i https://nam.edu/social-determinants-of-health-101-for-health-care-five-plus-five/
ii https://www.cbpp.org/research/housing/national-and-state-housing-fact-sheets-data
iii https://newsroom.uhc.com/community/housing-healthcare.html
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
During the COVID-19 quarantine, David can be reached at (202) 550-1381 or dgreer@clpha.org.
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Press Releases
5.19.21
Data-driven ”Community Catalyst” initiative in 23 communities convenes partners across sectors to identify and address community and population health needs; 10 of the initiatives are focused on public housing authority partnerships
MINNETONKA, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--UnitedHealthcare today announced a community-based initiative, Community Catalyst, that convenes a broad range of community stakeholders to identify and address specific health care needs of members of the community and residents of publicly assisted housing who are often difficult to reach and serve.
UnitedHealthcare is expanding on its long-term collaboration with the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA) by engaging public housing agencies (PHAs), federally qualified health centers (FQHCs), and community-based organizations (CBOs) in their mutual commitment to serve as a catalyst to close gaps in care, address health equity challenges, and encourage a greater positive health impact in local communities. By blending clinical data with firsthand information from community members to identify health challenges, the initiative formally brings together local partners to develop a collaborative community plan to address needs and track progress and outcomes.
UnitedHealthcare and its partners will analyze claims, health care utilization and local data to identify communities with large racial and health disparities and challenges. Working together, Community Catalyst initiative partners will develop common goals and collaborative interventions that enable each organization to leverage its capabilities to address the local health challenge. These interventions will be customized to the community and may encompass food insecurity and diabetes management programs that can include trauma-informed care trainings, telehealth and virtual care services, multilingual educational materials, and social services wraparound support.
To date, the priority challenges identified include food insecurity, health disparities such as health literacy and maternal and women’s health, behavioral and mental health, homelessness, access to health care, and chronic disease and diabetes management.
“The needs of communities are as diverse as the communities themselves, and in order to best impact health outcomes in communities, we are creating approaches that are rooted in data and also reflect the perspectives of the people that live and work in the community,” said Catherine Anderson, senior vice president of policy and strategy, UnitedHealthcare Community & State. “By working closely with CLPHA, FQHCs, and CBOs, UnitedHealthcare is well-positioned to bring the right partners together to align primary and behavioral health with social needs, creating initiatives that not only improve health outcomes but also provide for equitable care for all.”
UnitedHealthcare and CLPHA announced the first cohort of PHAs with planned programs addressing challenges as identified in: Akron and Columbus, Ohio; Austin and Houston, Texas; and Seattle/King County, Wash. A second cohort of public housing authorities now joining the initiative include: Atlanta Housing Authority, Detroit Housing Commission, Indianapolis Housing Authority, Memphis Housing Authority, and New Orleans Housing Authority.
“UnitedHealthcare's expansion of the Community Catalyst initiative to a second cohort of five additional housing authorities demonstrates the value of public housing authorities to reach low-income families and to provide support services to improve community and population health needs,” said Sunia Zaterman, executive director, Council of Large Public Housing Authorities. “CLPHA and our member public housing authorities are excited to work with UnitedHealthcare in this innovative and large-scale effort to bring together housing and health systems in an integrated approach.”
Additionally, UnitedHealthcare plans to launch similar initiatives partnering with FQHCs and CBOs to address community health needs in: Phoenix, Ariz.; Maui, Hawaii; Baton Rouge, La.; Montgomery County, Md.; Detroit, Mich.; Jackson and Clay counties, Mo.; Hinds, Copiah, and Warren, Miss.; Chester, Pa.; Richmond, Va.; Buffalo, N.Y.; Las Vegas, Nev.; Providence and Newport, R.I.
Research shows that 80% of an individual’s health is determined by what happens outside of a doctor’s officei. There are specific local underlying causes that trend in a community and create complex health challenges and barriers for individuals and communities, such as: lack of safe and affordable housing, healthy food and financial stability. In the United States, there are more than 2 million people in public housingii. Nationwide, children in subsidized housing have the lowest rate of enrollment into kindergarteniii.
FQHCs are rooted in local communities and critical to closing access gaps. In fact, 29 million Americans receive care at a FQHC each year, including 1 in 12 people and 1 in 5 people on Medicaid. FQHCs serve approximately 23% of UnitedHealthcare Community & State members at more than 1,300 clinics across the country. They are leading the way when it comes to serving our most vulnerable populations, including serving school-based health centers, military veterans, and homeless and public housing patients.
“UnitedHealthcare has provided ongoing support to our health center so we can better serve members of our community,” said María S. Gomez, president and CEO, Mary's Center. “This initiative is an exciting next step in the journey of collaboration, bringing together the key players in the community to help bridge the gap for people with an array of social and health needs that must be met before we can see a marked improvement in the overall health of our communities.”
This Community Catalyst initiative is one part of UnitedHealthcare’s ongoing efforts to address health equity, promote positive health outcomes and expand access to all. The company is also investing in programs and partnerships focused on food, transportation and social isolation, including $80 million to fight the pandemic and support vulnerable minority populations disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.
About UnitedHealthcare
UnitedHealthcare is dedicated to helping people live healthier lives and making the health system work better for everyone by simplifying the health care experience, meeting consumer health and wellness needs, and sustaining trusted relationships with care providers. In the United States, UnitedHealthcare offers the full spectrum of health benefit programs for individuals, employers, and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and contracts directly with more than 1.3 million physicians and care professionals, and 6,500 hospitals and other care facilities nationwide. The company also provides health benefits and delivers care to people through owned and operated health care facilities in South America. UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified health care company. For more information, visit UnitedHealthcare at www.uhc.com or follow @UHC on Twitter.
About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
CLPHA is a non-profit organization that works to preserve and improve public and affordable housing through advocacy, research, policy analysis, and public education. Its membership includes 70 of the largest and most innovative public housing authorities across the country, which collectively owns and manages nearly 40 percent of the nation’s public housing stock, administers more than a quarter of the Housing Choice Voucher program, and provides a wide array of other rental assistance. CLPHA members also make vital services available to the more than one million low-income households they serve in federally-assisted housing. CLPHA believes housing authorities are foundational to improving outcomes around housing, families, individuals, and communities. Through their Housing Is Initiative, CLPHA 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.
Contacts
Christina Witz
UnitedHealthcare
952-931-4645
Christina.witz@UHC.com
4.8.21
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(202) 550-1381
For Immediate Release
April 9, 2021 |
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(Washington, D.C.) April 9, 2021 – The Biden Administration’s recently announced infrastructure proposal, The American Jobs Plan, includes a $40 billion commitment to recapitalize public housing infrastructure. Applying data from a report by Econsult Solutions (ESI), a private data analytics firm, 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 are spent.
“Investing in public housing infrastructure offers many economic benefits beyond lifting families out of poverty and preventing homelessness,” said Sunia Zaterman, executive director of the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA). “The American Jobs Plan is the first to provide the size and scale of resources necessary to repair the crumbling infrastructure of public housing. In return local employers, governments, and industries will benefit from an economic activity that outpaces investment and creation of good-paying construction jobs.”
CLPHA commissioned ESI to evaluate the economic impacts of six public housing authorities (PHAs) in diverse markets across the country. Released in late 2018, “The Economic Impact of Public Housing: Ongoing Investment with Wide-Reaching Returns” found that PHAs generate and induce multiple streams of economic activity benefiting public housing residents and their local communities. For every $1 million PHAs spend on capital investments, $1.89 million in economic activity is generated and 11 full-time jobs are supported. CLPHA applied the American Jobs Plan’s $40 billion for recapitalizing public housing infrastructure with ESI’s economic impact numbers and found the American Jobs Plan will generate $76 billion in economic activity and 440,00 jobs — a nearly 2 to 1 ratio for economic impact generated to dollars spent.
“After decades of chronic underfunding and disinvestment in public housing infrastructure, the American Jobs Plan can be game changing. Local communities have an opportunity to experience the benefits of a robust public and affordable housing system,” said Zaterman. “Whether it is improving life outcomes for low-income families, creating positive impacts in surrounding neighborhoods of well-maintained public housing, expanding local and state tax bases, or spurring regional job creation and economic growth, public housing is a benefit. It is clear from the American Jobs Plan that the Biden Administration is committed to advancing public housing.”
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About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative |
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2.9.21
Grants will help PHA residents with immediate and locally defined needs exacerbated by COVID-19
Washington, D.C. (February 9, 2021) -- The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA) is pleased to announce the ten recipients of its COVID Resident Support Grants. The recipients are CLPHA member public housing authorities (PHAs) from across the country that will utilize their grants to meet immediate and locally defined needs exacerbated by COVID-19 for projects such as providing residents with essential household supplies, helping households successfully lease affordable units with their housing vouchers, and supplying technology and devices that will help resident children attend virtual school or connect resident seniors with healthcare resources. The recipients were chosen via a competitive selection process, and the robust response to CLPHA’s call for applications demonstrates the need for additional funds to support COVID-19 relief services and supplies for low-income Americans.
“As housing providers for some of the nation’s most vulnerable children, families, and seniors, our members are uniquely positioned to serve the low-income residents in their communities that are hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic effects,” said CLPHA Executive Director Sunia Zaterman. “We are pleased to provide these ten grants that will support PHAs in their efforts to not only keep residents stably housed, but also to provide crucial supplies and resources that will help residents cope with the new normal created by the pandemic."
The grantees are:
- INLIVIAN (Charlotte, NC)
- Elm City Communities (New Haven, CT)
- Housing Authority of the City of Goldsboro (Goldsboro, NC)
- Jersey City Housing Authority (Jersey City, NJ)
- Lucas Metropolitan Housing (Toledo, OH)
- Oklahoma City Housing Authority (Oklahoma City, OK)
- Home Forward (Portland, OR)
- Housing Authority of the City of San Buenaventura (Ventura, CA)
- Tacoma Housing Authority (Tacoma, WA)
- Wilmington Housing Authority (Wilmington, NC)
Learn more about CLPHA’s grantees and how they will use these funds to help meet the public health, education, employment, and basic urgent needs of their residents profoundly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic here.
These ten sub-grants are made possible through CLPHA’s grant from the Center for Disaster Philanthropy’s (CDP) COVID-19 Response Fund.
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About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities is a national non-profit organization that works to preserve and improve public and affordable housing through advocacy, research, policy analysis and public education. CLPHA’s 70 members represent virtually every major metropolitan area in the country. Together they manage 40 percent of the nation’s public housing program; administer 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 Center for Disaster Philanthropy
The Center for Disaster Philanthropy’s mission is to leverage the power of philanthropy to mobilize a full range of resources that strengthen the ability of communities to withstand disasters and recover equitably when they occur. CDP manages domestic and international Disaster Funds on behalf of corporations, foundations and individuals through targeted, holistic and localized grantmaking. For more information, visit: disasterphilanthropy.org, call (202) 464-2018 or tweet us @funds4disaster.
Statements
11.19.21
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(Washington, D.C.) November 19, 2021 -- Council of Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA) Executive Director Sunia Zaterman released the following statement after the House passage of the Build Back Better Act today:
“The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities applauds the U.S. House of Representatives' passage of the $1.9 trillion Build Back Better Act. The $150 billion targeted to affordable housing is the single largest investment in public housing ever.
“Today represents a fundamental change in America’s approach to public and affordable housing. The Build Back Better Act is historic legislation that seeks to remedy two generations of chronic disinvestment that has left millions of public housing residents suffering and exacerbated health, safety, climate risks, and racial inequities. These long-term investments to public housing, along with significant expansion of rental and homeownership assistance, will increase housing stability, reduce poverty, provide substantial climate benefits, and spur economic activity that strengthens local communities.
“CLPHA is thankful the House continued to listen to housing advocates by re-inserting provisions that will strengthen the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit’s ability to better leverage the capital required to develop and redevelop aging public housing infrastructure.
“As the Act moves to the Senate, CLPHA will continue its work with Senators to ensure that the public and affordable housing funding levels remain intact in the Senate version.”
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10.28.21
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(Washington, D.C.) October 28, 2021 -- Council of Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA) Executive Director Sunia Zaterman released the following statement applauding President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better announcement this morning: “The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities applauds President Biden’s announcement of a $1.85 trillion reconciliation framework with $150 billion targeted to affordable housing, the single largest investment in public housing ever. “For decades, millions of public housing residents have suffered from chronic disinvestment in their neighborhoods, exacerbating health, safety, climate risks, and racial inequities. The Build Back Better Act is historic and transformational in its comprehensive long-term approach by making public housing safe and sustainable for generations to come and significantly expanding rental and homeownership assistance. Stable, affordable housing is foundational to the health and economic well-being of all Americans and to our nation as a whole. This unprecedented and long overdue investment in the preservation and expansion of affordable housing, coupled with the Build Back Better Act’s other investments such as universal prekindergarten, the child tax credit, and climate change remediation, will have an historic impact on reducing poverty and improving the climate. “The Biden administration is delivering on a promise that has been decades in the making. CLPHA strongly supports the Building Back Better Act as a history-making investment in public housing and expanding housing opportunities.”
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(202) 550-1381
For Immediate Release
October 28, 2021 |
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About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative |
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10.1.21
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(Washington, D.C.) October 1, 2021 -- Council of Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA) Executive Director Sunia Zaterman released the following statement urging Congress not to cut proposed funding for public housing and rental assistance in the Build Back Better reconciliation bill:
“The transformational Build Back Better Act, proposed by President Biden and currently moving through Congress, will significantly expand the nation’s social safety net by providing safe, quality, and affordable housing to millions of low-income and marginalized families. The $90 billion in expanded rental assistance, $80 billion to preserve public housing, and $37 billion investment in the national Housing Trust Fund that passed the House Financial Services Committee in mid-September represents a significant step forward in federal funding for public and affordable housing. These funding levels are appropriate and justified as they finally make up for generations of chronic neglect and underfunding. For this reason, as negotiations about the size of the reconciliation bill move forward, CLPHA urges Congress to retain the funding levels for expanding rental assistance, preserving public housing, and investing in the nation’s Housing Trust Fund.
“Public and affordable housing has suffered under persistent disinvestment for decades. This has left public housing authorities unable to complete capital improvements, which has helped contribute to the loss of 400,000 affordable homes since 1990. Currently only 1 out of every 4 families who are eligible to receive a Housing Choice Voucher are able to access the program because of a lack of funding. This inadequacy of federal resources not only perpetuates the cycle of poverty, but also costs the American economy about $2 trillion every year in lower wages and productivity because of a shortage of affordable housing in major metropolitan areas.
“CLPHA thanks Speaker Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Schumer, House Financial Services Chairwoman Maxine Waters, and Senate Housing, Banking, and Urban Chair Sherrod Brown for championing housing throughout their careers and during the negotiations over the Build Back Better reconciliation process. Now Congress must commit to fully funding public and affordable housing at the levels in the House Financial Services Committee bill.”
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CLPHA in the News
6.9.21
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)
5.12.21
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.”
4.16.21
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.”
4.9.21
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.
4.8.21
Watch CLPHA Executive Director Sunia Zaterman LIVE on C-SPAN's Washington Journal on Friday, April 9
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).
Members Making News
11.18.21
Public housing authorities know that providing stable housing is only the first step in helping families thrive. A comprehensive approach that combines health, education, and housing programs has shown to dramatically improve life outcomes for low-income families. Public housing authorities have been in the vanguard developing cross-sector initiatives for their residents, who represent extremely low-income and vulnerable populations.
A recent Housing Is Working Group meeting demonstrated how housing authorities are creating and executing initiatives that bridge sectors and build supportive programs for their residents. Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority is continuing to expand their Early Childhood Initiative efforts and funding sources—they are now officially a State of Ohio home visiting provider for their Parents As Teachers services. In their continued response to the pandemic, the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles is combining their broadband adoption program with digital literacy ambassadors, as well as working with their library and gym partners to extend their educational programming and supports. HACLA has won two awards as a result of all of their ConnectHome initiatives.
Minneapolis Public Housing Authority continues to work with the Highrise Health Alliance, a group of high-level county, PHA, and Medicare providers who come together to figure out how to share data, and work together to find health solutions for our residents. They are expanding a health commons at one of MPHA’s sites that links a nurse practitioner with residents. Their Stable Homes Stable Schools program was made a permanent part of the City of Minneapolis budget and continues to link elementary school families with stable housing. Jersey City Housing Authority had their first harvest of their indoor vertical farms in partnership with AeroFarms. The farm will serve about 50 families across two PHA sites as well as provide activities and vegetables to a Boys and Girls Club and HeadStart facility.
Initiatives like these and many more will be discussed at the nation’s preeminent cross-sector event – the Housing Is Summit on May 18 and 19, 2022. Registration is opens soon: learn more here.
11.18.21
Chicago Housing Authority Senior Resident Leader Is Veteran Whose Devotion Is to Other Vets, Seniors
From the Chicago Housing Authority's press release:
Robert Scott spent 12 years in the United States Army, traveling all over the world. From Europe, to the Far East, to France. He jumped out of planes. And he fought in Vietnam. He’s seen a lot. And not all of it is pretty.
That’s why, as President of the Chicago Housing Authority’s North Side Senior Local Advisory Council (LAC), Scott is sure to properly recognize the veterans in the senior buildings that he monitors.
“I get to see the soldiers from different eras and from World War 2, and the Korean Conflict and Vietnam and Desert Storm,” he said. “You get to see and talk and get to tell a story. And you get to see younger guys and they are the ones that thank you for previous things. That kind of puts a different light on things.”
This Veteran’s Day is no different, as Scott enjoyed a Chicago Police Department salute to veterans today at his building, Maria Diaz Martinez Apartments, 2111 N. Halsted, before he visits veterans at his North Side buildings Thursday.
It’s part of what makes his job so enjoyable, he said.
As North Side Senior LAC President, Scott is responsible for checking on CHA’s seniors, assisting them, advocating for them, and for addressing any issues that may arise regarding the building, management or social matters.
“It encompasses a lot of things,” said Scott, originally from the West Side and the father of two adult sons. “And I get to hobnob with good people.”
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“This is a lifelong passion, coexisting in the building and helping the seniors that you work around and live around,” said Scott, who is the representative for 23 North Side buildings. “It’s interesting. It’s the most buildings in CHA’s portfolio, and I get to meet people that keep me abreast of what is going on. I visit every building once a month.”
Venis Frazier, CHA’s Director of Senior Services, works with Scott often.
“It has been such a pleasure working with Mr. Scott over the years,” Frazier said. “He is truly passionate about the seniors he serves in the North region. He advocates regularly on their behalf and they are very fortunate to have him as a leader. I am so grateful for his service then and now.”
11.17.21
Article from the Vancouver Housing Authority:
Damien Wheeler spent first through 12th grade living with his mom, twin brother and sister in a sprawling neighborhood of subsidized duplexes and fourplexes in Vancouver, Wash. A rental voucher, SSI and other public supports kept the family afloat.
“My mom, she did the best she could do and we all understood that,” Wheeler said. “She just told us to graduate and all of us did.”
The 27-year-old supports himself now, but not in the way one might expect. He has spent most of his career serving families in the same low-income neighborhood he grew up in. Wheeler worked at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest Washington, his alma mater Fort Vancouver High School and most recently served as a liaison at Bridgeview Resource Center.
“I just think he’s given back as much as was ever given to him,” said Sharon Linn.
Linn, who’s worked for Vancouver Housing Authority for 22 years, was part of a team helping Skyline Crest families like the Wheelers. She made sure they had food for Thanksgiving, gifts for Christmas and other supports needed to succeed.
Supports had to be tailored to the family and each person within the family.
“Finding out what the person needs is critical. It’s not a one-size-fits-all thing for everyone,” Linn said.
Years later, Wheeler and Linn worked on similar projects together as coworkers at Bridgeview: organizing National Night Out, gathering holiday gifts and school supplies for kids and putting together fresh food boxes.
Wheeler recently left his role at Bridgeview to work as an EMT with American Medical Response and aims to someday become a local firefighter. He credits much of his success to support and opportunities he was offered as a kid.
When he was 10, Wheeler began working with a mentor through the Rise & Stars Community Center. He was paired with VHA employee Shawn Hamburg, who worked in the construction and maintenance office just steps from Wheeler’s home.
“I didn’t really know what I wanted to do or what I was capable of,” Wheeler said.
The pair met after school to talk for hours or – if Wheeler’s homework was done – play basketball or drive around town.
“He could share anything with me and he had no fear of me going to Mom,” Hamburg said. “There’s something about having that one-on-one with an adult.”
He helped Wheeler navigate first jobs and career changes. Wheeler knew he could pop into Hamburg’s office pretty much any time he had a question or needed advice.
Hamburg noted that because Wheeler received help as a child, he went on to help dozens of at-risk youth. He’s worked with teens who were struggling to graduate high school or struggling to envision themselves getting into college.
Jodi Freydenfeldt, Bridgeview’s volunteer and engagement supervisor, said Wheeler really started to shine when he worked with teens. “He has a natural gift for working with that population, which can be tricky to work with,” she said.
Prudence Zeni, who used to supervise Wheeler, agreed and said some teens went to afterschool programs specifically when Wheeler was there.
“He was listening to them, he was around and he was a good influence,” she said.
He mentored a couple of youth through the Washington Military Academy, a National Guard Youth Challenge Program in Bremerton, Wash.
He began working at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest Washington when a clubhouse was built in his childhood neighborhood in 2016.
“It was such a cool opportunity for the kids who lived in that neighborhood to do work with Damien,” said his former supervisor, Ashley Davis. “He was someone they had known as a neighbor so Damien had a special connection with them.”
Also, while working at the clubhouse he met his wife, Josie.
Like many who’ve grown up in subsidized housing, Wheeler’s road to breaking the cycle of poverty was long and filled with jagged peaks and low valleys. Having housing supports and consistent, supportive adults in his life truly made all the difference. The outcome was less reliance on social services.
“Despite the challenges that Damien had he’s been able to rise above,” Freydenfeldt said.
Sometimes, she said, when people are low income, the bar gets set low. Wheeler set the bar high, always considering his next step – whether that was buying his first home, completing EMT school or joining a nonprofit board.
He wasn’t waiting for some big break. Rather, he slowly, methodically moved forward by asking questions, making mistakes and learning from experience. After a stint working at a local bank, for instance, Wheeler leveraged that connection to get a scholarship for low-income youth.
“I think he has a belief in his own resilience,” Zeni said. “It’s just the way that he is.”
11.17.21
From ABC 7 News Washington, D.C.:
On Veterans Day eve, dozens of formerly homeless vets in Prince George’s County have new homes.
They’ve qualified for vet-specific housing vouchers and have been paired with landlords and given keys during a special event in College Park.
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"We ended up getting evicted and we were homeless for a while," Ashley said. "You gave the time of your life to this country and the country doesn’t have a place for you anymore."
But as of Wednesday, Ashley, her 5-year-old son, Hassan and all of the veterans here have a home, thanks to the Housing Authority of Prince George’s County and an influx of federal dollars for housing vouchers just for veterans. The authority has been working to pair landlords with those in need culminating in this meet and lease and other services event.
"These individuals have laid their life on the line for our country. This is the least we can do," Nathan Simms said.
Read ABC 7 News' article "Dozens of homeless veterans receive keys to new houses in Prince George's County," featuring the Housing Authority of Prince George's County.
11.17.21
From the Brooklyn Reader:
A new 12-story 100% affordable housing development will bring 179 permanently affordable apartments to extremely low and low-income families in Brownsville.
The Van Dyke III building, part of New York City Housing Authority’s (NYCHA) 23 building Van Dyke housing complex, was officially opened this month by Trinity Financial, NYCHA, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, the Housing Development Corporation (HDC), elected officials and a group of business, nonprofit, and community leaders.
The building will set aside 31 apartments for NYCHA residents. 54 supportive housing units for formerly homeless people, and one superintendent’s unit, and it will include an early childhood educational center that can cater to 118 children, an urgent care clinic with pharmacy and a wellness center operated by BMS Family Health and Wellness Centers. Supportive services will be provided by the nonprofit organization CAMBA.
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NYCHA Chair and CEO Greg Russ said NYCHA was committed to fostering public-private partnerships capable of bringing high-quality residential apartments and amenities to places where they were needed most.
“The collection of resources, facilities, and affordable housing represented in the Van Dyke III project will benefit this neighborhood for generations to come,” Russ said.
Read the Brookyln Reader's article "100 Percent Affordable Housing Development Opens in Brownsville," featuring the New York City Housing Authority and the NYC Department of Housing Preservation & Development.