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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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.
About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative |
November 20, 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 .
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.
Honored to Be Only Housing Organization to Sign Commitment Letter (Washington, D.C.) December 7, 2021 — The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA) applauds the Biden-Harris Administration’s Maternal Health Call to Action announced today, and CLPHA was honored to be the only housing organization to sign the letter of commitment to the action. This recognition speaks to CLPHA’s leadership in health equity and long-standing dedication to improving maternal health among residents of CLPHA’s member public housing authorities (PHAs). CLPHA launched its commitment to maternal health and many other health-related issues with the creation of the pioneering Housing Is Initiative in 2015. Housing Is helps broaden and launch efforts to align housing, education, and health organizations to produce positive long-term outcomes for those experiencing poverty. Collaboration across systems and sectors—through shared goals, focused resources, and coordinated efforts—strengthens our collective ability to serve the needs of low-income individuals and families effectively and efficiently, and our work’s focus includes young mothers who are disproportionally impacted by housing insecurity. “The Biden-Harris Administration’s decision to lift maternal health to a White House initiative reflects their continuing commitment to address issues impacting low-income families,” said Sunia Zaterman, executive director of the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities. “From the American Rescue Plan Act that contained an expansion of emergency rental assistance and the child tax credit to the Build Back Better Act that expands housing opportunities for low-income families, the Biden-Harris Administration is proposing a transformational investment in America’s low-income women and families." Maternal health is an issue embedded with racial, health, and housing disparities. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that Black women are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related causes than white women. With the majority of PHA residents being Black, indigenous, or people of color, PHAs understand they play a critical role in addressing racial inequities through increased focus on maternal health. CLPHA’s members have been at the forefront of developing programs around maternal health for their residents. The Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority and CelebrateOne partnered to create Healthy Beginnings at Home, an initiative to reduce infant mortality through a housing intervention. The Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority has partnered with the Full Term First Birthday Initiative to replicate the Healthy Beginnings at Home program. The Boston Housing Authority and Boston Public Health Commission created the Healthy Start in Housing Program that provides housing for homeless men and women with very small children with medical issues, as well as pregnant women experiencing homelessness. CLPHA looks forward to supporting the Biden-Harris Administration’s Maternal Health Call to Action with its own activities, including a Martin Luther King Jr. Day virtual event on January 18, 2022 that will discuss how racial discrimination has jointly impacted housing inequities and maternal health outcomes and the interaction of these two disparities. During the 2022 Housing Is Summit on May 18-19, 2022, will also hold a leadership panel to discuss how different sectors can come together to create innovative solutions for the maternal health crisis in this country. ###
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About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative |
(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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(202) 550-1381
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About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative |
(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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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 New York City Mayor Eric Adams' press release:
New York City Mayor Eric Adams today celebrated the state Legislature’s passage of the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) Public Housing Preservation Trust legislation, A7805D/S9409A. The bill passed the New York State Senate today on 38-25 vote, after passing the Assembly yesterday on a 132-18 vote.
“For decades, NYCHA residents have been promised repair after repair that never materialized, but, with the Public Housing Preservation Trust, we will finally deliver on those promises and offer NYCHA residents the dignity and safe, high-quality, affordable homes they deserve,” said Mayor Adams. “My administration fought tirelessly alongside residents and our partners in Albany to pass this bill that will unlock critical resources, with legal protections, to keep residents at the center of the process of improving their homes. NYCHA residents deserve a menu of options to choose the approach and the tools that they think will best deliver the quality of life they deserve, and, with Governor Hochul’s signature, the Public Housing Trust will be a major addition to that menu. Thank you to all of our partners in Albany for making real change for tens of thousands of New Yorkers and to the NYCHA residents who stood up to ‘Get Stuff Done.’”
“This is an incredible moment for the residents of NYCHA and New York City as a whole. Through the Trust legislation, NYCHA residents are the only people who will decide the future of their homes going forward — they finally have choices and the power to drive the conversation on how their homes are preserved,” said New York City Chief Housing Officer Jessica Katz. “NYCHA housing is our most vital affordable housing stock, and the NYCHA Preservation Trust will allow us to ensure these homes not only exist long into the future but also remain permanently affordable for thousands of families. After years of relying on the whims of Congress, NYCHA residents will finally get the repairs they deserve and homes they can be proud of once again. We anchored the rights of public housing residents at the heart of this bill to ensure that while New Yorkers see their quality of life vastly improved through the Trust, they are not sacrificing any of their rights. This is a long-term, permanent solution for NYCHA. Thank you to our allies in Albany and, most importantly, the NYCHA residents who have advocated for themselves, their families, and their communities to preserve public housing in New York City.”
“This is a momentous event in the history of public housing — in New York City and across the nation,” NYCHA Chair and CEO Gregory Russ. “The passage of the Public Housing Preservation Trust gives NYCHA the ability to raise billions of dollars in capital funds to invest in its properties and residents a true voice in the future of their homes. With the support of New York City Mayor Eric Adams, New York State Governor Kathy Hochul, NYCHA residents, community leaders, and advocacy partners, the New York State Senate and Assembly have led the way with the vision and courage necessary to put an end to decades of disinvestment and the status quo and, most importantly, to transform the quality of life for public housing residents. NYCHA is profoundly grateful to bill sponsors Assemblymember Steven Cymbrowitz and Senator Julia Salazar, as well as the New York State Legislature and all of our partners for making possible real change and lasting solutions for public housing residents in New York City.”
The Preservation Trust would be a new, entirely public entity that would unlock billions of dollars in federal funding to accelerate repairs and make long-overdue investments for tens of thousands of NYCHA residents across all five boroughs. The legislation would keep NYCHA residents at the center of the Trust’s implementation process, preserving all resident rights and protections, including a guarantee that no NYCHA resident will have to pay more than 30 percent of their income towards rent. NYCHA needs over $40 billion to fully restore and renovate all its buildings.
The legislation also includes over a dozen changes recommended by resident leaders, including:
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A first-in-the-country resident opt-in voting process, under which residents will have the right to vote on any proposed changes to their development;
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Resident participation in vendor selection; and
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Resident representation on quality assurance committees.
Passage of the Trust would allow NYCHA to double the amount of federal subsidy it receives while remaining entirely public by switching to project-based Tenant Protection Voucher funding. It will also provide NYCHA with improved procurement rules that would reduce costs, speed up construction timelines, and allow faster responses to resident requests. NYCHA would continue to own all residential complexes and the land on which they are built, with NYCHA employees continuing to manage the properties. The Trust would have a publicly appointed nine-member board, which includes four resident members.
From HUD Multifamily Housing’s Office of Recapitalization’s RADBlast! Newsletter:
Jordan Downs, located in the Watts neighborhood of southern Los Angeles, California, was built in the 1940s as housing for war workers during World War II. In the early 1950s, Jordan Downs became public housing under the management of the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA). While it provides an essential lifeline in a city with rapidly rising rental costs, the property was in dire need of modernization. In addition, it was isolated, with its site in both a food desert as well as lacking transit access to economic opportunities for its residents.
Following years of resident and community engagement, HACLA deployed the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) and other tools to reinvest in this community, rebuilding all of the existing homes, doubling the affordable housing on site from 700 to approximately 1,400 affordable rental units, adding market-rate units to ensure a mixed-income development, and reshaping the surrounding community. The City of Los Angeles is roughly halfway through implementing a 10-year master plan for the complex, with plans to continue to use RAD through 2027, while also adding nine acres of public park space and a new retail center, including a grocery store, at Century Boulevard and Alameda Street.
Read about how HACLA engaged residents throughout this transformation, how all residents have the opportunity to move into newly built apartments, and residents’ positive reactions as their neighborhood and housing is being revitalized through RAD.
Vancouver Housing Authority recently celebrated the opening of an assisted living facility that will house 40 formerly homeless individuals with behavioral health challenges—the first of its kind in Washington state. Prior to constructing Tenny Creek Assisted Living there hasn’t really been a place in Vancouver, Wash. to house vulnerable people with behavioral and physical health issues who need a higher level of care than independent living, said Joan Caley, who chairs VHA’s board.
“I teach community health nursing and that’s why this project is particularly dear to me because it’s going to address one of the big issues we have in our community,” Caley said. “The people who will live here will stop the cycle of homelessness, incarceration, stays at shelters and Western state hospital as well as multiple visits to emergency rooms.” Financing for the $17.1 million facility came from the Washington State Department of Commerce Housing Trust Fund, the National Development Council, a state capital appropriation and VHA.
Operations will be supported by Medicaid and rental subsidies from VHA received as a result of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development designating Tenny Creek’s studio apartments as public housing. Also, the county approved use of a local sales tax fund to bolster startup costs and VHA is hopeful another application with the Department of Commerce will be approved.
“If we’re actually going to be the community that we say we’re going to be, we need to take some risks, we need to be innovative, we need to come together cause as you can see it takes diverse funding,” said Vanessa Gaston, who heads Clark County Community Services. “It’s going to take a variety of providers to come together. In the end it’s what best for our community because we are helping the most vulnerable and marginalized."
Rep. Sharon Wylie, D-Vancouver, said she partnered with housing authorities statewide on a bill to ensure housing authorities won’t face unnecessary increased costs that would cause housing costs to go up. “[House Bill 1975] enables housing authorities to continue to do the good work that they do to take care of the facilities that they provide for the different populations,” Wylie said.
Rep. Paul Harris, R-Vancouver, highlighted the local legislative delegation’s bipartisan support for the project.
“These are complex issues that these individuals are having,” he said. “We need to address that. I’m just glad I’m in a community that actually recognizes that and has done something about that—and continues to do something about that.”
Homelessness is not easy to resolve and requires continued funding, especially since 40 units doesn’t meet the need, Harris said. Tenny Creek is part of the area’s efforts to build a variety of housing that serves different populations.
“It’s an incredible model that we should be looking at all across our state,” said Clark County Treasurer Alishia Topper, who also serves on the Washington State Housing Finance Commission.
She was appointed to the commission in 2017 when she was a Vancouver city councilmember and trying to tackle the housing crisis.
“Unfortunately, those challenges are still here today and they are growing,” she said. “One of the particular interests are projects like this one that are really going to be able to offer communities the intensive services and support that are crucial to giving them a path to a healthy, sustainable life.”
While public housing authorities have long known that digital access is critical to improve life outcomes for low-income individuals and families, recent increases in federal resources dedicated to broadband access are creating new awareness about its untapped potential.
Last year, the Biden administration funded the Emergency Broadband Benefit program with a $3.2 billion grant. In December 2021, the Federal Communication Commission launched the 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.
At CLPHA’s 8th Annual Housing Is Summit last month, Federal Communications Commission Commissioner Geoffrey Starks said 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.”
Public housing authorities such as the Jersey City Housing Authority (JCHA) and the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) are already bridging the digital gap. In Los Angeles, HACLA, community partners, residents, and internet service provider Starry worked together to get 78 percent of the 1000 units of Nickerson Gardens in Watts online. JCHA is also partnering with Starry to bring affordable internet access to its Hudson Gardens and Thomas J. Stewart communities, and JCHA also put out a bid for broadband infrastructure and high speed, low-cost internet services with ISP Andrena winning the contract to wire four public housing developments.
The most efficient and effective avenue for federal government to expand digital access to low-income families is through public housing authorities. To take advantage of infrastructure that public housing authorities provide, the FCC is launching a pilot program to expand ACP participation among households receiving federal public housing assistance.
The dream of providing digital access to low-income Americans is within our reach, especially with increased funding from the federal government and broader awareness of the importance of high-speed internet to all facets of our lives. Public housing authorities continue to pursue new strategies and partnerships that make this crucial resource available to families in their communities that need it most. Now is the time for all stakeholders – local and state governments, funders, community partners and residents – to step up and join PHAs in making this dream a reality.
Vancouver Housing Authority and its partners recently celebrated the start of construction on Fourth Plain Community Commons in Vancouver, Wash. The project will anchor the area, known as Vancouver’s International Business District, which is home to the city’s most diverse and lowest income neighborhoods.
Opening in 2023, the mixed-use project features 106 workforce housing units on the upper floors and a flexible ground floor space. It’s located along a major thoroughfare and bus rapid transit corridor, Fourth Plain Boulevard. VHA will own and operate the apartments while the City of Vancouver will develop the ground space and work with community organizations to operate it.
The city and housing authority are collaborating with Salazar Architect Inc. and Walsh Construction Co. to bring the project to life. The team hosted open houses, surveys, workshops and design meetings (which switched to remote interviews and focus groups after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic) to determine what residents and businesses need.
“That is how it evolved over time,” Vancouver Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle said at the project’s groundbreaking ceremony. “It wasn’t the city’s plan. It wasn’t just Vancouver housing authority’s plan. It was this community’s plan.”
Fourth Plain Community Commons will have over 10,000 square feet of shared office space and event space, along with a commercial kitchen incubator to launch and support food-based businesses. Additionally, a 9,000-square-foot outdoor plaza will host festivals and events including a farmers market. Fourth Plain Community Commons is designed to allow murals to cover much of the façade, contributing to the area’s mural arts tradition.
The aim is to improve the corridor’s safety, create a place where people can gather and access services, strengthen small businesses and increase the supply of affordable housing—a critical need in Vancouver. It’s part of Fourth Plain Forward, an initiative to support residents, enhance the area and boost local businesses.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development expressed its support for the project and others like it.
“Your partners at HUD here in the region, your partners across the Biden administration stand ready to bring federal resources to the table to partner with you to make creative moves just like this to open doors for more families throughout our region,” said Margaret Salazar, HUD’s Region 10 administrator.