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.
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David Greer
Director of Communications
(202) 550-1381 or dgreer@clpha.org.
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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.
Web tool targets idea-sharing and improves cross-sector
collaboration to help low-income families
April 9, 2021
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About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative |
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(202) 550-1381
For Immediate Release
March 31, 2021 |
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(Washington, D.C.) March 31, 2021 – Sunia Zaterman, executive director of the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities, released the following statement upon President Biden’s announcement of the American Jobs Plan:
“The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities applauds President Biden’s transformative American Jobs Plan to reimagine and rebuild the American economy by centering housing as key to accomplishing the administration’s top priorities of economic impact, racial equity, and climate change. The $213 billion to produce, preserve, and retrofit more than one million housing units, with $40 billion targeted at the long-neglected public housing capital needs, is the size and scale that can move the needle on improving public housing infrastructure. CLPHA has called for a 10-year road map to recapitalize the public housing portfolio.
“The centrality of public and affordable housing means its impact reaches beyond shelter. It is also critical to other key elements of the American jobs plan including expanding broadband, improving childcare, and increasing health care opportunities. Public housing authorities are the most efficient delivery mechanism for these critical services because of their understanding of local needs, especially the needs of underserved communities of color. Public housing authorities stand ready to implement the bill when it becomes law.
CLPHA will work closely with Congress to ensure that the housing provisions are fully funded and remain central to the bill.”
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About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative |
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March 11, 2021
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(Washington, D.C.) March 11, 2021 – Sunia Zaterman, executive director of the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities, released the following statement upon President Biden’s signing of the American Rescue Plan Act into law:
“The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities applauds President Biden for signing into law the groundbreaking American Rescue Plan Act. When combined with the $25 billion in emergency rental assistance in the previous relief bill, the total $45 billion in emergency rental assistance and $5 billion to prevent homelessness is scaled to the enormous scope of the rental crisis with more than 11 million renters behind on rent. The law is also historic in nature as it represents the largest federal investment since the creation of the Great Society programs more than 55 years ago, which launched what is now known as the Housing Choice Voucher program. Estimates show that the American Rescue Plan Act’s war on poverty will reduce the projected poverty rate this year by half. This historic investment in alleviating poverty and expanding housing opportunities constitutes one of the most significant steps towards ending racial inequity since the legislation passed during the Civil Rights Era.
"The American Rescue Plan acknowledges that housing stability for all Americans is essential to the economic well-being, racial equity, and public health of the nation. While this legislation directs critical federal investment to pandemic relief, new transformational federal investments will be needed to address the affordable housing crisis that was only exacerbated by the pandemic, including a 10-year roadmap to recapitalize the public housing portfolio and a permanent and significant expansion of the Housing Choice Voucher program.
"CLPHA looks forward to working with the Biden-Harris administration to make stable housing a reality for all Americans."
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About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative |
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The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles alongside partner Meta Housing Corporation, opened El Segundo Apartments and 127th Street Apartments in Harbor Gateway, two new communities offering a combined 160 units of permanent supportive housing for formerly homeless families and individuals.
The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA), partner Red Eye, Inc., and celebrity guests celebrated the opening of the Watts Empowerment Center Sports Complex at HACLA’s Imperial Courts community with basketball games, soccer matches, a slam dunk contest, and other activities.
Fort Worth Housing Solutions (FWHS)President Mary-Margaret Lemons penned an op-ed in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram about FWHS’s efforts to increase the city’s affordable housing options, such as their utilization of the RAD program.
The District of Columbia Housing Authority (DCHA) and partners cut the ribbon on the Residences at Hayes Street, a 150-unit affordable housing community constructed with help from a $2 million DCHA loan. DCHA will also provide nearly $241,000 annually in rent subsidies to residents.
The Charlotte Housing Authority has opened The Oaks at Cherry, an 81-unit affordable housing community with resident amenities such a playground, cyber café, and fitness center in Charlotte’s historic Cherry neighborhood. You can watch a video about The Oaks at Cherry community here.
From the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation's website:
At Alaska Housing Finance Corporation’s Anchorage Family Investment Center, more than 20 staff work to connect families to housing and help Alaska Housing tenants identify resources like childcare, job training and education opportunities.
The AFIC is one of three AHFC family investment centers in Alaska, offering in-person and remote support for the thousands of families who utilize an AHFC housing voucher or reside in an Alaska Housing property.
Michael, a case manager with AHFC’s Jumpstart, is a member of this team. For the last decade, he’s worked to support families by helping them to identify barriers to self-sufficiency and develop goals and objectives to overcome these obstacles.
“I enjoy meeting people from different backgrounds, getting to know them and helping them toward their goals.”
From the King County Housing Authority:
After foster care ended, Jonas faced homelessness, hunger, and life-threatening health struggles. What changed everything was access to a federally-funded Foster Youth to Independence (FYI) Voucher, providing him with safe and stable housing and the foundation to rebuild his life.
Jonas’ story shows that housing isn’t just shelter—it’s stability, opportunity, and hope. Programs like FYI housing assistance are critical in helping youth transition successfully out of foster care and into independence.
FYI housing vouchers are funded by the federal government through the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) and administered by local Public Housing Authorities like KCHA.
From the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles' press release:
Nancy Lieberman Charities (NLC) has teamed up with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Monica, BEVEL & P&G, and the BIG3, to present a new Dream Court™ to the Santa Monica community. The outdoor basketball court, located at the Jack & Cindy Jones Youth Center at the Mar Vista Gardens Boys & Girls Club, was donated by NLC and BEVEL – the first and only head-to-toe grooming brand crafted for Black & Brown men. This is the 134th Dream Court™ established by NLC, and will provide a safe place for youth to play basketball, build positive relationships, and much more.
"I speak for all of us when I say that we could not be more honored to unveil another Dream Court™ for the community of Mar Vista Gardens,” said NLC Founder and Chairwoman, Nancy Lieberman. “Through this amazing partnership with P&G and the BIG3, NLC has been able to provide courts to communities that deeply desire a space to come together to learn and grow through the game of basketball. BEVEL aligns precisely with the values held by Dream Courts, the Boys & Girls Club, and the BIG3, and we couldn’t have imagined better partners.”
The Dream Court™ is a high school regulation size (50-by-84 feet) and includes two new basketball goals. It features a high-performance PowerGame™ surface from Sport Court in dark blue and steel blue with the Dream Court™, Boys & Girls Clubs and BEVEL logos. This is the 5th Dream Court™ in California, following the next most recent court, the Kobe and Gianna Legacy Court in Anaheim, CA, in partnership with the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation, established in 2022. Dream Courts serve more than 5.5 million youth annually.
"It’s a privilege to be able to provide another Dream Court™ alongside Nancy Lieberman Charities, P&G, and Boys and Girls Club of Mar Vista,” said BIG3 CEO and Co-Founder Ice Cube. “You don’t have to be an expert to know what kind of impact a space like this has on children. Having a safe, fun, professional-grade space to play makes kids feel valued and empowered. Nancy Lieberman Charities has impacted millions of lives through the Dream Courts initiative, and I thank Nancy, our friends at BEVEL, and the great people at the Boys and Girls Clubs for helping to make this Dream Court™ a reality.”
“At BEVEL, we believe grooming and greatness go hand in hand—and that means showing up for our communities far beyond the bathroom mirror,” said Vice President of Marketing at BEVEL, Breann Satterwhite. “Partnering with Nancy Lieberman Charities, the BIG3, and the Boys & Girls Club of Mar Vista to bring this Dream Court™ to life is an extension of our commitment to creating spaces where young people feel seen, supported, and empowered to thrive. We’re proud to be part of something that inspires confidence and connection, on and off the court.”
After a dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony, kids practiced their skills on their new club court. BIG3 players were on site to share their expertise along with coaches from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Monica.
“This Club location is an access point for hundreds of local kids to get active,” said Brynja Seagren, Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Monica’s CEO. “We are very grateful for this meaningful gift. Dream Court™ will be home to our youth basketball leagues, healthy lifestyle programming, and countless pickup games. It will be a place where our club kids can just be kids – running, playing, laughing, and growing together in a safe space.”
"Mar Vista Gardens is one of HACLA’s many vibrant public housing communities—home to nearly 1,800 residents including almost 600 kids and teens," said HACLA President & CEO Lourdes Castro Ramirez. "We are proud to celebrate the grand opening of this Dream Court, made possible through our partnership with the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Monica and the generous support from Nancy Lieberman charities, BIG3, and BEVEL. This court will be a space for our residents to gather, be active, build skills and strengthen connections. In a time where too much screen time challenges the health of our children, this court is an investment in their well-being, confidence, and future."
This event was part of the BIG3’s Los Angeles weekend, including the final regular-season matchups at Intuit Dome on August 9, and the YOUNG3 community outreach event on August 8. Tip-off was at 1pm PT, and the Los Angeles Riot played their first-ever home game at 2pm. Fans experienced four, 50-minute fast-paced and physical BIG3 games featuring stars like Dwight Howard, Michael Beasley, and Glen Rice Jr, and Naismith Basketball Hall of Famers like Lieberman, Dr. J, Gary Payton, and George Gervin.
From the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority's press release:
Today, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, Hennepin County Commissioner Angela Conley, State Senator Doron Clark, and Councilmember Michael Rainville joined MPHA leaders and residents in Northeast Minneapolis to break ground on MPHA’s Spring Manor redevelopment project, the largest public housing redevelopment in city history.
This $78 million project will preserve 221 units across two neighboring buildings, investing more than $30 million in direct capital improvements to the existing buildings, while also constructing a new four-story building that will create 15 new deeply affordable units designed for residents needing mobility accessibility features (nine one-bedroom and six two-bedroom units). Additionally, the agency will build a one-story structure that will connect 828 Spring to the new building, 824 Spring Street NE.
“Today we have the honor to break ground on the largest public housing redevelopment project in the city’s history,” said Abdi Warsame, Executive Director/CEO of the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority. “This $78 million dollar project will fully rehabilitate 221 units across two existing buildings, preserving them for decades. [And] in addition to making accessibility upgrades to existing units, MPHA is also building 15 new, fully accessible units so residents can age in place with dignity in the community they love.”
“Everyone deserves a safe, comfortable, affordable place to call home,” said U.S. Senator Tina Smith. “Without one, nothing in your life works – not your job, not your health, not your education, or your family. The Spring Manor redevelopment, led by the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority, is turning residents’ ideas and needs into lasting investments for their future. That means clean water will continue to run from the taps, the lights will stay on, the air will stay cool in the summer, and the internet will be easier to access. Thanks to MPHA’s work and the advocacy of the people living there, residents will know they can stay here comfortably and affordably for the long haul.”
“Spring Manor is the largest public housing redevelopment in Minneapolis history — and it’s happening right here in Northeast,” said Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. “We’re maintaining and upgrading homes for 200 seniors, while adding new, deeply affordable housing and modern community spaces that keep people rooted in the neighborhood they love. This project proves that when we work together, big things happen and lives change.”
From the City of Boston's press release:
Mayor Michelle Wu announced $200,000 in funding for the SHORE-UP pilot (“Stabilizing Housing for Our Resident Elders Under Pressure”), a program designed to keep vulnerable older adults in their homes until they can access permanent homes that they can afford. As Boston’s population ages and more seniors become vulnerable to eviction and displacement, the City will use the SHORE-UP pilot to explore effective ways to enable eligible older adults from Boston to remain in their homes for long enough to access subsidized housing off existing affordable waiting lists.
“Our older residents have built Boston over their decades of leadership and neighborhood activism, and they continue to anchor our communities,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “We must continue to find every resource to support our seniors staying and thriving across Boston. This program will help keep older adults in our neighborhoods, close to their friends and families, with a pathway to long-term affordable housing.”
Many of Boston’s older adults are on extremely low fixed incomes, with 21 percent of Boston residents age 65 or older living below the poverty level. Among Boston households led by these seniors, more than a third (35 percent) are severely cost-burdened: approximately 10,000 senior households spend more than half their modest income on housing. At the same time, waiting lists for subsidized affordable housing are long, and residents are often not admitted on timelines that match their immediate housing crises. More than 11,000 seniors are currently housed across BHA housing opportunities, but approximately 10,000 seniors 65 and older are on the Boston Housing Authority (BHA) waitlist today. BHA funds roughly 7,000 units of housing designated for the elderly and disabled community, between public housing (about 3,000 units) and buildings supported by project-based vouchers (about 4,000 units).
The SHORE-UP pilot would allow eligible older adults from Boston who are facing eviction or displacement to temporarily remain in their homes, by helping to bridge the gap between their incomes and their rents, while they await approval for long-term subsidized housing. Low-income older adults participating in this bridge subsidy program would pay up to 30% of their income towards rent, mortgage, or other housing costs, with the bridge subsidy making up the difference. This approach will prevent the spiral of negative physical and mental health impacts that often accompany an older adult being plunged into homelessness even for a short period.
The City of Boston, including the Mayor’s Office of Housing, Age Strong, and the Planning Department, along with the Boston Housing Authority (BHA), will work in collaboration with Mass Senior Action Council, the Mass Coalition for the Homeless, individual Boston seniors, and other non-profit organizations to shape the pilot program. Having the voices of older residents at the table, contributing ideas and sharing lived experiences will help build a program model that best meets the needs of Boston’s older residents.
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“The most difficult part of our work is the gap between how many people on our waitlist need an affordable home and how many we can serve,” said BHA Administrator Kenzie Bok. “We are thrilled to partner with the Mayor, city departments, and advocates for our most vulnerable seniors to identify situations where a small bridge subsidy would make all the difference for older adults until we can welcome them into our homes.”