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.
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Congratulations to Deputy Secretary Adrianne Todman on New Role as Acting Secretary
(Washington, D.C.) March 12, 2024 — “On behalf of the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities, we congratulate HUD Secretary Marcia L. Fudge on a dedicated career in public service from serving as Mayor of Warrensville Heights, Ohio, to U.S. Congresswoman from Ohio’s 11th district, and culminating as the 18th Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development,” said Sunia Zaterman, executive director of the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities. “When Secretary Fudge took the reins of HUD in the middle of a global COVID-19 pandemic, she provided steadfast leadership that expanded rental assistance and served more than 1.2 people experiencing homelessness. She has been an ardent housing champion giving voice to millions of people in need. “Secretary Fudge worked with CLPHA throughout her tenure to provide greater flexibility to address housing needs and redress systemic racism that has been embedded in housing policy for decades. “We commend her on an exemplary career in public service and wish her well in the next chapter of her life. We look forward to working with Deputy Secretary Adrianne Todman, former CLPHA Vice President, in her new role as Acting Secretary.” |
### Media Contact: David Greer, CLPHA
About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative |
Policies Would Bring Housing Stability to Nearly 1 Million Low-Income Americans |
(Washington, D.C.) March 7, 2024 — The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA) applauds President Joe Biden for his call to expand the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) and Low-income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) programs. As part of the proposed HCV program expansion, the President is calling for a voucher guarantee for low-income veterans and youth aging out of foster care. Notably, President Biden is the first U.S. President to call for a portion of federally assisted housing to be classified as a guarantee. “President Biden’s call for voucher and LIHTC expansion would immediately bring housing stability to nearly one million low-income Americans who are one lost paycheck or unforeseen health event away from homelessness,” said Sunia Zaterman, CLPHA executive director. “Moreover, the President’s extraordinary call to guarantee vouchers for low-income veterans and youth aging out of foster care is a transformative measure that would bring much-needed certainty to a portion of federal housing funding. This demonstrates a commitment to safeguarding housing stability for our nation's most vulnerable populations.” This year’s State of the Union address is considered by many to be the kickoff of President Biden’s 2024 election campaign. “It is clear after tonight that President Biden intends to make housing a top election priority,” said Zaterman. “We encourage President Biden to become the housing president by creating a comprehensive long-term plan for a sustainable future for public housing that would include the recapitalization of the public housing portfolio, permanent expansion of the Housing Choice Voucher program, and a cross-sector approach that includes housing, health, and education. We look forward to working with the President on such a plan.” |
### Media Contact: David Greer, CLPHA
About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative |
(Washington, D.C.) January 11, 2022 – The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA) is pleased to announce that Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) CEO Jeffery K. Patterson has been named president of CLPHA’s board of directors.
Mr. Patterson was elected at CLPHA’s December 2021 board meeting, and previously served as the board’s vice president. He follows CLPHA’s previous board president, King County Housing Authority (KCHA) Executive Director Stephen Norman, who retired on December 31, 2021. CLPHA is also pleased to announce that La Shelle Dozier, executive director of the Sacramento Housing & Redevelopment Agency, was elected CLPHA vice president and Maria Razo, executive director of the Housing Authority of the County of San Bernardino, was elected CLPHA secretary at the board’s December 2021 meeting. Ed Lowndes, executive director of the Housing Authority of Kansas City, MO, was re-elected board treasurer.
"I am honored to be elected president of CLPHA’s board and would like to thank Stephen Norman for his service and leadership upon his well-deserved retirement,” said Patterson. “Decades of chronic disinvestment, an aging housing portfolio and racial inequities have long predated the pandemic. Entering the third year of pandemic, these issues have only been magnified.
“We are at a critical juncture,” Patterson added. “Historic housing investments proposed by the White House and passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in the Build Back Better Act have stalled in the Senate. CLPHA will continue robust advocacy to ensure these significant housing investments are available to housing authorities across the country who are serving low-income families every day in their local communities.”
“Congratulations to CMHA CEO Jeffery Patterson on being named president of the Board of Directors of the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities. I was pleased to join him, residents, and city leaders at the recent groundbreaking of the Buckeye-Woodhill Choice Neighborhoods transformation plan, which will provide high quality affordable housing that is connected to economic, educational, and health opportunities in a vibrant neighborhood. I look forward to continuing to work with CEO Patterson in his new role to bring greater affordable housing opportunities to more people and communities in Ohio and across the country,” said Senator Sherrod Brown, Chair of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
“Jeffery has been an invaluable asset to CLPHA in his seven years on the board,” said CLPHA Executive Director Sunia Zaterman. “He leads in many ways -- as board vice president and chair of the Racial Equity and Inclusion Committee and Communications Committee, but also more locally through the many boards he serves on in the greater Cleveland area. Jeffery has a deep understanding of national housing issues as well as local challenges and solutions, and his commitment to CLPHA will ensure continuity through this leadership transition. I look forward to working with CLPHA’s new board leadership to advance our goals and policy priorities in these unprecedented times.”
Mr. Patterson has served as CMHA’s CEO for ten years and has over thirty years of dedicated service to the residents of Cuyahoga County. As CEO of one of the largest housing authorities in the country, he is responsible for a $230 million dollar budget, approximately 750 employees, 10,500 units of housing, 15,000 Housing Choice Vouchers, and nearly 55,000 residents and participants of CMHA's low-income Public Housing and Housing Choice Voucher Programs. He also serves on the board of directors for the Housing Authority Insurance Group, Cleveland Neighborhood Progress (Chairman), Cleveland Rape Crisis Center (Vice-Chairman), St. Luke’s Foundation, United Way of Greater Cleveland, Greater Cleveland Foodbank, Unify Labs Inc., University Circle Inc., the Cleveland Public Library Foundation, and the National Kidney Foundation.
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About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative |
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(Washington, D.C.) November 17, 2023 — Sunia Zaterman, executive director of the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities, released the following statement upon the Biden-Harris administration’s announcement yesterday of the U.S. Playbook to Address Social Determinants of Health and the CHIP Health-Related Social Needs Framework:: “The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities applauds the Biden-Harris administration’s publication of the U.S. Playbook to Address Social Determinants of Health and the Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Health-Related Social Needs Framework. President Biden and HUD Secretary Marcia L. Fudge have led the nation in raising awareness of the foundational role that housing plays in improving life outcomes for low-income Americans throughout the President’s term. “CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative has driven the conversation for a decade on how best to bridge the housing and health sectors to improve the life outcomes of residents living in federally assisted housing. CLPHA has long supported public policies cited in the Framework such as evidence-based interventions to support housing and nutrition needs for certain Medicaid enrollees. CLPHA has also advocated for innovative solutions like waivers for Medicaid through its 1115 demonstration that allow for housing-related assistance. “With current programs proving beneficial and innovative programs being developed we know we have the answers. Yet, for these programs to be successful they must be funded at a level that meets the need. Unfortunately, they are not funded at those levels currently. While announcements like these are important in raising the awareness of the foundational role of housing in improving health outcomes, we must continue to advocate for increased resources, including incentivizing PHA/Medicaid partnerships, so they can deliver the benefits they are designed to achieve.” |
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About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative |
(Washington, DC) November 30, 2022 -- Statement from Sunia Zaterman, executive director of the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities, on the importance of finalizing the FY23 appropriations legislation:
“For the millions of families served by public housing authorities, it is critical for Congress to complete the FY23 appropriations legislation before the start of the 118th Congress in January. The leading public housing advocacy organizations, in one voice, call on Congress to get this legislation passed so that our most vulnerable families are not put at risk.
“The consequences of a government shutdown or a series of continuing resolutions, which lock the previous year’s funding levels in place, create uncertainty for PHAs by not accounting for inflation or current shortfalls that could be severe and would amount to a budget cut. It will tie the hands of housing authorities and impact their abilities to provide their residents with safe, secure, and affordable housing.
“These consequences are preventable if Congress passes the FY23 appropriations legislation at the funding levels requested by the public housing organizations in the letter sent to Congress. We look forward to working with Congress as they finalize the legislation.”
Media Contact:
David Greer, CLPHA
(202) 550-1381
About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative |
(Washington, D.C.) September 9, 2022 – Sunia Zaterman, executive director of the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities, released the following statement upon the Biden administration's finalization of the rule rolling back the public charge rule:
“Today, hard-working immigrants are more welcome in America. The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities applauds the Biden administration’s finalization of the rule unwinding the Trump administration’s pernicious and patently unlawful Public Charge Rule that included housing assistance 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 continuing working with the Biden administration to ensure the equitable and compassionate treatment of immigrants and their families when seeking federal housing assistance.”
About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities is a national non-profit organization that works to preserve and improve public and affordable housing through advocacy, research, policy analysis and public education. CLPHA’s 70 members represent virtually every major metropolitan area in the country. Together they manage 40 percent of the nation’s public housing program; administer more than a quarter of the Housing Choice Voucher program; and operate a wide array of other housing programs. Learn more at clpha.org and on Twitter @CLPHA .
CLPHA Executive Director Sunia Zaterman was quoted in BisNow’s recent article “Biden's Budget Includes 'Once in a Generation' Investment in Vouchers, Public Housing. Now Landlords Need to Get on Board,” offering CLPHA’s perspective on the Biden administration’s American Jobs Plan that would allocate $30 billion the Housing Choice Voucher program and $40 billion to public housing.
“To propose this level of investment in one fell swoop, it’s extraordinary,” Zaterman told BisNow. “There’s now a strong consensus that more could have and should have been done in 2008 and 2009 for reinvestment,” she added. “This $40B [proposal] does not meet the overall need, but it is extraordinary in the level that it raises the funding from our current baseline.”
Read BisNow’s article. (requires free registration for access to the article)
NPR’s Pam Fessler quoted CLPHA Executive Director Sunia Zaterman in a story about the challenges of utilizing the $5 billion in emergency housing vouchers included in the American Rescue Plan. Zaterman told Fessler that while balancing landlord, tenant and taxpayer interests has always been hard, the situation is more dire than ever in the pandemic with millions of Americans struggling with rent. “There is a need for all of our members, a crying need, for additional vouchers that are serving a wide range of populations,” Zaterman said.
Sunia Zaterman participated in a recent story on the unique opportunities presented by the new administration to address the nation’s dire affordable housing shortage as part of Fast Company’s Home Bound, a series that examines Americans’ fraught relationship with their homes.
“Our focus now is assembling the tools to give housing authorities more ability to acquire properties and to bring to neighborhoods other types of affordable housing,” Zaterman told Fast Company of CLPHA’s goals to capitalize on this inflection point in the public and affordable housing industry. She added that while the new HUD administration’s more flexible rules help housing authorities create more affordable housing in their communities, the main need facing PHAs and affordable housing providers is more money: “You may have heard this before—money is the key obstacle.”
This week, CLPHA Executive Director Sunia Zaterman was quoted in The Washington Post's article "In George Floyd’s old neighborhood, Biden’s war on poverty faces a crucial test." The article examines the potential impacts of President Biden's American Rescue Plan on families in poverty through a focus on Houston's Cuney Homes public housing community, where George Floyd lived much of his life before his killing in police custody.
“If we don’t make a difference in individual lives, then we really haven’t done the job yet,” Zaterman said of the Biden plan's antipoverty efforts. “The folks in the community that George Floyd grew up in — that is our test of whether our models, our resources, our impact has hit our target.”
This morning, CLPHA Executive Director Sunia Zaterman appeared on C-SPAN's Washington Journal to discuss public and affordable housing issues and President Biden's proposed American Jobs Plan.
Ms. Zaterman answered questions from host Pedro Echevarria and members of the public from around the country, explaining what public housing authorities do, who they serve, and why increasing funding for public housing, vouchers, and other HUD programs is crucial to preserving affordable housing opportunities, strengthening the social safety net, and improving the life outcomes of low income Americans. She also discussed the positive impacts of the American Jobs Plan -- CLPHA estimates that 440,000 jobs will be created and $76 billion in economic impact generated during the time when the $40 billion in funds from the Plan are spent.
On Friday, April 9 from 8:45 to 9:30 a.m. ET, CLPHA Executive Director Sunia Zaterman will appear on C-SPAN's Washington Journal to discuss President Biden's proposed American Jobs Plan, public and affordable housing, and related issues. Read Ms. Zaterman’s statement applauding President Biden’s announcement of the American Jobs Plan here.
You can watch Ms. Zaterman’s interview on the C-SPAN channel or live on C-SPAN's website and ask questions of Ms. Zaterman during the program via phone:
Outside U.S. and Text: (202) 748-8003
Republicans: (202) 748-8001
Democrats: (202) 748-8000
Independents: (202) 748-8002
Viewers can also share their thoughts and questions via email (journal@c-span.org), Twitter, Facebook and text messages (202-748-8003).
From the Chicago Housing Authority's press release:
Thomas King had earned an Associate Degree from Truman College and had transferred to Northeastern Illinois University where he’d been accepted into the Godwin School of Education. Everything was going well for the former restaurant worker who decided to switch gears and pursue a teaching career.
Then the pandemic hit, and everything changed. King, like many others, fell into a depression – the lack of campus access creating a feeling of isolation that exacerbated distractions and made online education challenging.
“It all just unraveled,” King said. “The whole thing just threw me off. And I started realizing something was wrong."
King is once again ready to pursue his teaching aspirations after three years of mental health struggles, thanks in part to the Chicago Housing Authority’s Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Health and Wellness Program. The program, established in 2022, offers support to individuals and families participating in the HCV program who may be experiencing various life stressors that place them at risk of housing instability or other situations that create difficulties in their daily lives.
While public housing residents have historically had access to mental health support services through the agency’s third-party service providers, this program is a first for the agency’s HCV participants. It represents a fresh focus for CHA that addresses mental health issues and utilizes trauma-informed counseling that is intentional and strategic specifically for those in the HCV program.
“CHA is evolving as an agency, and, as part of that evolution, we have recognized that we must invest in supportive services in a way that we haven’t done before,” CHA CEO Tracey Scott said. “By proactively helping residents make their mental health a priority, we are taking the steps necessary to make sure they have a better and brighter present and more options for the future.”
Cheryl Burns, CHA’s Chief Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Officer, said: “In my day-to-day experience with participants, I noticed how many of them had needs that CHA was unable to meet,” she said. “Hiring a clinical therapist to assist families was a natural outgrowth of the services that we offer. We provide support to families in many ways, but recognizing the stress and trauma that people were experiencing made it important to offer an outlet that made our engagement more productive."
For King, the falling out of a routine led to not sleeping well which led to a depression that caused him to drift away from friends. It is something he is still coping with but feels a sense of support since participating in the Health and Wellness program.
“I’m so glad I found it,” he said. “For me it’s the reinforcing ideas of mindfulness and allowing me to talk about things that are going on. It’s really important to have someone to talk with about things that we’re not necessarily comfortable talking about."
The program is available to HCV participants and property owners, offering general resources as well as information on how they can provide support to tenants who may be experiencing challenges. There is no cost and participation is confidential and has no impact on a participant’s voucher.
Services are available by phone, through video conference or in person at a designated CHA office during normal business hours and include:
- Case Management
- Care Coordination
- Information on Community-Based Resources
- Individual and Family Therapy
- General Support with Conflict Resolution between Property Owners and participants.
King credits Program Manager Doreen Green, a clinical therapist who helped establish the program in June 2022, with responding fast, giving timely information and providing excellent service that helped them immediately.
“I am very happy that Mr. King reached out to the program,” Green said. “I believe Mr. King has shown that it is okay to be human. I commend him for asking for help and taking steps to make changes in his life. I appreciate being able to witness his growth as he continues to not only be alive - but to truly live and thrive."
Now, King is meeting with professors at NEIU to discuss his road to a teaching degree. He is optimistic for the first time in months and looking to learn new things and finish what he started.
“I’m in a better place right now,” he said. “I’m looking to get back into a routine, back to being on campus and back to interacting with people.”
From Community College Daily:
In 2014, Tacoma Community College (TCC) and the Tacoma Housing Authority (THA) began a partnership to help housing-insecure students.
Funded through the U.S. Housing & Urban Development’s (HUD) Moving to Work program, the College Housing Assistance Program (CHAP) provided housing choice vouchers to subsidize rent for homeless and near-homeless TCC students. On average, that subsidy gave students a $450 discount in an area where the average monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment was $1,000.
Through TCC, program participants also received some support services, such as help navigating other social service programs.
How did CHAP work? That’s the focus of a seven-year study released Tuesday by non-profit Education Northwest. Researchers evaluated six cohorts – 422 students – who applied for the program between Fall 2017 and Spring 2019.
Researchers evaluated five things:
- How often in the program did students lease up?
- Did the program reduce use of homelessness services?
- Did the program increase academic success, including graduation rates?
- Did the program affect employment, public benefits, health and health services and criminal justice?
- How did leasing up relate to those outcomes?
Read Community College Daily's article "Housing assistance program improved completion rates, student well-being."
From the Chicago Housing Authority's press release:
Two-thousand dollars may not seem like a lot. But, for DePaul freshman Kelvin Jackson Pore, it was the difference between realizing his dreams and not.
“The CHA Scholarship was the deciding factor in him being able to go to college,” said his mother, Betty S. Pore. “Most of it his tuition was paid, but this was a lifesaver. We were struggling to make it but that $2,000 made it to where he could register for classes. I’m not sure what I would’ve done otherwise. So I’m grateful.”
The same CHA/Springboard to Success (S2S) Scholarship that helped Jackson Pore attend DePaul and major in Game Design is available to current CHA public housing residents or Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) participants who have at least a 2.0 GPA and are high school seniors or college undergraduates. Awards are based on applicants’ academic merit, community involvement and essay content. Applicants must plan to attend an accredited two-or-four-year college or university in the U.S. in the Fall of 2024. CHA’s nonprofit partner, S2S, supports the scholarship.
The deadline for the 2024-25 scholarship application period is May 15.
Now, Kelvin Jackson Pore is on his way. His interest in Game Design was reinforced several years ago as a participant of the summer Graphic & Game Design program at DePaul that is tailored to CHA high school students. An honor student at ITW David Speer Academy high school, Kelvin is also earning his welding degree while attending DePaul.
“One day in high school, my mom said: ‘You’ve got to get a trade – always have a Plan B,’” he said. “Now I’m close to getting my welding certification. And that’s what I plan on doing until I graduate.”
Jackson Pore hopes to eventually own his own Game Design company. He is inspired by his mother, who had to give up college at a young age and was at a time homeless. Now she’s a few semesters away from graduating college herself.
He encourages other young CHA residents to apply for the CHA/S2S Scholarship that helped his mom so much.
“You don’t really lose anything by applying for it,” he said. “You might as well take advantage of it.”
Pore said she is proud of her oldest child who is one of three.
“He’s so easy and laid back - even when he was a baby,” she said. “He doesn’t do drugs, he doesn’t drink. He’s just a responsible kid. I’m so proud of him. I look at us as a team. I set ‘em up, he knocks ‘em down.”
From The NYCHA Journal:
Since June 2022, NYCHA’s Resident Economic Empowerment and Sustainability (REES) Office has partnered with Working Credit to help NYCHA residents in public housing and Section 8 take the steps they need to improve their credit scores. Working Credit is a non-profit organization that provides credit-building workshops and counseling to help participants achieve their financial goals.
The NYCHA Journal spoke with Morgan Spears, Chief Community Engagement Officer at Working Credit, to learn more about the organization, its mission to interrupt structural racism in the credit system, and how it partners with NYCHA residents.
Tell us about Working Credit.
We’re a national non-profit with a mission to interrupt structural racism by providing equitable access to credit-building education, credit-building counseling and coaching support, as well as getting people connected to affordable products they need to thrive financially. We serve a lot of different organizations and companies all across the country.
We offer workshops where we do an in-depth dive about what credit is and how the credit system works. Our goal is to demystify credit because there’s so much misinformation out there that can lead people astray. We want to get people accurate information about the credit system so they can build or rebuild their credit in a way where they’re able to thrive [according to how] financial success looks like for them. We recognize that how one person defines financial success is different than the next person.
We provide one-on-one credit-building counseling and coaching support. This is how we partner with NYCHA residents. An individual gets paired with a credit-building counselor and they’ll work together for an entire year, so that person could message the counselor as much or as little as they want. They do a 60-minute credit building counseling session where they discuss what their financial goals are, what their current financial status is, and where they want to be in three months, six months, or 12 months from now. In the counseling session we pull their credit report; it’s a soft pull that does not impact the credit score because we’re doing it for educational purposes. We’re able to show them what’s on their report, what their credit score is today, and how we can help them improve or increase their credit score to reach their goals. We then create a credit action plan that’s very individualized and tailored to that person.
What does successful completion of the program look like?
One thing I love about our program is that the way we define success is based upon that individual’s credit action plan. That being said, we do have some primary metric indicators, such as how many residents increase their credit score from when they started the program until when they hit the 12-month mark, but most importantly, how many of those residents were able to get a prime credit score, which is above a 660. Ideally, we’ll have a lot of people increase their credit score – but a score above a 660 will make a substantial financial difference in how they’re able to navigate their day-to-day finances.
Can you share a success story with us?
Yes! We had a NYCHA resident who started with a pretty low credit score of 490, as well as unpaid collections that were affecting her credit rating. Despite facing a tough time with her income decreasing, she kept working hard on her credit. We helped her get rid of that unpaid collection, and in just one year her credit score increased 172 points.
We’ve reached over 300 NYCHA residents. In our data from 2023 with NYCHA residents after 12 months, 42 percent of total residents reached a prime credit score, and 60 percent of the total increased their overall credit score. There were people who started the program without a credit score, but after completing the 12 months in the program, 100 percent of the residents we work with became scorable.
We try to reach as many residents as we can. Next month we’re going to be doing more workshops and starting our next cycle with NYCHA residents.
Is there anything else you want NYCHA residents to know about Working Credit?
I want to highlight that Working Credit is very committed to interrupting structural racism and we recognize that a large part of our financial system historically and currently is rooted in systemic racism in terms of how it was created and how it oftentimes keeps a large majority of people of color outside of being able to access affordable credit. Even though the credit-scoring algorithm itself does not take race into account, our financial system does.
I’m a big proponent of making sure people have the proper knowledge, but having knowledge is one thing; having the opportunity and support to implement what you know is another thing. What our program really tries to get at is to create more equity in the credit system to allow for people who have historically been disenfranchised and marginalized out of financial systems to be able to enter the space, not just with knowledge but also with the support that’s needed for them to thrive.
From The NYCHA Journal:
Calling all artists: Apply to be one of the first artists in residence at a NYCHA development as part of a new program, From Roots to Arts: Celebrating NYCHA’s Cultural Heritage, which will enrich and expand the culture, heritage, and art narratives within public housing by placing local artists and residents at the forefront.
From Roots to Arts will span 20 months, from 2024 through 2026, and feature five artists who will have a residency at a NYCHA development in each borough. Artists will work closely with residents to create art and cultivate a deeper sense of community and personal expression while bringing their talents and perspectives to enrich the lives of over 12,000 NYCHA residents.
The artist-in-residence program is supported by a generous $3 million grant from the Mellon Foundation to The Public Housing Community Fund (Fund), an organization committed to enhancing the lives of NYCHA residents. The Fund is partnering with NYCHA, the NYC Mayor’s Office, and several other City agencies on From Roots to Arts.
“Thanks to the generous support from the Mellon Foundation, this initiative will foster a dynamic platform where art and community intersect and thrive,” said Alex Zablocki, Executive Director of the Public Housing Community Fund. “This is a clarion call to all artists passionate about making a difference in our communities—your creativity has the power to inspire and uplift. I encourage every interested artist to apply and join us in shaping a legacy of cultural enrichment that echoes throughout our public housing and beyond.”
The NYCHA developments selected for the program are Astoria Houses in Queens, Bushwick Houses in Brooklyn, Bronx River Houses in the Bronx, King Towers in Manhattan, and Richmond Terrace in Staten Island. Each artist will receive a dedicated program space provided by the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development and its funded Cornerstone programs.
Prior to the launch of the program, approximately 200 NYCHA residents participated in community days where they shared their preferences and feedback on the type of art and artists they wanted to engage with.
“It’s always exciting to provide residents with a positive outlet for artistic expression and this truly unique artist-in-residency opportunity will give the selected resident-artists an amazing platform to showcase their work in a way that enriches NYCHA campuses and communities,” said NYCHA Chief Executive Officer Lisa Bova-Hiatt. “We are very thankful to the Public Housing Community Fund and our city partners for helping to bring this spectacular program to life for NYCHA residents, and I, for one, cannot wait to see the amazing artwork that comes from it.”