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
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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.
Christina Witz
UnitedHealthcare
952-931-4645
Christina.witz@UHC.com
(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 |
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.
(Washington, D.C.) August 5, 2022 -- Council of Large Public Housing Authorities Executive Director Sunia Zaterman released the following statement on the Federal Communications Commission’s adoption of the Affordable Connectivity Outreach Grant Program and the Your Home, Your Internet Pilot Program:
"The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA) applauds the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) adoption of the Affordable Connectivity Outreach Grant Program and the one-year Your Home, Your Internet Pilot Program at its Open Commission Meeting today. CLPHA has worked closely with the FCC to help shape these programs through direct dialogue with members of Congress, the FCC, and submitted comments throughout the regulatory process. CLPHA has also been a long-time proponent for digital equity through working with partners, disseminating information via webinars, spotlighting promising practices at conferences, and conducting outreach on opportunities. Today is a strong step forward for serving low-income families living in assisted housing with improved access to high-quality, affordable broadband and devices.
"These initiatives will improve the Biden administration’s Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), a $14 billion long-term initiative that offers up to $30 a month for the costs of internet service for eligible households and builds on the Emergency Broadband Benefit in order to provide more permanent assistance. Public housing authorities have long understood that digital access is critical to improve life outcomes for low-income families living in assisted housing and we are excited for additional support to get more assisted households connected.
"Public housing authorities offer the most effective avenue to connect the highest number of low-income families to broadband access and accomplish the goals of the Affordable Connectivity Program. At CLPHA’s 8th Annual Housing Is Summit in May, Federal Communications Commission Commissioner Geoffrey Starks noted this point in his keynote speech, 'When I look at the data where we can reach more vulnerable households…, I consistently come back to housing. I see a clear synergy between housing and connectivity; if we are helping a family secure housing, we should be able to help them secure an internet connection as well.'
"In May 2022 Commissioner Starks also visited Nickerson Gardens, a property of the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA), a CLPHA member. With 1,000 units, Nickerson Gardens is the largest public housing community west of the Mississippi River. He reported that the ACP Pilot Program had connected 78 percent of the Nickerson Garden units to the internet.
"During today’s open meeting, Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel also named CLPHA member the Jersey City Housing Authority (JCHA) and its executive director Vivian Brady-Phillips as an exemplary PHA working on digital inclusion. CLPHA highlighted both HACLA and JCHA during this year’s Housing Is Summit.
"The Affordable Connectivity Outreach Grant Program will provide eligible governmental and non-governmental entities with funding to conduct outreach to eligible low-income households in order to increase awareness of and encourage participation in the Affordable Connectivity Program. The one-year Your Home, Your Internet Pilot Program aims to increase awareness of the Affordable Connectivity Program among recipients of federal housing assistance and facilitate enrollment in the ACP by providing targeted assistance with the ACP application.
"CLPHA will work with its members to ensure they are taking advantage of these programs to help residents access not only to affordable, high-quality broadband and devices, but also digital literacy to utilize these resources."
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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.) March 31, 2022 -- Council of Large Public Housing Authorities Executive Director Sunia Zaterman released the following statement on the Biden administration’s FY23 budget request:
“The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities applauds the Biden administration’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 budget request with its 9.4-percent increase in HUD discretionary funding over 2022 enacted levels. The Biden administration has consistently demonstrated a commitment to expanding housing opportunities for low-income Americans. The FY23 budget request reflects this commitment.
“CLPHA is pleased that the FY23 budget increases funding across many programs that CLPHA members operate. Among CLPHA’s top legislative priorities is a significant expansion of the Housing Choice Voucher program. The multi-billion dollar increase in the funding request for the HCV program, which represents an expansion of 200,000 households, is an important step forward to fulfilling this key priority.
“The expansion of the HCV program coupled with increased administrative fee funding, more Tenant Protection Vouchers, additional LITHCs, new RAD conversion subsidies, and targeted climate and health investments can have a major impact on preserving public housing, expanding rental assistance and developing new affordable housing.”
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About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative |
(Washington, D.C.) March 9, 2022 -- Council of Large Public Housing Authorities Executive Director Sunia Zaterman released the following statement about the HUD budget in fiscal year 2022 spending omnibus package:
“The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities applauds the $4 billion increase in funding for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development over last year in the fiscal year (FY) 2022 omnibus appropriations bill released last night. The increase amounts to $53.7 billion for HUD in this omnibus bill. "Subcommittee Chairman David Price and the Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee recognized the critical role that public housing and Housing Choice Vouchers play with several funding increases. First, an expansion of up to 25,000 new incremental vouchers for those experiencing or at risk of homelessness, including survivors of domestic violence and veterans as part of the $200 million increase in the Tenant-Based Rental Assistance Program. Second, the Project-Based Rental Assistance budget increase of $475 million over the FY 2021 budget will continue to safely house 1.2 million very low- and low-income households.
“For public housing a $645.5 million increase over FY 2021, including $3.2 billion to meet the full annual capital accrual need in order to improve the quality and safety of public housing for more than 2 million residents. Finally, the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative received an increase of $150 million above FY 2021, which represents a 75 percent increase. While America’s housing crisis continues, these funding increases recognize that public and affordable housing programs are the most effective way to keep low-income families housed.”
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About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative |
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.
From the NYCHA Journal:
On July 15, the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) and NYCHA celebrated the opening of much-needed affordable housing in the Mott Haven area of the Bronx, on underutilized land at the site of NYCHA’s Betances VI campus. The development will provide 101 units of deeply affordable housing, including 70 homes for extremely low-, low-, and moderate-income New Yorkers; 30 apartments set aside for New Yorkers who had previously experienced homelessness; and 18 units reserved for NYCHA residents to receive priority housing.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony to open Betances Family Apartments was attended by HPD and NYCHA, as well as public and private partners and elected officials, including Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, Deputy Speaker and Councilmember Diana Ayala, and representatives from BNY, NEF, Lemle & Wolff, Alembic Community Development, and The Bridge.
“Today, our administration joins the South Bronx in proudly saying ‘yes’ to more affordable housing in our backyards,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “The only way to solve our generational housing and affordability crises is to simply build more, and the Bronx is setting the example by welcoming working-class New Yorkers, NYCHA residents, and formerly homeless individuals into the community with open arms. With more than 100 units of deeply affordable units, the Betances Family Apartments sets a model for the rest of our city to follow and embody.”
“With 101 new affordable homes for New Yorkers in Mott Haven, this project marks an investment in housing access for those in need of affordable and supportive housing,” said Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce Maria Torres-Springer. “Offering furnishings for families who have previously experienced homelessness, priority units for NYCHA residents, and services on-site for all residents, Betances VI is an excellent example of how we can provide support and opportunity through housing. I’m grateful for the partnerships that resulted in this project coming to be, as this administration continues to invest in new affordable homes for New Yorkers.”
“Today marks a milestone for Mott Haven as we deliver a new home for New Yorkers struggling with housing insecurity or mental health issues: you deserve safe, stable, and affordable housing,” said NYC Commissioner of Housing Preservation and Development, Adolfo Carrión Jr. “Not only does this transformative project create much-needed affordable and supportive housing for New Yorkers and those with mental health challenges, but it also revitalizes a once-underused property — uplifting the entire community while creating a healthy, vibrant residence for low-income and formerly homeless individuals.”
“We consider ourselves extremely fortunate whenever we’re able to celebrate the completion of new housing on NYCHA property,” said NYCHA Chief Executive Officer Lisa Bova-Hiatt. “NYCHA is very proud of the work completed in concert with our partners at HPD to bring about the addition of Betances Family Apartments to the Betances VI campus. This new building creates invaluable housing stock amid the current crisis and the 101 deeply affordable units within will serve as amazing new homes for the New Yorkers that will soon inhabit them.”
“NYCHA is proud to work directly with HPD and our partners to respond to one of our city’s biggest needs — the development of new, affordable housing,” said NYCHA Executive Vice President for Real Estate Development Jonathan Gouveia. “The Betances Family Apartments shows how we can come together to utilize our resources to provide existing NYCHA residents with amenities, community spaces, and beautiful new housing. We are excited to celebrate the opening of Betances Family Apartments today and look forward to welcoming home 100 residents soon.”
Read the NYCHA Journal's article "Partnership Brings New Affordable Homes to Mott Haven."
From New York Governor Kathy Hochul's press release:
Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the opening of La Mora Senior Apartments, an affordable 60-unit, modern and highly energy-efficient building in the Hollow neighborhood of South Yonkers. The $44 million project was developed in partnership with the Municipal Housing Authority of the city of Yonkers.
“La Mora Senior Apartments creates the affordable, supportive housing opportunities that we know are a proven strategy for helping older New Yorkers achieve long-term stability,” Governor Hochul said. “My administration is dedicated to making our state more affordable for New Yorkers, and these apartments will give seniors the opportunity to be part of a vibrant community that is tailored to their needs.”
In the last five years, New York State Homes and Community Renewal has created or preserved 4,500 affordable homes – including 300 linked with supportive services – in Westchester County. La Mora Senior Apartments continues this effort and complements Governor Hochul's $25 billion comprehensive Housing Plan that will build or preserve 100,000 affordable homes across New York, including 10,000 with support services for vulnerable populations, plus the electrification of an additional 50,000 homes.
Located in South Yonkers, the development was constructed on a vacant parcel owned by MHACY that was once occupied by Longfellow Junior High School. The four-story building has 57 one-bedroom apartments and three two-bedroom apartments. All apartments will be affordable to residents 62 and older with incomes at or below 60 percent of the Area Median Income.
Amenities include a community room with kitchen, two business rooms, fitness center, central laundry, building-wide WiFi, storage units, landscaped courtyard and roof top deck. There are two elevators, buzzer entry, an emergency call system, a 24-hour security system, fire alarms and detectors, electronic access controls and surface parking reserved for residents.
Residents also have access to services provided the Yonkers Office for the Aging, including case management, home-delivered meals, assistance with entitlement programs, transportation, health awareness programs, access to nutrition centers, recreation and exercise programs, and supermarket and pharmacy delivery coordination. Services are funded by the Office for the Aging and the Westchester County Department of Senior Programs and Services.
The surrounding neighborhood has multiple public parks and a golf course, and the development is near St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center.
La Mora Senior Apartments is highly energy efficient, meets the criteria for the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) New Construction - Housing Program by receiving ENERGY STAR(R) Multifamily New Construction certification, and is pursuing Passive House certification. All apartments will include low-flow plumbing fixtures, ENERGY STAR (R) appliances, individual high-efficiency electric heat and cooling systems, and LED lighting. The building has a high-efficiency envelope, dual-pane insulated windows, and a central electric hot water heating and distribution system. An emergency generator ensures that the building systems remain operable in the event of a blackout.
La Mora Senior Apartments is being co-developed by MHACY and the Mulford Corporation, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit charitable development corporation formed by MHACY in 2004.
New York State Homes and Community Renewal financing for La Mora Senior Apartments includes $17.7 million in Federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, a $7.9 million first mortgage and $9.1 million in subsidy. NYSERDA’s New Construction – Housing Program provided $240,000 in project incentives. Westchester County funded $3.4 million from the Housing Implementation Fund and the city of Yonkers gave $650,000 in HOME funds. MHACY provided a $2.6 million loan.
President & CEO of the Yonkers Housing Authority Wilson Kimball said, “The Mulford Corporation is incredibly grateful for the financial support La Mora has received at every level of government from the City, county, state and federal government. Allowing Yonkers seniors to age in place in the most resilient housing possible was clearly a collective vision.”
From GW Today:
Erin Athey has spent decades working in community medicine in Washington, D.C., a career that made her painfully aware of the disparity in care access between the city’s high-income and low-income residents.
“There is a 20-year difference in life expectancy between the White House and Ward 8,” the adjunct and former assistant professor at the George Washington University School of Nursing said. “So this is a system that needs a massive overhaul."
During the COVID-19 pandemic, while running a series of mobile clinic events with the District of Columbia Housing Authority (DCHA), Athey noticed that DCHA properties often have a small number of offline units reserved for community service providers. An epiphany dawned: Could these unused public housing units be used as “wellness hubs,” providing convenient health care services in the communities that need them most?
Athey started sketching out ideas on a napkin. In addition to the units that could potentially be repurposed into clinics, some DCHA properties also have large community spaces, which Athey realized could be used for educational events and free gatherings. Brainstorming “was an iterative process,” Athey said. “I was really trying to think about how we could anchor these health care services out in the community."
Due to her longstanding relationship with DCHA, Athey was able to consult with and quickly gain support from colleagues at the agency. “I shared with them that instead of just these mobile pop-ups we were doing, maybe we could establish some permanent mini-clinics along those same routes,” she remembered. “And because of COVID, I think there was sort of an urgency for them to say yes.”
Read GW Today's article "D.C. Public Housing Units Become Health Care Hubs."
CLPHA Members in Cuyahoga and Norfolk Earned Additional CNI Funding
Three of CLPHA’s members—Houston Housing Authority, Miami-Dade Public Housing & Community Development Department, and Syracuse Housing Authority—were awarded HUD Choice Neighborhoods Implementation (CNI) Grants for the first time. Two of CLPHA’s members—Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority and Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority—each received an additional $2.5 million in funding for current CNI projects in this latest round of CNI awards. HUD has announced a total of $325 million in CNI grants to fifteen communities.
The Syracuse Housing Authority and City of Syracuse were awarded $50 million for the McKinney Manor and Pioneer Homes public housing properties and the surrounding East Adams neighborhood. Residents of the historically Black East Adams community were displaced in 1959 when several blocks were razed for the construction of Interstate 81. As part of this project the New York State Department of Transportation will tear down elevated portions of I-81. In its place the new project will feature 1,404 new mixed-income housing units in a community grid design, enhanced access to quality education, increased economic opportunity through workforce and small business development, and improved neighborhood connectivity and visibility.
The Houston Housing Authority and the City of Houston received $50 million for the redevelopment of its Cuney Homes public housing property and the surrounding historically Black Third Ward neighborhood, a community that housed many residents emancipated from slavery in the years after Houston’s 1836 founding. When completed, the redevelopment will feature 1,115 mixed-income, transit-oriented units and offer increased access to mental health care, local education resources, and workforce programs.
The Miami-Dade County Public Housing and Community Development Department and the City of Miami were awarded nearly $40 million to redevelop the Culmer Place and Culmer Gardens public housing properties and the surrounding Overtown neighborhood, which was once a thriving entertainment and commercial hub known as the “Harlem of the South.” When completed, the project will include 1,069 mixed-income units, energy efficient design, new green spaces, clubhouses, community rooms, gardens, and improvements to security and lighting around the building.
Artists' renderings of future plans for CLPHA Members' Choice Neighborhoods communities, from top: Syracuse Housing Authority's McKinney Manor in Syracuse's East Adams neighborhood; Houston Housing Authority's Cuney Homes in Houston's Third Ward neighborhood; Miami-Dade Public Housing and Community Development Department's Culmer Gardens in Miami's Overtown neighborhood
The seven new CNI grantees will collectively develop over 6,500 new mixed-income units, including one-for-one replacement of 2,677 severely distressed public housing units. Grantees leverage the funds they receive from HUD with other public and private resources. The seven new awardees will collectively invest more than $2.65 billion in additional resources within their Choice Neighborhoods areas, meaning every $1 in HUD funds will generate $8.65 in additional resources.
Click here to view a summary of each community’s new CNI award. More information on CNI grants can be found here.
From FOX 25 Oklahoma City:
More than 10,000 books are now in the hands of the Oklahoma City Housing Authority (OCHA). They started giving some away to children Monday afternoon.
The books are coming from a partnership with a national book giveaway program called the Book Rich Environments Initiative.
"I just like reading," Maddox, who received a book, said.
Maddox was in luck on June 17, as OCHA hosted a summer kickoff book giveaway at one of its developments in south OKC.
"Education is always one of our components we focus on in the resident services department," Lacy McClain with OCHA said. "At OCHA, we value and want to promote literacy. We want to promote education among our residents."