Welcome to CLPHA's Press Room
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David Greer
Director of Communications
During the COVID-19 quarantine, David can be reached at (202) 550-1381 or dgreer@clpha.org.
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Congresswoman Donna Shalala (D-FL) To Discuss Importance of Cross-Sector Collaboration
(Washington, D.C.) June 2, 2020 -- The COVID-19 global pandemic has laid bare the systemic inequities in our fractured social safety net, which creates barriers for low-income individuals and families. The CLPHA 2020 Housing Is Virtual Summit on June 4 and 5 spotlights how critical collaboration at the intersection of housing, education, and health is the most effective community response to the pandemic.
Congresswoman Donna Shalala (D-FL), who also served as Secretary of Health and Human Services from 1993-2001, will bring her deep knowledge from a career in leadership positions in housing, health and education to her keynote session. “Improving health outcomes has been my life’s work. This won’t happen without a holistic approach including integrating housing and education with health. This why I am honored to be the keynote speaker at the 2020 Housing Is Virtual Summit,” said Congresswoman Shalala.
Spanning two days and featuring over 20 online sessions, CLPHA's 2020 Housing Is Summit is the nation’s pre-eminent cross-sector gathering sharing lessons learned in cross-sector collaboration, including deep dives into systems change, embedding equity practices, and the evolving impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our work and lives.
What CLPHA 2020 Housing Is Virtual Summit
When: June 4 (12:00 PM ET Start) and 5 (11:00 AM ET Start)
Where: Virtual. Register: bit.ly/HousingIs2020registration
RSVP: David Greer, dgreer@clpha.org
(Media, please RSVP and register so CLPHA can help set up interviews with conference speakers.)
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 and follow @housing_is for news on CLPHA’s work to better intersect the housing field and other areas of critical importance such as health and education.
New Funds Will Develop and Sustain Public Housing Authority Initiatives to Improve Postsecondary Achievement for Low-Income Households
WASHINGTON (November 25, 2019) – The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities, a housing advocacy organization and leader in efforts to improve life outcomes for low-income individuals and families, announced today that it has been awarded $300,000 from The Kresge Foundation to deepen connections between public housing authorities and their postsecondary education partners.
The three-year grant enables CLPHA to build on work that began last year, in partnership with The Kresge Foundation, to convene cross-sector housing and education partners who are collaborating to improve postsecondary achievement for students served by public housing authorities, including residents and housing insecure college students.
“Last year we showcased how these two sectors are working together to improve educational outcomes for low-income households. With generous funding from The Kresge Foundation, we will help more cross-sector partners develop and sustain their work,” said CLPHA Executive Director Sunia Zaterman. “As a national organization representing 70 of the largest public housing authorities in the country, CLPHA is well-positioned to identify promising innovations and facilitate peer-learning among those doing the work with the goal to scale successful initiatives that can be replicated nationally. We are very grateful to The Kresge Foundation for its multi-year support of our work.”
With the funds, CLPHA, through its Housing Is Initiative, will establish a leadership institute for a cohort of public housing authority staff and their partners who demonstrate the experience and capacity for postsecondary collaboration. In addition to virtual meetings aimed at institutionalizing their cross-sector work, members of the cohort will travel for in-person site visits to learn about the different projects in the field.
“By supporting stronger partnerships between housing authorities and postsecondary stakeholders, CLPHA’s leadership institute will help increase college access and success for both public housing residents who have postsecondary aspirations but need support to realize their dreams, and current college students, whose housing insecurity threatens to derail their educational progress," said Bethany Miller, program officer with the Kresge Education Program.
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.
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative
The Housing Is Initiative, led by the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities, helps build a future where sectors work together to improve life outcomes. Housing stability is a critical first step to improve life outcomes for low-income children, families, and seniors; CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative is based on the premise that sectors can better meet needs when they work together. Housing Is establishes, broadens, and deepens efforts to align affordable housing, education, and health systems to produce positive, long-term results. Learn more at housingis.org and on Twitter @housing_is.
About The Kresge Foundation
The Kresge Foundation was founded in 1924 to promote human progress. Today, Kresge fulfills that mission by building and strengthening pathways to opportunity for low-income people in America’s cities, seeking to dismantle structural and systemic barriers to equality and justice. Using a full array of grant, loan, and other investment tools, Kresge invests more than $160 million annually to foster economic and social change. For more information visit kresge.org.
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CLPHA Submits Public Comments Opposing HUD’s Dangerous Non-Citizen Proposal
HUD’s cruel proposal would force mixed-status families to decide between a roof for some, or homelessness for all.
WASHINGTON (July 9, 2019) – The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA) today submitted public comments strongly opposing a proposal from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that seeks to eliminate mixed-status immigrant families from HUD-assisted housing, including 55,000 children who are either U.S. citizens or otherwise eligible for HUD assistance.
HUD’s proposal, published in the Federal Register on May 10 for a 60-day comment period, would reinterpret Section 214 of the Housing and Community Development Act to disallow anyone who cannot verify their immigration status from living in public housing or living in a market-rate apartment with a federal rental subsidy, even if their child or other family members are eligible for assistance. Under current law, rental assistance to these households is prorated and those ineligible for a subsidy pay their portion of the rent unassisted, often at market rates.
“HUD’s cruel proposal would force mixed-status families to decide between a roof for some, or homelessness for all,” said CLPHA Executive Director Sunia Zaterman. “This reversal of long-standing policy is antithetical to the mission of public housing, which is to provide safe, affordable housing to very low-income families.”
“We know that stable housing is a platform for improving life outcomes and a foundation for healthy communities. Yet, this proposal instills fear and distrust, and would divert scarce resources, exacerbate the already crisis levels of homelessness, and, in the end, would do nothing to make our communities safer or better off,” said Zaterman.
“HUD’s proposal is contrary to our mission. Our members feel strongly that this re-interpreted regulation is bad public policy and our comments on the proposed rule reflect this,” said Zaterman.
Read CLPHA’s public comments and previous statements on HUD’s non-citizen rule on the CLPHA website, clpha.org.
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 and follow @housing_is for news on CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative to better intersect the housing field and other areas of critical importance such as health and education.
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August 10, 2020
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 and follow @housing_is for news on CLPHA’s work to better intersect the housing field and other areas of critical importance such as health and education.
- Listen to HousingWire's coverage of our letter in their Daily Download podcast.
- Read HousingWire's article about our letter.
August 3, 2020
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 and follow @housing_is for news on CLPHA’s work to better intersect the housing field and other areas of critical importance such as health and education.
July 30, 2020
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 and follow @housing_is for news on CLPHA’s work to better intersect the housing field and other areas of critical importance such as health and education.
Pew Charitable Trust's state policy news outlet Stateline quoted CLPHA Executive Director Sunia Zaterman and CLPHA member executive directors in an article about the COVID-19 pandemic's effects on public housing authorities.
Zaterman told Stateline that PHAs need $5 billion in emergency supplemental funding due to several challenges PHAs are facing during this crisis, including a "significant reduction" in rental income, a dramatically reduced workforce, massive cleaning-related expenses, and communications challenges with residents while PHAs' physical offices are closed. PHAs also need a further $3.5 billion in emergency supplemental funds for the for the Housing Choice Voucher program.
“I’m worried,” Emilio Salas, acting executive director of the Los Angeles County Development Authority, told Stateline. “Tremendously.”
Douglas Guthrie, president and CEO of the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles, told Stateline that his PHA is working hard to address his city's homelesssness crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic. “We can't wait for waivers from HUD to do what needs to be done today,” Guthrie said. “Shelter is the most important thing right now.”
Andrew Lofton, executive director of the Seattle Housing Authority, told Stateline that PHAs are also preparing for the inevitable surge of residents who test positive for COVID-19: "It’s just a matter of time."
Read Stateline's article "Public Housing Authorities Hit Hard by the Pandemic."
As of January 1, 2020, California has a state-wide law prohibiting landlords from rejecting potential tenants solely on their use of a housing voucher. The law, known as Source of Income (SOI) protection, replaces SOI ordinances that were previously in place in several California cities, such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Santa Clara County to cover voucher holders across the state.
A recent HUD-commissioned study on landlord acceptance of voucher holders in five cities found that those cities with an existing SOI law protecting voucher holders had higher rates of landlord acceptance compared to those cities without SOI protection. While cities with SOI laws devote varying amounts of resources to enforcement, HUD’s study suggests awareness of local SOI protections meaningfully deter discrimination by landlords. The Poverty & Race Research Action Council maintains an updated list of all SOI laws in place across the country.
In an effort to call attention to the affordable housing crisis during the 2020 election cycle and to spur presidential debate moderators to ask candidates about their affordable housing plans, the National Low Income Housing Coalition’s Our Homes, Our Votes: 2020 campaign placed a full-page ad in the Los Angeles Times on December 16 & 17. The ad featured OHOV: 2020’s letter urging PBS NewsHour, Politico, and debate moderators to ask presidential candidates how they would address the nation’s affordable housing crisis during the next debate, which will be held on December 19 at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. CLPHA joined more than 1,000 organizations as co-signers to OHOV: 2020’s letter.
Following the devastating November fire at the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority’s (MPHA) Cedar High apartments, Minneapolis’s Star Tribune reported on the chronic federal underfunding of public housing that contributes to the massive, nationwide capital needs backlog at public housing communities and requires PHAs to make tough choices about building maintenance and repairs.
“Our priority is to make sure that life and safety are always taken care of,” said MPHA Interim Executive Director/CEO Tracey Scott in an October interview with the paper. “Quite simply that’s the hard choice you have to make because you would like to replace a kitchen cabinet but that has to come second to life and safety. We have to make choices.” MPHA estimates that its properties need an estimated $152 million in maintenance and renovations.
New York City Housing Authority Chair & CEO and CLPHA Board Member Greg Russ, MPHA’s former Executive Director/CEO, underscored the difficult choices housing authorities have to make when it comes to prioritizing maintenance and renovation projects: “We don’t have enough funding to keep basic systems in place nationally and have to pick and choose when we do get the capital money.” Russ added that inadequate federal funding is why MPHA and other agencies employ the RAD program to diversify and their funding sources so that they can afford the important and expensive rehabilitation of their properties.
CLPHA Executive Director Sunia Zaterman said that more “organized political will and bipartisan support” is needed in Congress in order to increase funding and fully address PHAs’ capital needs. “We are at the turning point in part because the affordable housing crisis is so heightened in our communities,” Zaterman said. “This is such an essential resource, the understanding that we have to invest is more pervasive and people are beginning to understand that ... but we haven’t had the reflection in our funding yet.”
Scott further stressed the effects that insufficient federal funding has on her agency’s ability to house and serve their low-income residents. “We’re a public agency and the mission is that we provide quality, well maintained homes for families to thrive and these are members of our community that need support and that helping hand,” she said, “We are providing a roof today, but if we don’t maintain it there would not be a roof tomorrow.”
CLPHA Members Elm City Communities, Miami-Dade Public Housing & Community Development Also Featured
Affordable Housing News magazine featured Executive Director Sunia Zaterman in its Fall 2019 issue, where Zaterman discussed CLPHA’s priorities, goals, and strategies for preserving and improving public and affordable housing. “We are very focused on appropriations and polices that support public housing authorities and the people they serve,” said Zaterman, adding that “[f]rom the beginning, we’ve been very focused on supporting the most innovative housing authorities in the country.” She cited programs like the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) and Moving to Work (MTW) as flexible, locally-oriented policies that innovative housing authorities are using to improve their housing stock and resident outcomes. Zaterman also emphasized the public housing portfolio’s capital needs backlog of more than $50 billion and the chronic underfunding of public housing programs, issues that are at the center of CLPHA’s advocacy efforts.
The article also highlights CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative, which seeks to broaden and deepen efforts to align housing, education, and health organizations to produce positive long-term outcomes for low-income individuals and families. Zaterman discussed some of the Housing Is Initiative’s work, including the Housing Is Summit, an annual convening dedicated to collaboration among the housing, education, and health sectors, and the creation of a data sharing agreement template for housing authorities and school systems so that they can identify shared issues and interests and develop evidence-based interventions. “We understand that housing is absolutely essential and foundational, but often, for families and special needs populations, is not sufficient in and of itself,” Zaterman said. “Our goal with the Housing Is Initiative is to improve and enhance our partnerships in healthcare, education, and workforce development to improve life outcomes for families, seniors, and persons with disabilities who reside in assisted housing.”
Read Affordable Housing News' article (on pages 20 and 21).
CLPHA members Miami-Dade Public Housing & Community Development (Miami-Dade PCHD) and Elm City Communities (ECC) were also featured in Affordable Housing News’ Fall 2019 issue. Read about Miami-Dade PCHD’s RAD-assisted Liberty Square redevelopment on pages 34-36 and about ECC’s employment of MTW flexibilities to create innovative resident programming and redevelop its public housing portfolio on pages 64-65.
Press release from the Lucas Metropolitan Housing Authority
Area Office on Aging and Lucas Metropolitan Housing Authority Join Forces to Distribute USDA Food Boxes to Seniors
United States Department of Agriculture Farmers to Families Food Box Program Will Help Feed Area Citizens
Toledo, Ohio, June 11, 2020 — Starting on Friday, June 12, under the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farmers to Families Food Box Program, food boxes will be distributed to area seniors. Lucas Metropolitan Housing Authority (LMHA) and the Area Office on Aging of Northwestern Ohio are partnering on the distribution. Distribution will occur again on Tuesday, June, 30, and will continue through December. The following senior/disability sites will serve as distribution locations: Ashley Arms, Dorrell Manor, Vistula Manor, Flory Gardens and Richmar Manor.
Through this program, small and regional food distributors are able to bring back their workforce to receive food directly from farmers. The contents of the food boxes vary—there may be a fresh fruit and vegetable box, a diary box, a pre-cooked meat box or a mixed box that contains any combination of those items, or fluid milk. The USDA provides oversight to ensure food safety plans are followed, that only domestic produce is provided and quality products are delivered.
Press Release from the Lucas Metropolitan Housing Authority:
Lucas Metropolitan Housing Authority Announces Home to Stay Program
Lucas Metropolitan Housing Authority (LMHA) and Lucas County Job and Family Services (LCJFS) partner to provide rental assistance for LMHA Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) eligible individuals and families exiting a homeless shelter
Toledo, Ohio, July 29, 2020 - Lucas Metropolitan Housing Authority is excited to announce its “Home to Stay” program. Home to Stay will provide eviction prevention and housing stability assistance to LMHA clients and local families exiting a homeless shelter. Clients must be TANF eligible and can receive up to $1,200 in assistance for past due rent charges and up to $1,000 towards first month’s rent when exiting a shelter.
Clients will also attend a housing stability class facilitated by Northwest Ohio Homeownership Development Association (NOHDA). The class will cover housing related topics such as budgeting, credit and landlord relations. Kathy Tucker, CEO of NOHDA, stated, “It is through these significant partnerships that families in our community can obtain and preserve their right to housing. Home to Stay offers hope to those who have faced a financial hardship and are getting back on their feet without losing the roof over their head. It is with great honor that NOHDA continues to serve as a partner to the Lucas Metropolitan Housing Authority.”
Press Release from the New York City Housing Authority
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 28, 2020
CONTACT: media@nycha.nyc.gov
NYCHA PRESENTS A BLUEPRINT FOR CHANGE AT NEW YORK HOUSING CONFERENCE’S 2020 SUMMER SERIES
Long-term Strategy Includes Establishing a Public Housing Preservation Trust and a Stabilization Plan for Every Building
July 28, 2020, New York, New York – NYCHA Chair & CEO Gregory Russ today presented A Blueprint for Change at the New York Housing Conference’s (NYHC) 2020 Rising Leaders Network Summer Series.
The Blueprint document is a set of ideas that outlines potential pathways for the Authority’s reorganization and investing of capital to stabilize and improve its properties, with additional impacts that could drive jobs and recovery strategies. The document begins a discussion on methods and approaches to improve and preserve NYCHA’s more than 300 developments and 175,000 apartments for generations to come. The capital strategy includes the creation of a Public Housing Preservation Trust, that would enable the Authority to address $18 billion to $25 billion in capital need across roughly 110,000 apartments. When combined with NYCHA 2.0 strategies across the other 62,000 apartments, the stabilization strategy will address the physical needs across the entire portfolio.
The webinar meeting had 273 participants, including local and national leaders working in the affordable housing community. NYHC is a nonprofit affordable housing policy and advocacy organization that advances City, State, and federal policies and funding to support the development and preservation of decent and affordable housing for all New Yorkers. NYHC Executive Director Rachel Fee delivered introductory remarks and moderated a Q&A following Chair Russ’s presentation.
“As the largest public housing authority in the nation, NYCHA confronts complex and unique challenges, and at the same time, our scale and dramatic need provide an opportunity for us to be more innovative than ever before,” said NYCHA Chair & CEO Gregory Russ. “NYCHA is doing the work to transform its organizational structure and operations, and sustain compliance and ongoing accountability, and now we are poised to pursue a recapitalization plan for the entire portfolio. Our Blueprint document offers a set of options that can position us as a stable, sustainable resource in New York City, which we have served since 1935 and will continue to serve for generations to come.”
"A Blueprint for Change is a comprehensive and innovative strategy that will enable NYCHA to provide for residents’ needs and preserve its housing portfolio for decades to come," said New York City Deputy Mayor Vicki Been. "Complementing the 62,000 units addressed through NYCHA 2.0, NYCHA’s Blueprint for Change is an important next step in the agency's plan to bring comprehensive repairs to every building in its portfolio. This proposed investment will not only improve the lives of New Yorkers in public housing but also contribute to an equitable, robust economic recovery for New York City."
“CLPHA applauds NYCHA’s promising and innovative new strategy to preserve, protect, and improve the nation's largest public housing portfolio,” said Council of Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA) Executive Director Sunia Zaterman. “This is the largest undertaking of its kind offering not just a band-aid, but a comprehensive approach to recapitalizing the entire portfolio of 175,000 units in desperate need of repair and rehabilitation. NYCHA’s plan is notable for its sheer scope and impact, encompassing health and safety improvements, energy savings, and building upgrades while maintaining public ownership and oversight. NYCHA's financing model has the potential to unlock considerable new capital investment for housing authorities across the country.”
“This is a promising new strategy to preserve public housing and the first solution we have seen to finance all 175,000 units in desperate need of repairs,” said New York Housing Conference Executive Director Rachel Fee. “It is comprehensive, including financing solutions, energy savings and full rehabilitation to correct deficiencies. It is a vision that residents can build on and political leaders should support.”
“We have had a long, hard struggle in New York to get our public housing back on track,” said New York State Senator and Chair of the State Senate Housing Committee Brian Kavanagh. “For so many years, inadequate funding for maintenance and capital repairs, operational difficulties, and failures of basic services have undermined the quality and safety of the homes of nearly half a million New Yorkers. In this context, I applaud the efforts of Greg Russ and the Housing Authority staff to put forth the Blueprint for Change, which aims to fundamentally rethink the way public housing operates and dramatically improve living conditions. I look forward to working with NYCHA, resident leaders, my elected colleagues, and the many organizations and individuals who care about the future of public housing to address the challenges of bringing about such a far-reaching transformation, and to ensure that the State legislation that will be needed to authorize this program serves to maximize its chances of success, while securing the rights of current and future residents.”
“NYCHA’s Blueprint for Change is an innovative approach to overcoming the almost insurmountable capital need facing the Authority, and I applaud the Chair and his staff for this well-thought-out proposal to secure and maximize resources while ensuring continued public oversight and critical protections for residents,” said New York State Assembly Member and Chair of the Housing Committee Steven Cymbrowitz. “I look forward to working with NYCHA and my colleagues in the Legislature to develop legislation that will help make the Preservation Trust a reality and, as always, remain committed to doing all I can to assist NYCHA at a time when so much is at stake for the hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers who call its developments home.”
“As I advocate for safe and healthy housing for NYCHA residents, we must also fight for funding to make sure we protect and preserve our public housing stock,” said New York City Council Member and Chair of the Public Housing Committee Alicka Ampry-Samuel. “This new Blueprint for Change, which calls on legislators to establish a Public Housing Preservation Trust, is a vision I look forward to exploring, in the hopes of ensuring residents are able to participate in the management and possible ownership structures. Today we have an opportunity to include the talents and skills of all residents and plan for preservation of public housing that is inclusive of the people I took an oath to represent.”
“If enacted with federal and state support, the plan would manage to stabilize the finances of NYCHA, as well as the living conditions of the housing stock it manages, without compromising the integrity of public housing as a public good,” said New York City Council Member and Chair of the Oversight and Investigations Committee Ritchie Torres. “It represents the boldest vision for preservation that NYCHA has ever presented to the public. Instead of a public-private partnership, which has been cause for controversy, the new plan envisions a purely public partnership. The NYCHA Preservation Trust would be to NYCHA what the School Construction Authority has long been to the Department of Education: a partnership owned by the public and operated for the public good. The rationale for the Housing Trust is simple: the ability to access Tenant Protection Vouchers (TPV), which would both generate greater operating funds for each unit of housing and enable billions of dollars in new capital investment. Simply put, a NYCHA Preservation Housing Trust – for, by, and of the people – would provide the benefit of preservation without the cost of privatization.”
"Ambitious and creative plans like this one are a crucial first step for preserving NYCHA's entire housing portfolio and making much-needed repairs and improvements across NYCHA homes," said Vice President and New York Market Leader of Enterprise Community Partners Judi Kende. "Stable, quality public housing is an essential foundation for more equitable communities and opportunity across our city. NYCHA's residents continue to speak out about needed repairs, including stable heating and cooling systems, hot water, playgrounds, and better technology to keep their buildings safe; in enacting the Blueprint for Change, we urge NYCHA to prioritize partnership with residents and the protection of rights, including affordability."
“The Building Trades is excited to work with NYCHA on its comprehensive plan to reimagine how NYCHA can deliver on its mission,” said Building & Construction Trades Council of Greater New York President Gary LaBarbera. “NYCHA has engaged in the kind of creative, fact-based, forward-thinking analysis that essentially will recreate the way NYCHA does business and meets the needs of New Yorkers. With this plan, NYCHA can create a future where it is possible to provide affordable housing, protect tenant health and safety, improve housing quality standards for all tenants, and create good middle-class jobs in the process. The Building Trades is proud to work with NYCHA on its vision for a better future.”
"The proposed Public Housing Preservation Trust presented in A Blueprint for Change is the kind of innovative thinking that NYCHA residents, and all New Yorkers, have been waiting for,” said Citizens Housing & Planning Council Executive Director Jessica Katz. “It is imperative that we use all of the tools at our disposal to recapitalize NYCHA properties, so that we can preserve this crucial affordable housing stock for generations to come. For the first time ever, NYCHA has a plan to invest in and stabilize all of its apartments, and we are excited to be a part of the ongoing discussion and solution."
“Throughout its history, NYCHA has been a national model for successful public housing,” said United Neighborhood Houses Executive Director Susan Stamler. “We have the opportunity do so again, and this innovative recovery plan lays out the first steps towards realizing NYCHA’s potential. As the membership organization for New York’s settlement houses and a partner to NYCHA dating back to its founding, United Neighborhood Houses is pleased to see priority given to addressing quality of life concerns in NYCHA’s residential facilities. We also applaud NYCHA’s broader goals of improving conditions in the community centers where critical social services are offered to NYCHA communities.”
"Fixing NYCHA housing units and improving quality of life for residents requires bold plans and cooperation among all NYCHA stakeholders,” said President of the Citizens Budget Commission Andrew S. Rein. “While key details will be important and obstacles need to be overcome, the Blueprint for Change has the potential to leverage significant resources and, importantly, to improve the speed and efficiency of urgently needed capital work. The Blueprint's innovative approach is just the kind that deserves support from federal and state leaders, labor, and residents."
“LISC NYC understands that housing stability is central to the economic, social, and physical well-being of New Yorkers,” said Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) NYC Executive Director Valerie White. “We support NYCHA’s unprecedented plan to improve operational accountability and transform critical building standards and services across its portfolio. The future of New York City housing depends on this kind of bold commitment citywide.”
A Blueprint for Change outlines several areas of focus: the work currently underway to rebuild NYCHA’s organizational structure and overhaul business operations and the Stabilization Plan, which is the Authority’s approach for recapitalizing the entire portfolio and fulfilling all compliance requirements of the HUD agreement.
A Blueprint for Change offers:
- A proposed Public Housing Preservation Trust, which would allow NYCHA to rehab buildings using an end-to-end public process; ensure capital work is done with a public entity; and retain NYCHA’s public, represented workforce.
- The first-ever comprehensive plan for every property and every building in NYCHA’s portfolio.
- Foundational changes to ensure ongoing compliance, environmental health and safety, and quality assurance and that basic Housing Quality Standards are met.
- A plan and process for transforming NYCHA’s organizational structure and business operations to create a culture of service for residents.
- Resident rights, protections, and affordability in perpetuity.
- Use of green building technology for retrofits, which would drive down utility costs and de-carbonize the Authority.
- Investment in quality jobs and catalyzation of NYC’s economic recovery.
Background
In partnership with the Federal Monitor team, NYCHA implemented compliance, environmental health and safety, and quality assurance policies and programs, and is delivering ongoing improvements in areas that most affect residents, to improve residents’ quality of life, create foundational change, and comply with the 2019 HUD agreement.
NYCHA is also in the process of transforming the Authority’s organizational structure and the way it does business. In January 2020, the Authority began engaging residents, employees, and external partners to revolutionize property operations from the building-level up.
The goal is to develop an organizational plan by fall 2020 that empowers property managers to better respond to building conditions. NYCHA’s organizational transformation also institutes property-based budgeting, brings central office support functions to the front line, and creates neighborhood portfolios that make the most efficient use of the Authority’s resources.
NYCHA must also stabilize its properties and apartments with a strategy for upfront and ongoing capital investment. Currently, NYCHA’s 175,000 apartments have $40 billion in repair needs, a figure that grows at the rate of about $1 billion a year.
With NYCHA 2.0’s PACT program, the Authority is financing the full renovation of 62,000 apartments, over one-third of the portfolio. The “Build to Preserve” initiative and air rights sales will provide for major repairs at additional apartments.
NYCHA has converted nearly 8,000 apartments through PACT. Full repairs are underway at these buildings – with over $1 billion being invested in them.
However, 110,000 apartments remain in need of substantial capital investment – for critical health and quality-of-life issues such as mold, lead, and pest abatement, to new heating and elevator systems.
NYCHA estimates that it could cost approximately $18 billion to prevent further deterioration and bring these 110,000 apartments into compliance with the HUD agreement and basic Housing Quality Standards.
A Blueprint for Change calls for legislation that will establish a Public Housing Preservation Trust. The Trust will be a State-created public benefit corporation designed to complete massive levels of construction and enter into long-term ground leases with NYCHA to access Tenant Protection Vouchers (TPV). Much like the School Construction Authority does for the New York City Department of Education, the Trust will be able to use flexible procurement methods to expedite badly needed repairs to NYCHA developments. Legislation will also include resident rights and protections as well as affordability standards, thus codifying them into State law.
TPVs are HUD’s most valuable voucher, worth nearly twice as much as other federal funding sources. NYCHA projects that all 110,000 apartments are eligible for these TPVs because they are in such weak condition and meet HUD’s “obsolescence” criteria.
NYCHA proposes using TPV subsidy as collateral to raise upfront debt. NYCHA would then be able to raise enough upfront capital funding to stabilize all 110,000 apartments. This approach allows NYCHA to stretch the federal dollar further – for every $1 in federal TPV subsidy, the Authority could complete over $6 in capital repairs.
And the Public Housing Preservation Trust ensures a fully public process and public ownership. NYCHA, which remains the owner of the land and the buildings, would enter into a long-term ground lease with the Trust; the Trust would oversee the capital construction improvements, while NYCHA staff continue to maintain and manage the properties.
This is the first time in NYCHA’s history that it has had a comprehensive improvement plan for every single one of its buildings. This would be the largest investment in New York City’s public housing since the 1950s – an investment that would help the city recover economically from the COVID-19 pandemic, bringing job training and jobs and healthier homes to residents and tax revenues for the City and State. Renovations would also include the latest energy-efficient technologies and features, fostering a greener and cleaner NYCHA.
NYCHA is in the process of engaging residents, stakeholders, and elected officials to gather feedback around these ideas. NYCHA will continue and expand these conversations over the coming weeks and months, including by working with the State Legislature on authorizing the Public Housing Preservation Trust and with federal partners on TPV appropriations and financing mechanisms.
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About the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA)
The New York City Housing Authority is the largest public housing authority in North America, housing nearly 400,000 residents. NYCHA’s mission is to increase opportunities for low- and moderate-income New Yorkers by providing safe, affordable housing and facilitating access to social and community services. Over 390,000 New Yorkers reside in NYCHA’s 316 public housing developments and PACT developments around the five boroughs. Over 190,000 receive subsidized rental assistance in private homes through the NYCHA- administered Section 8 Leased Housing Program. For more information, visit www.nyc.gov/nycha, and for regular updates on NYCHA news and services, connect with us via www.facebook.com/NYCHA and www.twitter.com/NYCHA.
In mid-June the King County Housing Authority issued $140 million in tax-exempt housing revenue bonds to provide permanent financing for the acquisition of Hampton Greens, a 326-unit workforce housing complex in Bellevue, Wash., and to assume outstanding debt on four other workforce properties.
The Hampton Greens development is located adjacent to the Microsoft and Nintendo campuses in a high-opportunity neighborhood with excellent schools and access to public transportation. The property was purchased in December 2019 using a short-term line of credit.
KCHA worked with the KeyBanc Capital Markets’ team to market the bonds utilizing the Authority’s AA/Stable issuer rating from Standard & Poors. The offering was oversubscribed and achieved an overall borrowing rate of 2.95 percent based on a 20 year maturity and 30-year amortization structure.
“Given the current financial environment, we were uncertain of the market’s appetite for housing bonds,” said KCHA Executive Director Stephen Norman. “We were very pleased with the strength of the market response and final all-in debt costs." The Hampton Greens complex is the latest addition to an inventory of more than 6,500 units of workforce housing built or acquired by the Housing Authority as part of its efforts to preserve and expand the affordable housing supply in the Seattle metropolitan region.
Article from the King County Housing Authority
From the St. Croix Source:
"The last phase of the Louis E. Brown Villas is now complete and 90 hurricane-resilient, family apartments are ready for occupancy, according to the V.I. Housing Authority.
These join 102 family units completed in 2011 and 40 completed in 2013, all developed by McCormack Baron Salazar. According to a news release from the Housing Authority, the total development cost for all 232 units was $80.7 million and included financing support from VIHA.
The new two-story apartments feature an energy-efficient appliance package, ceiling fans, ceramic tile flooring, cable TV hook-ups and window blinds. Each apartment was designed for optimal airflow and cross ventilation, with low volatile organic compound interior paint and non-vinyl, non-carpet flooring for better air quality. There is an outdoor recreational field, meandering sidewalks for daily strolls, an area for small children, fencing, parking controls, community room, exercise facility, business center with a computer lab, library, central laundry facility and on-site management offices.
The property offers 108 off-street parking spaces. And the community employs a full-time supportive services coordinator to help residents access health care and other support systems to improve their quality of life.
“Together with our partners, we have bounced back from two Category 5 hurricanes to completely transform the old Louis E. Brown with an attractive affordable housing model for today,” Housing Authority Director Robert Graham said in a statement. “Every resident deserves this quality of housing to nurture their families, and with the support of Gov. Bryan, we are on a roll to revitalize all of our communities on St. Croix,” he said."
Read the St. Croix Source's article "Final Batch of Low-Income Homes at Louis E. Brown Villas Come Online," featuring the Virgin Islands Housing Authority.