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!
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
###
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.
###
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.
Web tool targets idea-sharing and improves cross-sector
collaboration to help low-income families
April 28, 2021
|
(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."
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative |
||
April 22, 2021
|
About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative |
April 9, 2021
|
About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative |
Today, CLPHA Executive Director Sunia Zaterman was quoted in Affordable Housing Finance discussing how the shutdown threatens the stability of low-income households. Though HUD has prepared payments for housing vouchers and the public housing operating subsidy through February, Zaterman notes that the “existential threat” for voucher holders looms given the uncertainty of when the shutdown will end. If housing authorities cannot utilize HUD funding after February, there is a risk that that they will not be able to pay landlords and that landlords will subsequently begin to evict voucher-holding tenants.
Zaterman added that as HUD funding remains suspended due to the shutdown, local housing authorities are growing increasingly concerned about how they will maintain properties, make repairs, and pay employees.
CLPHA will continue our advocacy in support of PHAs and will provide members with additional news about the shutdown as we learn it.
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.
From Delaware Public Media:
The Wilmington Housing Authority’s Wellness Checker Program made over 5,000 wellness check calls during the program's first year.
The program to promote the health and wellbeing of senior residents in Wilmington Housing Authority buildings was free of charge to residents from WHA in collaboration with Mayor Mike Purzycki and Councilwoman Zanthia Oliver.
The program is designed to ensure WHA senior residents are doing well by offering companionship and support, health reminders, regular training and confidentiality and safety.
"You figure somebody is checking on you, make sure you're okay, have you had your medicine, talking about support services, so you need me to call anybody,” said Oliver. “Whatever the issue is, the checker is able to put it in the system, make a call back, maybe for their medicine, maybe for some food. It's just a hands-on resource."
Six Wellness Checker Volunteers make regular wellness check calls to 72 senior and disabled residents across various high-rise buildings.
Read Delaware Public Media's article "WHA Wellness Checker Program provided help for seniors in first year."
From the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority's press release:
2024 is proving to be a banner year for the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA).
CMHA announced today it has closed on financing and will move forward with its plan to build the new Cobblestone Manner community, located at 1050 Lamplighter Drive roughly eight miles south of Columbus, marking the agency’s first-ever development in its 90-year history in Grove City.
The $28.6 million, 82-unit apartment complex will serve low- and fixed-income senior citizens and is tentatively expected to begin construction in September with a grand opening anticipated in 2026.
The new Grove City investment also has helped CMHA surpass an agency record-setting total of $195 million in annual real estate transactions for 2024.
“CMHA’s activities this year have accomplished an unprecedented social and economic impact on our region at a time when the demand for housing at all income levels is at an all-time high in Central Ohio,” said CMHA President and CEO Charles Hillman.
“The need for affordable housing is especially critical for seniors in Franklin County because our elderly population is significantly increasing and is projected to grow for the foreseeable future,” Hillman said.
Studies show safe and stable housing can reduce stress and improve physical and mental health outcomes. Research by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) shows that affordable housing for seniors can lead to lower hospitalization rates and annual healthcare cost savings of $1,300 per person.
“Our aim with Cobblestone Manor is to promote healthy aging by offering rents that are reasonably priced to lower-income older adults and allowing them to have money left each month to pay for other life necessities,” said Hillman. “Providing affordable housing can help seniors free up resources to spend on other essential needs, like healthcare and food.”
Similar to many Central Ohio suburbs, Grove City’s population increased rapidly during the 1960s and 1970s and has continued to see steady growth. Between 1960 and 2020, the population of Grove City rose from 8,107 to 42,366, based on census data. According to GroveCity2050, the population is expected to increase by at least 15,000 more people by 2050. City officials have noticed a change in demographics in the rising population and are now making housing decisions to meet these needs.
According to the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission’s Insight2050 initiative, the fastest-growing age groups in Grove City are those under the age of 35 and over the age of 55. As of August 07, 2024, Grove City has 12 affordable housing complexes, including 188 federally subsidized section 8 apartments and 755 approved low-income housing units.
CMHA’s introduction of Cobblestone Manor represents a much-needed addition to Grove City’s senior housing inventory.
When construction is completed, the property’s single, three-story building will include 22 apartments reserved for residents below 80% of the Columbus area median income ($55,550 for a one-person household). The remaining 60 apartments will be covered by a federally funded project-based voucher contract that will serve residents designated as extremely low-income below 30% of the area median income ($19,700 for a one-person household).
Cobblestone Manor will offer an array of amenities to its residents, including a fitness center, a community room with a coffee bar, a library, a computer room, a flex-space room, a large covered outdoor patio overlooking a pond, and a paved walking trail that will surround the property.
The CMHA Board of Commissioners voted in April to authorize the issuance and sale of $17 million in general revenue bonds to construct the Cobblestone Manor. Columbus-based Elford Construction will serve as general contractor for the project.
Additional funding support for Cobblestone Manor came from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development ($4.5 million), Ohio Housing Finance Authority ($2 million) and the Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing ($9.1 million).
CMHA cites studies that have shown the average age of residents moving into an elderly housing facility is at least 74 years. Recent surveys indicate that 25% of all residents in federally assisted elderly housing need some level of supportive services.
That’s why CMHA will prioritize promoting awareness and encouraging Cobblestone Manor residents to utilize the services offered through CMHA’s RISE (Resident Initiatives for Success & Empowerment) Center. The nonprofit RISE Center, which opened in 2021, is a centralized hub of collaborative services designed to connect Franklin County residents to valuable resources—empowering them to identify, pursue, and achieve their goals.
To further support Cobblestone Manor residents, CMHA has confirmed a formal relationship with the YMCA of Central Ohio that is focused on catering to the needs of the seniors who will be housed within the development. CMHA research shows most older persons have at least one chronic condition and many have multiple conditions. The most frequently diagnosed conditions are arthritis, hypertension, heart disease, hearing impairments, orthopedic impairments, diabetes, cataracts, and other visual impairments.
The RISE staff also will work with other community organizations to coordinate on-site events and activities such as resource fairs, digital literacy programs, and health clinics.
CMHA’s most recent investments come amid a well-documented shortage of affordable housing in central Ohio.
Only 29 affordable housing units are available for every 100 extremely low-income households in the Columbus and Franklin County area. In Franklin County, roughly 54,000 families spend more than half of their income on housing, according to the Affordable Housing Alliance of Central Ohio (AHACO).
Rents nationally have risen 14% overall since 2021, going up much more than wages, according to U.S. Census data. Experts say the spike is partly due to landlords making up for their inability to raise rents during the COVID-19 pandemic and current vacancy rates at their lowest point in 35 years, census data show.
From the Chicago Housing Authority's press release:
Nearly 60 schools locally and from across the country were represented Tuesday at the Take Flight College Send-Off – the largest turnout in the event’s 14-year history with 200 incoming freshman being provided a fond farwell at Huntington Bank Stadium Club days before leaving for college.
Students received words of encouragement and parting gifts, as they embark on the next chapter.
“While CHA youth may receive financial aid to pay for tuition, they still face a significant gap between their financial aid award and their family’s ability to pay the cost of other out-of-pocket expenses,” CHA CEO Tracey Scott said. “Take Flight meets a critical need by providing students with dorm room necessities such as linens, towels, toiletries and school supplies."
The students also received a surprise - free laptops, courtesy of AT&T.
The CHA trunk party was made possible thanks to the generous sponsorship support of AT&T, Molina Healthcare, Meijer, Enterprise, and SnapChat. The event was hosted by Springboard to Succes, CHA’s non-profit partner.
Among the national schools represented were Spelman University, Gettysburg College, Texas Southern and Connecticut College. The breakdown of the local school representation:
- 8 are attending Eastern Illinois
- 13 are attending Western Illinois
- 15 are attending U of I Champaign Urbana
- 20 are attending Northern Illinois
- And a whopping 49 are attending Illinois State
Among the Take Flight participants was Lanya Scott, who got a full scholarship to Loyola University to study nursing. She was inspired by her grandmother, who she’d take to doctor’s appointments when she was a young girl of six years old.
“Watching how doctors helped my grandmother, I want to help and inform others as much as I can,” said Lanya, who grew up in the Austin neighborhood and graduated from North-Grand High School.
Tatiana Belcastro, who will be attending University of Illinois this year, is on the pre-law track and will major in Psychology amd minor in Criminology. She said CHA and the Take Flight event makes her feel supported.
“It feels good knowing there are people I can turn to when things get rough,” she said.
Tristan Smith, who won both an academic and basketball scholarship from Clarke University in Dubuque, Iowa, said: “I’ve been preparing myself for this since I started high school. My family is real big on education. My dad was telling me he loves me playing basketball. He always told me when the ball stops bouncing, focus on education, be successful and make a lot of money.”
From the District of Columbia Housing Authority's website:
More than 100 DC Housing Authority youth residents spent Tuesday at the Washington Commanders Training Camp with franchise legend, Darrell Green.
With the support of the Green Family Foundation, the DCHA youth residents traveled to OrthoVirginia Training Center at Commanders Park in Ashburn, Va.
“A visit to Commanders Training Camp was a chance for DCHA youth to have some fun, and more importantly, it provided an example of teamwork, dedication and leadership,” said Green, who played 20 seasons with the Washington team before retiring in 2002. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to show our kids how to be a leader on and off the field.”
Open to youth residents throughout DCHA’s public housing communities, participants, who ranged in age from 10- to 18-years old, watched the Commanders practice, and met and got autographs from players, including Terry McLaurin, Tyler Owens, Tariq Castro-Fields, Percy Butler, Ben Nikkel and more.
Green, an NFL Hall of Fame cornerback whose jersey number will soon be retired by the Commanders, signed autographs for every youth resident.
The Commanders also provided a boxed lunch, refreshments and a swag bag with team gear to all DCHA youth attendees.
“Like many in the city, I have been a fan of Darrell Green for years. His talents on the football field helped make him a household name, though I’m most inspired by his commitment to empowering our youth,” said DCHA Executive Director Keith Pettigrew. “Thank you to Darrell and the Green Family Foundation for embracing DCHA and making a positive impact on our youth residents, and thank you to the Commanders for making this visit extra special for our kids.”
From the Housing Authority of the City of San Bernardino's newsletter:
The City of San Bernardino and HACSB are partnering to bring electric vehicle (EV) charging stations to the next phase of housing development at the Arrowhead Grove housing community in San Bernardino. In July, the project was selected to receive a $1.4 million award through the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) Carbon Reduction Program. This award will support the construction of 16 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations and 32 additional EV-ready spaces for future installation.
“We are proud to partner with the City of San Bernardino on this project, and thrilled that the project was selected to receive a funding award through the SCAG Carbon Reduction Program,” said Maria Razo, Executive Director of the Housing Authority of the County of San Bernardino. “All 16 of the EV charging stations, including four fast charger stations, will be strategically located to provide public access, ensuring that these new chargers serve residents of Arrowhead Grove and the surrounding neighborhood. Additionally, 32 more parking spaces will be built EV-ready to allow for future installation of charging stations when additional funding is available. This is a positive step toward preparing our communities for the future and we are excited to be able to bring this feature to the community.”
Arrowhead Grove is a former 1940’s Public Housing community that has been redeveloped in phases. Three phases of housing have been completed so far, and planning is now in progress for the fourth phase of housing redevelopment and development of a Community Resource Center. Construction of the fourth phase, including the EV charging stations, is anticipated to begin as early as 2025, contingent on availability of funding.