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.
*Please let us know if you are working on deadline.
To view all of CLPHA's press releases, click here.
To view all of CLPHA's press statements, click here.
You can subscribe here to our biweekly newsletter, events invite list, and topic specific newsletters. You can also follow us on Twitter at @CLPHA. Or, send us an email with your interests and we would be happy to add you to our press lists.
Thanks again for your interest in CLPHA!
WASHINGTON (September 20, 2019) – Sunia Zaterman, the Executive Director of the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities, issued the following statement today in response to President Trump’s and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Carson’s recent comments on the crisis of homelessness in America:
“It is astounding that this administration is calling for an end to homelessness while refusing to reinvest in public and affordable housing. People without a place to live need stable housing, not just campaign rally rhetoric or politically driven economic reporting based on cherry-picked research to manufacture a root cause of homelessness.
“The reasons for homelessness vary and no single solution will end the crisis, but there is no question that the lack of affordable housing opportunities exacerbates the problem for families, people with disabilities, and veterans.
“The Housing First model, recognized by HUD as recently as December as the most effective way to end homelessness, treats stable housing as a platform for supportive services that meet immediate and long-term needs for individuals and families.
“Meanwhile, this Administration has tried to gut funding for HUD and for public housing authorities, which are essential partners in local efforts to provide safe, stable housing to low and very-low income families, and those most vulnerable to homelessness.
“PHAs work with their Continuums of Care to provide transitional housing, permanent supportive housing, and vouchers to households exiting homelessness. They also coordinate with a variety of local service providers to offer supportive services to ensure housing stability, and work with health and education partners to promote access to services that are essential for family well-being and self-sufficiency.
“The hundreds of thousands of unsheltered people living on the streets in our country need real solutions, not campaign speeches.”
About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities is a national non-profit organization that works to preserve and improve public and affordable housing through advocacy, research, policy analysis and public education. CLPHA’s 70 members represent virtually every major metropolitan area in the country. Together they manage 40 percent of the nation’s public housing program; administer more than a quarter of the Housing Choice Voucher program; and operate a wide array of other housing programs. Learn more at clpha.org and on Twitter @CLPHA and follow @housing_is for news on CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative to better intersect the housing field and other areas of critical importance such as health and education.
###
CLPHA Applauds Appointment of Greg Russ to Lead New York City Housing Authority
Greg Russ is the right leader at the right time to oversee NYCHA and tackle the unique challenges facing the nation's largest and oldest public housing authority.
WASHINGTON (June 19, 2019) - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the City of New York yesterday announced the appointment of Gregory Russ to serve as the next Chair of the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA).
Sunia Zaterman, Executive Director of the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA) issued the following statement in support of the city's selection of Russ, who is the current CEO/Executive Director of the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority (MPHA) and a member of CLPHA's Board of Directors:
"Greg Russ is the right leader at the right time to oversee NYCHA and tackle the challenges facing the nation's largest and oldest public housing authority. Greg is a distinguished public housing executive and proven change maker who has led with innovation to positively transform affordable housing for residents and communities. He is uniquely qualified for this position because of his experience as the Director of Troubled Agency Recovery and his work at the Chicago and Philadelphia housing authorities.
"Throughout his career, Greg has shown a commitment to preserving and improving the public housing stock while promoting self sufficiency and economic opportunities for HUD-assisted families in PHAs across the nation. In addition to his leadership in the field, Greg is considered a national expert on public housing policy.
"CLPHA applauds Mayor Bill de Blasio's selection of Greg Russ to serve as NYCHA's next chair and we look forward to supporting Greg in his new role."
About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities is a national non-profit organization that works to preserve and improve public and affordable housing through advocacy, research, policy analysis and public education. CLPHA’s 70 members represent virtually every major metropolitan area in the country. Together they manage 40 percent of the nation’s public housing program; administer more than a quarter of the Housing Choice Voucher program; and operate a wide array of other housing programs. Learn more at clpha.org and on Twitter @CLPHA and follow @housing_is for news on CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative to better insect the housing field and other areas of critical importance such as health and education.
###
FY20 Funding Bill from the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies Includes Robust Funding Increases and Legislative Language to Prevent HUD from Evicting Mixed-Status Immigrant Families
WASHINGTON (May 22, 2019) - In preparation for a subcommittee markup on the morning of May 23, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies (THUD) today released their FY20 funding bill. According to the subcommittee proposal, the discretionary funding level for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) totals $50.1 billion, an increase of $5.9 billion above the FY19 enacted level, and $13.4 billion above President Trump’s request.
The Executive Director of the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities, Sunia Zaterman, issued the following statement in support of the bill:
“In a familiar pattern and reprise of repudiating Trump Administration budget proposals, the House THUD budget reflects Congress’ continuing commitment to fund critically important housing and community development programs the Administration proposed rescinding, cutting, or eliminating in its budget request.
“CLPHA is pleased that under the leadership of THUD Subcommittee Chairman David Price (D-NC) and Ranking Member Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL), the THUD proposal increases – in several instances substantially increases – or level funds programs critical to communities served by public housing authorities.
“In addition to robust funding increases, such as the doubling of Choice Neighborhoods to $300 million and fully funding the Section 8 account, the proposal includes legislative language to prevent HUD from evicting mixed-status immigrant families from public housing, and to prohibit HUD from unilaterally changing the public housing annual contributions contract without public input and following the administrative procedures act process. Importantly, mandatory rent increases and work requirements were not included in the subcommittee’s bill.
“We applaud the subcommittee for its ongoing commitment to public and affordable housing and look forward to working with the Chair and Ranking Member in support of this bill.”
About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities is a national non-profit organization that works to preserve and improve public and affordable housing through advocacy, research, policy analysis and public education. CLPHA’s 70 members represent virtually every major metropolitan area in the country. Together they manage 40 percent of the nation’s public housing program; administer more than a quarter of the Housing Choice Voucher program; and operate a wide array of other housing programs. Learn more at clpha.org and on Twitter @CLPHA and follow @housing_is for news on CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative to better intersect the housing field and other areas of critical importance such as health and education.
###
The long-awaited Opportunity Atlas, published today by the Census Bureau in collaboration with researchers at Harvard and Brown, got top billing on today’s homepage of the New York Times’ data-driven digital property The Upshot. “Detailed New National Maps Show How Neighborhoods Shape Children for Life,” includes the new interactive mapping tool, some of the project’s main findings, and examples of the mobility work that public housing authorities are currently doing, and plan to do, with the data. In addition to quoting Raj Chetty, one of the project’s researchers, authors Emily Badger and Quoctrung Bui feature quotes and examples from CLPHA members Greg Russ, Executive Director of the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority, Andrew Lofton, Executive Director of the Seattle Housing Authority and Andria Lazaga also of SHA who each discussed how PHAs are using the data as part of their Creating Moves to Opportunity (CMTO) work.
Additional news coverage of the Opportunity Atlas includes an NPR segment during today’s Morning Edition broadcast that features interviews with Chetty and local officials in Charlotte, NC, who intend to use the data to shape future policy decisions.
Read the article and use the interactive maps on the NYT website and listen to the Morning Edition story on NPR’s site.
On August 9, HUD sent the 2017 Worst Case Housing Needs Report to Congress, providing national data and analysis of critical problems facing low-income renting families throughout the nation. The report, which is HUD's 16th in a longstanding series, chronicles an increase in severe housing problems, with the number of households considered to have worst case housing needs jumping from 7.72 million in 2013 to 8.3 million in 2015. HUD also reports that, since 2007, the U.S. has seen a 41 percent increase in severe housing problems, and a 66 percent increase since 2001. The Worst Case Housing Needs Report defines households with worst case needs as very low-income renters who do not receive government housing assistance and who paid more than one-half of their income for rent, lived in severely inadequate conditions, or both.
Using data from the 2015 American Housing Survey, HUD found that the economic benefits of an improving national economy are not reaching the lowest-income renter households and that overall severe housing problems are on the rise. The report acknowledges a large shift from homeownership to renting as playing a major role in the increase of worst case housing needs, noting that, "modest gains in household incomes were met with rising rents, shrinking the supply of affordable rental housing stock in an increasingly competitive market."
You can view the 2017 Worst Case Housing Needs Report by clicking here.
On August 1, the Senate Finance Committee held a hearing, “America’s Affordable Housing Crisis: Challenges and Solutions.” The hearing focused primarily on the challenge of increasing the supply of affordable housing and strategies to address the significant housing cost burdens faced by many Americans. Senator Hatch opened the hearing, stating that the affordable housing crisis, “is a problem that should be ready for a bipartisan solution.” To view our write-up of the hearing, click here.
To help tackle the affordable housing issues discussed in the hearing, Senators Orrin G. Hatch (R-UT) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) have introduced legislation, S. 548, the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act. The bill would increase Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) credit authority by 50 percent, as well as enact roughly two dozen changes to strengthen the program by streamlining program rules, improving flexibility, and enabling the program to serve a wider array of local needs.
During the hearing, Committee Members expressed their support for the Cantwell-Hatch bill and there was broad bipartisan consensus that the LIHTC program is a vital tool for increasing the production of affordable housing and providing low-income households, safe, quality, affordable homes. However, there were also concerns raised regarding oversight and compliance of the program. Daniel Garcia-Diaz, director of financial markets and community investment at the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), presented testimony that IRS oversight of LIHTC is minimal and that there are no robust controls in place to ensure reasonableness of costs or compliance with program requirements. According to Mr. Garcia-Diaz, the GAO recommends that HUD, as an agency with a housing mission, play a greater role in the oversight of the program.
In our Statement for the Record, CLPHA applauded the leadership the Senate Finance Committee has shown in support of LIHTC to date and encouraged the Committee to support S. 548. The bill is especially beneficial to the public housing program, which has experienced decades of underfunding and federal disinvestment. We noted that LIHTC has proven to be an extremely important preservation tool for public housing, and PHAs have a long history of leveraging private equity through LIHTCs to fill the funding gap created by decreased federal appropriations. Without the LIHTC program, preservation of their public housing stock would not be possible.
CLPHA also acknowledged that competition for more valuable 9% LIHTCs is fierce in many states and that there have been concerns within the affordable housing community about increased demand from the public housing portfolio. Increasing the allocation authority by 50 percent would support the preservation and construction of up to 400,000 additional affordable apartments over a ten-year period, including the renovation of vital public housing units that are currently at-risk. Additionally, the legislation allows for an increased basis boost for projects serving extremely low-income households. This would be particularly beneficial to housing authorities, as 75 percent of public housing residents are extremely-low income.
CLPHA has been strongly supportive of the legislation. In addition to the Statement of Record above, CLPHA has also engaged in this work as a member of the A.C.T.I.O.N. Campaign Steering Committee (A Call to Invest in Our Neighborhoods). The A.C.T.I.O.N. Campaign has taken a lead role in promoting the expansion of LIHTC, including support of S.548. Last month the Campaign submitted a letter to Senator Hatch in response to his request for comments on tax reform, urging Congress to expand and strengthen the housing credit. Along with other Steering Committee members, CLPHA endorsed and signed the letter.
As Congress takes on tax reform in the upcoming months, we will continue to support this important legislation that would provide needed resources to public housing. CLPHA members should support the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act by contacting their senators during recess to urge them to support the bill.
Two-Generation Economic Act reflects the cross-sector collaboration that CLPHA’s Housing IsInitiative promotes.
Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Martin Heinrich (D-NM) recently reintroduced bipartisan legislation in the Senate, calling for the development of support programs that improve family economic security by breaking the cycle of multigenerational poverty through a comprehensive strategy that addresses the needs of parents and children. The Two-Generation Economic Act of 2017, or S. 435, seeks to align and link existing service systems and funding streams that currently support parents and children separately. Heinrich and Collins believe that aligning the support systems to help parents and children together will increase the whole family’s chances for success in life. The bill also establishes the Interagency Council on Multigenerational Poverty to provide guidance on two-generation programs; establish a system of coordination among agencies and organizations; identify best practices; and identify gaps, research needs, and program deficiencies.
The Two-Generation Economic Act of 2017 is a significant step in the fight against poverty. It would be the first piece of legislation to incorporate a two-generation approach aimed at increasing economic security, educational success, social capital, and health and well-being for parents and children together. In seeking to better align service systems and funding streams, the bill would give states, local governments, and tribes more flexibility to develop programs that meet their specific needs. The approach outlined in S. 435 would greatly improve the effectiveness of service delivery, and it highlights the same principles and goals around which CLPHA’s Housing Is initiative was founded, to better intersect housing and other sectors in order to improve life outcomes. CLPHA has long promoted two-generation initiatives as a best practice and has been a leader in fostering partnerships to encourage innovative solutions to address generational poverty.
The Interagency Council on Multigenerational Poverty will create a national focus on multigenerational poverty by facilitating coordinated efforts across multiple agencies and departments. This interagency collaboration will align and link fragmented systems and funding streams, resulting in holistic approaches that simultaneously address the needs of children and their parents or guardians.
A collaboration that has been in the works for several years, the Two-Generation Economic Empowerment Act includes a balance of input and interests from local service providers, families, administrators, and other stakeholders. Heinrich and Collins hope that this innovative approach will help collectively ensure that people will have an opportunity to use already existing federal resources or attract private investment to implement the two-generation approach in their community, regardless of one’s zip code.
When Senator Collins first introduced the bill, she told the story of a five-year-old girl named Arianna who was homeless, living in a tent with her family outside of Portland, ME. A state social worker worked with the Maine Homeless Veterans Alliance to provide support services to the girl and her family, who are now living in an apartment near where Arianna is attending school. This is a small-scale example of the holistic approach that Collins and Heinrich wish to achieve with their legislation.
“Just as a child’s ZIP code should not determine his or her future success, neither should bureaucratic inflexibility make it so difficult for families to get the help they need to escape intergenerational poverty,” Senator Collins said.
You can learn more about the Two-Generation Economic Act of 2017 by reading this fact sheet that explains the principles of the bill or view a copy of the bill by clicking here.
From Atlanta Housing's website:
As Atlanta suffers devastating and long-term ramifications from the COVID-19 pandemic, Atlanta Housing (AH) is calling for more partnerships with for-profit and non-profit real estate owners to help us serve the city’s vulnerable homeless population.
“The pandemic has put a magnifying glass on the distress that people experience when they don’t have a home—which is a basic necessity and should be a right in America,” says Leonard L. Adams, Jr., president and CEO of Quest Communities. At a time when many Atlanta citizens are experiencing new hardships and others are in need of a transition from group housing (where residents are at higher risk for COVID-19 transmissions), Atlanta-based developers like Quest Communities recognize that the need for quality, affordable housing is greater than ever.
Quest Communities isn’t the only developer to understand the need. In early August 2020, Dwell Communities, another long-term partner with AH, recently committed nine apartment units to provide permanent housing to those experiencing homelessness in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. “AH makes it possible for Dwell to offer housing to those who are homeless or facing homelessness,” says Everett Baker, chief operations Manager at Dwell Communities. “The pandemic doesn’t change our mission, or Atlanta Housing’s mission. If anything, it intensifies it. There are more in need than ever, and we are privileged to play a role, however small, in addressing those needs.”
“Developers, especially nonprofit organizations, should consider a partnership with Atlanta Housing,” adds Katie Crippen, an associate director at Mercy Housing, a national nonprofit that has also partnered with AH to bring quality housing to those in need. “We all want to meet the same goals: to provide much-needed safe, affordable housing in Atlanta. [And] of course, we all believe affordable housing is integral to a thriving, equitable community.”
Building a thriving community is a long-held goal that many in the city’s private and public sectors support. And the mission to reduce and eliminate the city’s homelessness is top priority in that quest. AH is proud to make ground on that objective with the early successes of our HomeFirst campaign. A coordinated effort with Atlanta Housing, Partners for Home, Invest Atlanta (IA), the United Way Regional Commission on Homelessness and other public-private partners, HomeFirst is one of our most recent initiatives aggressively aimed at creating 550 new permanent supportive housing units in an effort to serve those either at risk for homelessness or currently experiencing homelessness.
Read "Real Estate Partnerships Are Key to Helping End Homelessness" on Atlanta Housing's website.
From the Star Tribune:
For Abdi Warsame, trust is everything.
It's a sentiment the former City Council member thinks about often as he navigates his first year in his "dream job" leading the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority.
For months, he's worked through Zoom video calls from his office at 1001 N. Washington Av. But he said in a recent interview the best way to build confidence is by delivering results for the 26,000 people depending on the agency for housing.
"I don't think residents are looking for a leader in terms of what they look for in a Minneapolis City Council member or mayor or elected official," said Warsame, who's the first Somali American to lead the agency. "What they are looking for is that their properties are safe, that they themselves are safe, that they can find shelter and housing that they deserve."
Warsame's appointment as executive director in January 2020 surprised his fellow council members and was greeted with fanfare and selfies with supporters. But it came at a time when the public trust in the agency was shaken by the November 2019 fire at its Cedar High apartments that killed five residents.
The agency found itself confronting questions about why sprinklers had not been installed sooner on the upper floors and facing blowback from residents, many of them Somali Americans. The agency has also endured criticism over a lack of communication about plans to renovate aging properties using private funds, and struggled to quash residents' fears of displacement, even though many were fed by misinformation.
Mary McGovern, a resident at the Elliot Twins and president of the Minneapolis Highrise Representatives Council, which represents 5,000-plus tenants, was unsure if Warsame could handle the job.
But now she meets with him every Friday. She said he has worked hard to secure funding for capital improvements for the 42 aging high-rises and keep residents safe during the pandemic.
"He's always been 100% behind the residents, and that's what I have looked for in any kind of director for MPHA," McGovern said. "He wants to make sure the high-rises are comfortable and feel like home to residents."
Read the Star Tribune’s article “In his 'dream job,' Abdi Warsame works to rebuild trust at the Minneapolis public housing agency.”
Local Columbus news station 10 WBNS recently interviewed CLPHA Board Member and Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority President & CEO Charles Hillman about the ongoing transformation of CMHA’s Poindexter Village Community. Hillman told 10 WBNS that he is excited about the reinvestment of this historic community, noting that CMHA has built and developed more than 450 new units of mixed-income housing and brought in nearly $280 million of investment into the neighborhood as part of what the housing authority calls its Blueprint for Community Reinvestment.
“While a lot has been done, there is still lots to be done,” Hillman said. “Neighborhoods are the foundations of communities and cities, and we need partners who are willing to invest and respect that community to develop housing and services that residents will benefit from to return it to its viable community."
Poindexter Village, named for Columbus abolitionist, activist, and politician Rev. James Preston Poindexter, was originally dedicated in 1940 by then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt as one of the nation’s first public housing projects. In honor of Black History Month, 10 WBNS produced an in-depth story about Poindexter Village and its history, featuring photographs from the neighborhood’s early days, oral histories from former residents, and a look at the future Poindexter Village Museum and Cultural Center.
"Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority has been a resident and a member of The Near East Side for over 80 years," Hillman told 10 WBNS. "We've seen it go from an epicenter in the Black community through challenging times - results of racial issues and policies - that turned it into not-so-nice of a community for a period of time to once again, a rebirth."
You can watch Mr. Hillman’s interview here.
From the Santa Clara County Housing Authority’s press release:
The Santa Clara County Housing Authority (SCCHA) today announced the appointment of Preston Prince as executive director. Prince previously served as executive director and CEO of the Fresno Housing Authority where he helped lead successful homeless programs, established positive partnerships with community organizations and residential developers, and prioritized transparency and ethics.
"Prince's community-based leadership style is a great fit for SCCHA and will help us best leverage resources to meet the housing and community development needs of our county's most vulnerable residents," said Board Chair Jennifer Loving.
“As a community builder, I will work with the private and public sectors to establish financial resources that will create vibrant and healthy neighborhoods for Santa Clara County residents,” said Prince. “Because of my ability to be a social entrepreneur, I will bring creativity and imagination that will allow the Santa Clara County Housing Authority to actively -- and positively -- address the health, wealth, and education of its residents. I look forward to building on the impressive work happening in Santa Clara to address homelessness and create economic prosperity for all families."
Prince has more than 25 years of experience in all aspects of the creation and financing of affordable housing. His housing career is largely characterized by community revitalization and redevelopment through the forging of public and private partnerships.
"Preston is a forward thinker and visionary who shows a deep commitment to SCCHA's mission," said Adrienne Lawton, a Board commissioner and participant in SCCHA’s voucher program. "The caliber of our top candidates went way above what we expected, and we picked the person we felt could best lead SCCHA in the new direction we're headed."
Prior to joining SCCHA, Prince was the executive director at Fresno Housing Authority, one of the 20 largest public housing agencies in the country. For 14 years he used his role there to advance safe and affordable housing as a platform to improve educational, health, and wellness outcomes for Fresno County residents. He also served as executive director at Aurora Housing Authority and held senior development positions at Seattle Housing Authority and Kitsap County Consolidated Housing Authority in Washington.
Affordable Housing Finance interviewed CLPHA Board President and King County Housing Authority Executive Director Stephen Norman for its Pop Quiz segment this month. Mr. Norman discussed his career pathway in public and affordable housing, how KCHA is transforming its portfolio, and how his PHA’s staff is going above and beyond to serve residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. You can read the interview here.