPHA learned from Cambridge about their ongoing, comprehensive public housing transformation financed through the RAD program, Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, and other funding tools. In a post-trip recap, MPHA said their residents expressed the importance of seeing and hearing for themselves that these programs did not result in displacement. In fact, said MPHA, “CHA residents were often able to simply move units and continue living in their building even as the work proceeded around them.” You can watch a video about MPHA’s trip to Cambridge here.
Representatives from the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority on a bus tour of Cambridge Housing Authority properties.
The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP)will redevelop the vacant Larimer School, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, into 35 affordable housing units. This project is part of HACP’s larger Larimer/East Liberty Choice Neighborhoods redevelopment plan.
The Otto Bremer Trust awarded a $100,000 grant and a $500,000 low-interest loan to the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority (MPHA). MPHA will use the loan to support housing authority operations for its 6,000 public housing units and will use the grant to fund construction of the 16-unit Minnehaha Townhomes, slated to open in 2019.
From Hoodline San Jose:
San Jose welcomed a new affordable housing option for young adults leaving the foster care system. The Sunrise Pavilion, with 43 pet-friendly apartments, has opened its doors to individuals aged 18 to 24. It offers permanent and transitional housing solutions targeted at Santa Clara County's transitional-age youth (TAY).
Developed by Jamboree Housing in collaboration with the Santa Clara County Housing Authority, the project aims to provide residents with a safe and stable environment. According to the California Department of Housing and Community Development, more than half of the homes at Sunrise Pavilion are assigned for permanent supportive housing. At the same time, the remaining units serve as transitional spaces that help youth acquire the necessary skills for independent living.
Sunrise Pavilion is not just about putting a roof over heads; it's a supportive community. On-site services, including career counseling and wireless internet access, are readily available. The Bill Wilson Center, alongside Community Solutions, is on deck to provide counseling and crisis management services. These, in tandem with career development programs by Housing with Heart, funded by Santa Clara County’s Office of Supportive Housing, are intended to ease the path forward for residents.
Read Hoodline San Jose's article "San Jose Unveils Sunrise Pavilion: New Affordable Housing for Former Foster Youth in Santa Clara County."
From the Chicago Housing Authority's website:
CHA’s summer 2025 youth employment opportunities have provided more than 2,300 young residents, ages 13-24, with paid summer jobs, offering early exposure to career and education pathways and opportunities that stem potential summer learning loss.
This year’s highlights include:
CHA Internship Program: CHA’s 2025 Student Intern Class is a group of 27 CHA residents who are enrolled in colleges around the country. Together, they are working across the agency’s Departments, bringing their unique academic backgrounds, professional experiences, and real-world perspectives to help the agency thrive.
Hyde Park Arts Center Mural Project: In Hyde Park, 11 CHA students are working alongside mural artist Dorian Sylvain to design and render an exterior large-scale painted mural on the Hyde Park Art Center.
Summer of Code: Through a partnership with Everyone Can Code Chicago, 16 CHA youth are spending their summer building a foundation in programming fundamentals, gaining practical experience in creating a basic iOS app from scratch.
New research from the Urban Institute explores the strong link between the availability of affordable housing and the prevalence of student homelessness across U.S. counties. Over the past 17 years, the number of homeless students in pre-K through 12th grade has surged by nearly 80%, reaching around 1.2 million. These students face significant educational barriers, such as chronic absenteeism and lower graduation rates. The study emphasizes that housing insecurity undermines psychological stability and upward mobility, making it harder for families to escape poverty. Using data from the Upward Mobility Data Dashboard, the researchers found a consistent negative correlation between the supply of affordable housing and student homelessness, especially among households with extremely low incomes.
The analysis highlights stark contrasts between counties with high and low levels of affordable housing. For instance, Roanoke County, Virginia, which has a robust supply of affordable housing for very low-income households, reports only 0.4% of students experiencing homelessness. In contrast, San Luis Obispo County, California, meets less than one-third of its housing needs for similar households and has a student homelessness rate of 8.8%. These findings underscore the importance of local housing conditions in shaping educational and social outcomes for children and youth.
To address these challenges, the report recommends several policy interventions. These include enacting tenant protections like just-cause eviction policies, expanding the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program, reforming restrictive zoning laws, and supporting manufactured housing communities.
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From the City of New York's press release:
New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) Acting Commissioner Ahmed Tigani today announced “Liberty Link,” a groundbreaking program that will deliver high-quality internet to thousands of low-income New Yorkers in 100-percent affordable housing buildings at little to no cost to tenants. Through the pilot program — which is being led by HPD and the New York Public Library (NYPL) system — NYPL will connect the buildings to fiber internet and deploy building-wide Wi-Fi infrastructure. With $3.25 million in funding from HPD, the pilot internet network will serve nearly 2,200 households across 35 affordable housing buildings in the Bronx and Upper Manhattan. Additionally, as part of Liberty Link, tenants will have access to HPD’s “Neighborhood Tech Help” program, a one-on-one digital literacy program launched earlier this year to help New Yorkers connect to the internet, use technology, and navigate online resources. Today’s announcement reaffirms Mayor Adams’ commitment to closing the digital divide in New York City and making sure that every New Yorker has affordable access to the internet. In 2022, the Adams administration launched “Big Apple Connect” to bring access to free internet and cable to 330,000 New Yorkers across 220 NYCHA facilities and save working-class families an average of roughly $1,700 per year. With Liberty Link — which was first previewed in Mayor Adams’ State of the City address earlier this year — the Adams administration will double down on those efforts and deliver an essential, free service to even more New Yorkers.
“Whether it’s finding a job, filling a prescription, or applying for child care, the internet is no longer a luxury; it’s an essential service. But when we came into office, too many New Yorkers were disconnected from the internet, which is why we launched our ‘Big Apple Connect’ program to bring free broadband to hundreds of thousands of NYCHA residents. Today, we are doubling down on those efforts and expanding our free Wi-Fi services to thousands of new Section 8 and affordable housing tenants with ‘Liberty Link,’” said Mayor Adams. “‘Liberty Link’ will build on the success of ‘Big Apple Connect’ and give over 2,000 more households the free internet they need. We will help more working-class New Yorkers save on the cost of this vital service, put money back into their pockets, and deliver, once again, on our commitment to create a more affordable city for working-class families.”
“Access to reliable, high-speed internet is a fundamental necessity in today’s world. With ‘Liberty Link,’ we are extending the reach of our digital equity work to ensure that more New Yorkers, regardless of income or zip code, can fully participate in our economy and society,” said Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce Adolfo Carrión, Jr. “This program is about ensuring equal opportunity and creating a more connected and inclusive city.”
“At HPD, we talk a lot about housing as a foundation. But today is about what we build on top of that foundation: access to jobs, education, health care — all of which increasingly depend on access to the internet,” said HPD Acting Commissioner Tigani. “For the families we serve, the internet isn’t a luxury — it’s how you find a job, get your kids through school, stay connected to health care and community. With ‘Liberty Link,’ we’re meeting people where they are and removing a barrier that’s held too many New Yorkers back for far too long.”
“Part of the Library’s mission is to promote free access to information, and in today’s digital world that means internet access,” said Anthony W. Marx, president, The New York Public Library. “From applying to jobs to staying informed, the internet is increasingly necessary to fully participate in society. This is why we are so committed to closing the digital divide and proud to help spearhead this innovative program designed to deliver free at-home Wi-Fi to lower-income New Yorkers.”
The Liberty Link pilot program will run for three years and test a range of models and technologies to identify the most effective and scalable approaches for a citywide expansion. As part of the Adams administration’s efforts to increase investments in minority- and women-owned business enterprises (M/WBEs), approximately half of the pilot’s funding will be awarded to M/WBEs to install, maintain, and operate the network infrastructure. Network design and procurement will begin this summer, with service rollout expected to begin by the end of 2025.
Liberty Link will operate in 35 buildings with 100-percent affordable housing across the Bronx and Upper Manhattan. These buildings include properties owned by non-profit housing providers such as Comunilife, JASA, Lantern Community Services, Lutheran Social Services, PIBLY Residential Programs, Services for the Underserved, and Urban Pathways. Many residents of these buildings participate in the Section 8 rental assistance program and currently face barriers to internet access.
Liberty Link builds on the Adams administration’s continued investment in closing the city’s digital divide and delivering public services that meet the needs of New Yorkers where they live. Mayor Adams originally launched Big Apple Connect in September 2022 to provide residents of New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) developments with a free bundle that consists of in-home, high-speed internet connection, basic cable TV service, and access to common area Wi-Fi hotspots, selected in consultation with NYCHA. After a first phase that reached more than 90,000 households across 135 NYCHA developments, the Adams administration has steadily expanded Big Apple Connect to reach 150,000 households, and 330,000 total New Yorkers, citywide across 220 NYCHA facilities.