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!
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(202) 550-1381
For Immediate Release
March 4, 2021 |
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(Washington, D.C.) March 4, 2021 – Sunia Zaterman, executive director of the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities, released the following statement urging the swift passage of the American Rescue Plan Act in the U.S. Senate: “The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities calls for the Senate to pass the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, which includes desperately needed $30 billion in emergency rental assistance, $5 billion in single-use vouchers, and a significant extension of the eviction moratorium. “This legislation is critical to addressing the rental crisis facing the nation. The situation has only grown more dire since the Biden Administration announced the American Rescue Plan in mid-January. Renters have continued to accrue past-due rent at an alarmingly high rate. While the eviction moratorium has provided important protections for renters financially impacted by the pandemic, the moratorium has meant that millions of renters have accumulated significant arrears. Economists estimate that unpaid rent at the end of January 2021 totals $52 billion, which amounts to $5,600 for the average renter. “The $5 billion in emergency housing vouchers will help transition persons-at-risk and homeless persons to stable housing. Emergency rental assistance is not only vital to renters, but its impact on the economy and public health is far-reaching. The Senate must act swiftly to provide emergency rental assistance and prevent a wave of evictions and housing instability that will tragically disrupt the lives of millions of Americans.” |
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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
February 27, 2021 |
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(Washington, D.C.) February 27, 2021 – Sunia Zaterman, executive director of the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities, released the following statement upon tonight’s passage of the American Rescue Plan Act in the U.S. House of Representatives:
“The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities applauds the House of Representatives' bipartisan passage of the American Rescue Plan Act, which includes $35 billion in emergency rental and utility assistance and a significant extension of the eviction moratorium.
“This legislation is critical to address the rental crisis facing the nation. The situation has only grown worse since the Biden Administration announced the American Rescue Plan in mid-January. Renters have continued to accrue past-due rent at an alarmingly high rate. While the eviction moratorium has provided important protections for renters financially impacted by the pandemic, the moratorium has meant that millions of renters have accumulated significant arrears. Economists estimate that unpaid rent at the end of January 2021 totals $52 billion, which amounts to $5,600 for the average renter. With the March 31 moratorium on evictions rapidly approaching, additional rent assistance is urgently needed to help renters stay in their homes by addressing back rent. The Senate must act swiftly to provide emergency rental assistance and prevent a wave of evictions that will tragically disrupt the lives of millions of Americans.”
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About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative |
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February 2, 2021
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(Washington, D.C.) February 2, 2021 – Sunia Zaterman, executive director of the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities, released the following statement upon President Biden's signing of an executive order regarding the public charge rule:
“The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities applauds the Biden administration’s action today to begin unwinding the Trump administration’s patently unlawful Public Charge Rule that included housing assistance receipt against immigrants and their families when applying for an adjustment of residency status. Federal housing assistance exists to keep families together and to lift them up, not to be weaponized to tear them apart. The cruelty of the rule was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic as it caused families to opt out of many critical safety net programs, including federal housing assistance.
"CLPHA looks forward to working with the Biden administration to ensure the equitable and compassionate treatment of immigrants and their families when seeking federal housing assistance.”
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About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative |
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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.
Of the complex’s 68 units, 34 are funded by Section 8 project-based vouchers, and 15 of those apartments are set aside for individuals with disabilities. The construction of Key’s Pointe Residences is part of HABC’s massive revitalization plan for Baltimore’s O’Donnell Heights neighborhood.
At the CLPHA Fall Meeting earlier this month, Bruce Katz, former Centennial Scholar at the Brookings Institution and founding Director of the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program,discussed how housing authorities, cities, and other stakeholders can seize the opportunity of the new Opportunity Zone tax incentives. Below is additional information and resources for CLPHA members on Opportunity Zones, including a CLPHA analysis of public housing developments in Opportunity Zones for members and a policy prospectus from Katz on how to best leverage these new tax incentives.
Background
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 established the new tax incentive, which will
“Allow any taxpayer to defer paying tax on capital gains from the sale of property if those gains are timely invested in Qualified Opportunity Funds, which in turn must invest 90% of its assets in businesses located or property used in a low-income community. If investors invest for ten years, they also pay no capital gains tax on the appreciation on that investment.”
Following the establishment of the tax incentives, U.S. governors designated more than 8,700 “Opportunity Zones” in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico; many overlap with locations where CLPHA members have public housing communities. Opportunity Zone incentives are unique because they rely on individual investment decisions instead of government distributions, can be utilized for all manner of projects (residential, commercial, industrial, or infrastructure), are not contingent upon pre-specified outcomes or metrics for success, and there is no cap to the amount of benefits investors can receive.
Current Status
The U.S. Department of the Treasury has released a notice of proposed rulemaking and notice of a public hearing on Investing in Qualified Opportunity Zones. There are two provisions related to housing in the proposed rule: a working capital safe harbor for the acquisition, construction, and rehabilitation of property for up to 31 months and also a provision stating that the basis attributable to land will not be taken into account when determining whether the building has been substantially improved. According to the rule, excluding the basis of land will help facilitate the repurposing of vacant buildings in Qualified Opportunity Zones.
CLPHA will be reviewing the proposed rule to understand how PHAs can take advantage of Opportunity Zones to further local housing goals. Comments on the notice are due December 28 and the public hearing will be held on January 10, 2019.
Resources for Members
CLPHA Analysis of Members in Opportunity Zones: Using the list of designated Qualified Opportunity Zones and HUD data on public housing buildings, CLPHA performed a comparison analysis to determine which public housing buildings are located in designated Opportunity Zones. We found that 57 CLPHA members had at least one public housing building in a qualified Opportunity Zone. In the attached spreadsheet, you can find a full list of properties, including census tract and geographic data, located in Opportunity Zones, as well as a quick-glance table that lists the housing authority and property development name. Click here to download CLPHA’s Analysis from our Dropbox.
Policy Brief – From Transactions to Transformation: How Cities Can Maximize Opportunities –Bruce Katz and Evan Weiss: This brief details a vision for the potential economic and social outcomes of the Opportunity Zone tax incentives and offers ten steps for cities to leverage local resources in order to take advantage of them. Download the brief from Drexel’s website.
Additional Resources:
Opportunity Fund Directory: The National Council of State Housing Agencies (NCSHA) has released this new online resource that provides descriptions and contact information for publicly-announced Opportunity Funds. View the Directory on NCSHA’s website.
Opportunity Zone Explorer: Enterprise Community Partners has created this mapping tool to help those interested in opportunity zones determine which tracts in their regions have been designated and how they related to other federal programs. Use the Opportunity Zone Explorer on the Enterprise website.
The Tacoma Housing Authority (THA) and Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) were recognized for their work in addressing homelessness among community college students and other barriers to higher education in a recent article for Inside Higher Ed. THA’s College Housing Assistance Program began in 2014 in response to rising rents in Tacoma and Pierce Counties. High rates of homelessness among Tacoma Community College students created opportunities for partnership between the College and THA, which now serves 150 students — many of whom have children of their own — who are homeless and near homeless. With the help of a housing voucher and additional financial aid, students are able to continue pursuing their degrees.
CHA is taking a slightly different approach to a similar problem. In working with City Colleges of Chicago through a program known as Partners in Education, the housing authority covers tuition and other fees for residents. Over 600 CHA residents are currently enrolled in Chicago’s community colleges, and while many receive federal and state financial aid, additional assistance from the housing authority ensures continued enrollment. As Moving to Work (MTW) agencies, both THA and CHA are able to engage in postsecondary partnerships as a result of program flexibility.
THA and CHA will further discuss these partnerships with the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles, Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority, and Louisville Metro Housing Authority at a postsecondary convening co-sponsored by CLPHA, Housing Is, and Kresge next month. CLPHA looks forward to discussing how initiatives like these can be replicated and brought to scale across the country.
From the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs' press release:
The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) today announced the award of $6,552,869 in Small Cities Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) to non-entitlement municipalities and counties in New Jersey. The 22 grants are going to 17 local government entities in eight counties. DCA’s Division of Housing and Community Resources receives, distributes, and administers these federal grant funds for the State of New Jersey.
Funding for the Small Cities CDBG Program is provided by the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Community Development Block Grant Program. This year, the CDBG program celebrates 50 years of supporting communities since its enactment by Congress in 1974.
“At DCA, it is our mission to improve the quality of life for residents of New Jersey,” said DCA Commissioner Jacquelyn A. Suárez. “One of the ways we’re able to do this is through the Small Cities Program. These federal grants, which DCA administers on behalf of the State, help smaller-sized towns improve public facilities, rehabilitate housing, and make much-needed infrastructure improvements. We’re happy to positively impact families of limited financial means by improving their well-being through such projects.”
Awards in this year’s application cycle provide funding for important projects that include improvements at parks, recreation facilities, and municipal buildings to make them more accessible to disabled persons in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA); upgrades to sewer mains and sewer manholes; expansion of public water and sewer utilities; and rehabilitation of housing for low- and moderate-income residents. Also, an additional $1.4 million in American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding was included for several housing rehabilitation projects in this year’s application cycle to address lead-based paint hazards.
Small Cities CDBG grants provide direct assistance to eligible municipalities and counties for housing rehabilitation, public facilities improvements, community revitalization, and economic development. Only non-entitlement local governmental entities that typically serve populations of less than 50,000 and do not receive direct funding from HUD are eligible for the Small Cities CDBG program.
From WKRG News Mobile:
Despite rising interest rates and skyrocketing home prices–a community group says home ownership is still within reach for many families.
This weekend the city of Mobile Housing Authority, Mobile County and other groups are partnering for an annual wealth-building day.
This is an event that local brokers have been holding for the past several years, taking it to different spots in Mobile. This year it will be hosted here at the Robert L. Hope Community Center.
A recent home affordability report says more than half of all non-homeowners feel income is the barrier keeping them from buying a home–the federal housing agency says home prices are up 6.6% from last year.
Organizers of this weekend’s Wealth building day say there are programs that may help ease some of those high bars to entry–like down payment assistance or putting closing costs on the seller. They say home ownership is a key to building generational wealth.
Read WKRG News Mobile's article "'Community Wealth Building Day' in Mobile aims for new homeowners."
From the Housing Authority of the City of San Buenaventura's press release:
The Housing Authority of the City of San Buenaventura (HACSB) and nonprofit BRIDGE Housing are pleased to announce the Grand Opening of Westview Village II, a 50-unit affordable rental development which broke ground in the spring of 2022.
The Housing Authority of the City of San Buenaventura and BRIDGE Housing partnered to redevelop Westview Village, the HACSB’s oldest public housing development, over four phases of development. All residents pay 30% of their income as rent.
“The timing of this next phase of Westview Village is significant as it is our 75th Anniversary year and this was our first public housing project,” said Jeffrey Lambert, Chief Executive Officer, HACSB. “The success of this particular project is emblematic of our successful housing programs across the City and we are very proud of it, “said Lambert.
Westview Village Phase II replaced 10 public housing units with 50 modern one- and two-bedroom apartments. The property is located on a 2-acre site on the Westside of Ventura. The development includes 44 one-bedroom and six two-bedroom apartments. Five of the units will be reserved for persons who are experiencing homelessness.
Westview Village II will also include a state-of-the-art community center, a commercial kitchen, two early childhood development classrooms, multipurpose rooms, a rooftop community garden, and a public park. This will complete the third phase of the vision for the Westview Village redevelopment. There will be 286 new affordable rentals and this phase of development will be the hub for this new housing campus. 50% of the Westview II units are fully accessible (mobility accessibility features), and 2 units have audio/visual features for blind/deaf/hard of hearing tenants.
Westview Village I, completed in 2019, was the initial phase of the redevelopment which includes 131 apartments with one to four bedrooms, management offices, a community room, and a public park. Phase I is all electric and 50% net zero. It provides for greywater reuse in landscaping. All residents pay 30% of their income as rent. All residents were temporarily relocated during construction and had the right to return. As part of Phase I, a new street, Village Way, was designed and built to connect all phases of the redevelopment.
Westview Village III construction started in September 2020 and was completed in December 2022. Phase III includes 105 apartments with one to four bedrooms, a community room, and public park. Phase III is all electric and 100% net zero and makes a major contribution to addressing climate change including by reducing vehicle miles traveled. The project’s storm drain system allows for the capture and infiltration of storm water. Twenty-one apartments are set aside for families who are experiencing homelessness.
From Tap Into Paterson:
Making the American Dream come true meant waking up early for nearly 500 Paterson and area residents who filled International High School for the North Central Jersey Association of Realtors (NJCAR) Housing Fair and Expo on Saturday.
Co-hosted by the Paterson Housing Authority and the Fair Housing Council, the more than half-day event featured a number of workshops on topics such as renting versus owning a home, down payment assistance, and financial planning, as well nearly two dozen exhibitors each offering relevant information to attendees seeking to take the journey towards homeownership.
“We all need shelter to live in and communities that are vibrant to feed our souls,” Irma Gorham, Executive Director of the Paterson Housing Authority(PHA) said, laying the foundation for what the anticipated outcomes of the day were. “We are here today to move towards progress, for our communities and for our families.”
After a video outlining the work of Lee Porter, the Founder of the Fair Housing Council, and a woman that many have called a “pioneer and champion” for homeownership, especially in racially diverse neighborhoods, Gorham would be joined on stage by Chris Coccia, President of the NJCAR. Together, the pair recognized the decades of work by Porter, giving Wade Wheeler, a Housing Counselor with Porter’s organization, an award in the housing icon’s absence.
Coccia explained to those in attendance that the process of buying a home typically isn’t as it appears on reality television shows and can be very challenging. His organization, he said, was at International High School on a warm late spring day because they want potential homeowners to be “educated so that they can make great decisions.”
Surveying the growing crowd in the school’s gymnasium, Coccia would tell TAPinto Paterson that the attendance showed that “we needed this,” before intimating to Gemelly Caraballo, Vice Chair of the PHA, that the Saturday event wouldn’t be the last time that NJCAR would be in the Paterson community.
“This is exactly what we do,” Coccia added, suggesting that the newly formed relationship with the PHA would have a long term, and positive, impact.
Read Tap Into Paterson's article "Paterson Housing Authority, Partners Host Housing Fair and Expo."
From the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency's newsletter:
SHRA and state and local partners gathered to celebrate the grand opening of Mutual Housing on the Boulevard a new affordable housing development located along the Stockton Boulevard transit corridor near Florin Road in South Sacramento.
SHRA served as the conduit for a loan commitment of nearly $7 million and tax exempt revenue bonds to help fund this project. The Agency also provided 67 Project Based Vouchers with 50 of those units set aside to house families experiencing homelessness with the help of the California Department of Housing and Community Development's No Place Like Home program.
Mutual Housing on the Boulevard construction is complete and is fully occupied for all 127 apartments for extremely low-income families.
“It’s not just about buildings, it’s not just about creating a unit it’s really about how do you create community and how do you create a home. One of those things that’s really necessary is having the social services and making sure that the wraparound services are there,” said SHRA Executive Director La Shelle Dozier.
Mutual Housing California has partnered with three social service partners to provide case management services for the permanent supportive housing units: Lutheran Social Services of Northern California, Telecare, and Heartland Child and Family Services.