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David Greer
Director of Communications
(202) 550-1381 or [email protected].
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(202) 550-1381
For Immediate Release
February 27, 2021 |
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(Washington, D.C.) February 27, 2021 – Sunia Zaterman, executive director of the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities, released the following statement upon tonight’s passage of the American Rescue Plan Act in the U.S. House of Representatives:
“The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities applauds the House of Representatives' bipartisan passage of the American Rescue Plan Act, which includes $35 billion in emergency rental and utility assistance and a significant extension of the eviction moratorium.
“This legislation is critical to address the rental crisis facing the nation. The situation has only grown worse since the Biden Administration announced the American Rescue Plan in mid-January. Renters have continued to accrue past-due rent at an alarmingly high rate. While the eviction moratorium has provided important protections for renters financially impacted by the pandemic, the moratorium has meant that millions of renters have accumulated significant arrears. Economists estimate that unpaid rent at the end of January 2021 totals $52 billion, which amounts to $5,600 for the average renter. With the March 31 moratorium on evictions rapidly approaching, additional rent assistance is urgently needed to help renters stay in their homes by addressing back rent. The Senate must act swiftly to provide emergency rental assistance and prevent a wave of evictions that will tragically disrupt the lives of millions of Americans.”
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About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative |
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(202) 550-1381
For Immediate Release
January 28, 2021 |
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(Washington, D.C.) January 28, 2021 – Sunia Zaterman, executive director of the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities, released the following statement upon the conclusion of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs’ nomination hearing for The Honorable Marcia L. Fudge, of Ohio, to be Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development: “The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities applauds HUD Secretary-designate Marcia Fudge’s forceful call for expanding emergency rental assistance at her Senate nomination hearing today for individuals who are facing housing instability due to lost income or are experiencing unemployment because of COVID-19, many of whom are people of color. She understands that the $25 billion allocated to emergency rental assistance in the most recent stimulus was not enough and only a down payment.
“Right now, in back rent alone, 10 million low-income renters have accrued an average of $5,600 in rental arrears, which totals $56.3 billion. The current stimulus package will help approximately 3.5 million renters pay back rent by February. The remaining 7 million renters who are unable to pay back rent will face eviction, compounding the strain on our nation’s economy and compromising our nation’s moral responsibility to address racial inequities among our most vulnerable individuals.
CLPHA calls for Congress to immediately pass President Biden’s American Rescue Plan which contains $50 billion in emergency rental assistance, and for the Senate to swiftly confirm Secretary-designate Fudge so that she can begin her imperative work.”
About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative |
January 6, 2021
(Washington, D.C.) January 6, 2021 – Sunia Zaterman, executive director of the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities, released the following statement on the results of yesterday’s special election in Georgia:
“CLPHA congratulates Raphael Warnock on his historic victory and Jon Ossoff’s election to the United States Senate, thus securing a Democratic Senate majority. The incoming Biden-Harris administration and HUD Secretary-designate Marcia Fudge now have expanded, once-in-a-generation opportunities to improve the lives of low-income Americans who have been especially harmed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The first course of action is for Congress to pass a new stimulus relief bill with $50 billion in emergency rental assistance that addresses housing insecurity and homelessness. These historic wins also provide momentum to permanently expand the Housing Choice Voucher program and recapitalize the public housing portfolio, both of which are concrete steps to eradicating poverty and dismantling systemic racism. CLPHA looks forward to working with the Biden-Harris administration and the 117th Congress to make these legislative goals happen.”
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.
The Housing Opportunities Commission of Montgomery County and partners cut the ribbon on The Lindley, a 200-unit high-rise in Chevy Chase, MD. The opening of The Lindley constitutes a net increase of 22 units of affordable housing in the neighborhood. You can watch a time-lapse video of The Lindley’s construction here.
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 the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority's newsletter:
Spectrum announced the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) received an additional $25,000 toward its workforce development program through Spectrum Community Center Assist (SCCA), the company’s philanthropic initiative to revitalize local community centers and invest in job training programs in underserved rural and urban neighborhoods where Spectrum operates.
Over the past four years, Spectrum has provided a total of $157,000 to support the organization’s efforts.
“Through Spectrum’s investment in the community, we’re creating real pathways to economic mobility for individuals across Cleveland,” said Jeffery K. Patterson, CEO and Safety Director of CMHA. In 2025 alone, over 600 individuals advanced their employment goals through CMHA’s workforce development initiatives at Lakeview Community Center, gaining direct access to employers through job fairs, target skills workshops, and personalized digital support. “Each successful hire brings greater stability to families and lays a foundation for lasting success. When families thrive, the entire community rises with them,” Patterson added.
The partnership launched in 2022 when Spectrum employees and community volunteers helped make repairs and improvements to CMHA’s Lakeview Community Center. Spectrum also provided Chromebooks, a Smartboard, and its advances 1-gigabit-per-second internet service for the organization’s new Spectrum Training & Technology Center. Strategic partnerships, including the “Next Steps to Employment” workshop series and the Cleveland Clinic Workforce Program, amplified this impact by providing practical job placement skills and individualized guidance. Complementing these efforts, an on-site Digital Navigator offered one-on-one tech support to residents for career searches and online readiness.
Patricia Wells, Executive Director of the Oakland Housing Authority, and Mark Gillett, Executive Director of the Oklahoma City Housing Authority, Elected to CLPHA’s Board
CLPHA is pleased to announce the election of two new board members: Patricia Wells, Executive Director of the Oakland Housing Authority, and Mark Gillett, Executive Director of the Oklahoma City Housing Authority. These two new members were elected at CLPHA’s Spring 2026 Board Meeting, held March 18, 2026, in Washington, D.C.
Wells and Gillett bring more than 50 years combined in public housing authority leadership to the board. CLPHA thanks Ms. Wells and Mr. Gillett for volunteering their time and expertise to the stewardship of our organization and looks forward to continuing our work with them to protect and expand affordable housing opportunities for low-income families across the country.
From the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority's website:
Every day, MPHA helps provide stable, affordable housing to more than 26,000 people. But the agency’s impact goes beyond just residents and program participants—MPHA invests millions in the local economy annually through contracted projects and services. In 2025, MPHA paid out $142,710,556 in contracts to local landlords, construction companies, security firms, and social service providers.
“MPHA is a key infrastructure in the city of Minneapolis—both for the people it helps house and for its investment in the local economy,” said Abdi Warsame, Executive Director/CEO of the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority. “MPHA maintained thousands of homes, hundreds of jobs, and invested more than one hundred and forty million dollars in our community last year. I am proud of the incredible work our team does every day to make our community better, and I look forward to MPHA continuing to increase its investments in the years ahead.”
The largest portion of MPHA’s investment in the Twin Cities economy comes from administering nearly 7,500 Housing Choice Vouchers (HCV). Through MPHA’s vouchers, the agency provides participants with a rental subsidy and partners with landlords and affordable housing developers in the private rental market. Last year, the agency allocated more than $83 million in Housing Assistance Payments to local landlords on behalf of nearly 20,000 people who benefit from vouchers in Minneapolis.
With the agency’s capital backlog estimated at more than $290 million, MPHA completes substantial construction and renovation work every year. For the most complex projects, MPHA routinely contracts with local construction companies to supplement the work of its own in-house team of skilled maintenance and tradespeople. Last year, the agency broke ground on the largest public housing redevelopment in city history, Spring Manor. Other recent examples include $20 million in high-rise capital repairs and major exterior enveloping renovations at 65 scattered site family homes. In 2025, MPHA spent nearly $50 million with local contractors on the agency’s various construction projects.
Other major investments include security and social services, which are routinely listed as MPHA residents’ top priorities in annual budget conversations. MPHA spends several million dollars every year on security and social services across its high-rise buildings and family housing portfolio. The agency leverages security personnel, property gates, secure building access, and more to ensure its buildings are secure. Last year, the agency spent more than $5 million on security services.
To bring social services and community resources to residents, MPHA has a long-standing partnership with Volunteers of America (VOA). The services VOA team members deliver include helping residents through case management, health screenings and education, and referrals for additional support (food, health, etc.). In recent years, MPHA has seen the need for these services increase significantly. In response, MPHA has increased its VOA funding to nearly $1 million a year. This is part of a larger $3.5 million allocated to local partnered social service providers in 2025. In addition to the social services provided by VOA, MPHA contracts community and resident council support through Minneapolis Highrise Representative Council, housing stabilization support through Stable Homes Stable School, and more.
Helping provide housing to more than 26,000 people, MPHA is a key infrastructure in the City of Minneapolis and Twin Cities region. And with recent one-time and ongoing investments in MPHA by state and local leaders, the agency is poised to continue to expand its investments in the years ahead.
From the Tacoma Housing Authority's press release:
Tacoma Housing Authority (THA) and its nonprofit subsidiary, Tacoma Housing Development Group (THDG), announced an $80,000 grant from Virginia Mason Franciscan Health (VMFH) to support the expansion of the Expanded Learning Opportunities (ELO) Project - a comprehensive initiative designed to advance academic success, social-emotional development, and mental health for young people living in THA communities. VMFH recently announced a commitment of $1.8 million to 29 local nonprofits, awarded through its 2026 Community Health Improvement Grants program; THA was among the 29 grant recipients.
The grant will help scale ELO’s proven summer enrichment model into year-round learning. During the 2026–2027 program year, ELO will expand from a five-week to an eight-week summer program and introduce after-school learning sessions for children and youth ages 5–18 across multiple THA properties.
Addressing Urgent Community Health and Education Needs
Youth living in low-income households often face systemic inequities, trauma, and limited access to safe, high-quality learning environments. The ELO Project aims to reduce these barriers through consistent exposure to caring adults, structured activities, supportive peer relationships, and opportunities for creativity and joy.
The ELO Project is a collaborative partnership between Tacoma Housing Authority, SOP Projects (Seeds of Peace), and Greentrike. Together, these organizations will serve more than 2,400 children and youth, focusing on those experiencing academic disengagement, social isolation, trauma, or behavioral and mental health challenges.
Programming will include:
- Social-emotional learning (SEL) skill building
- Mental health supports and wellness workshops
- Academic tutoring and enrichment
- STEM and arts activities
- Mentorship opportunities
- Physical activity and play based learning
THA will provide grant oversight and program management, ensuring success for its properties and residents. SOP Projects (Seeds of Peace) will lead SEL, conflict resolution, youth led coordination, and mental health awareness initiatives—including training youth leaders in Teen Mental Health First Aid. Greentrike will provide curriculum development, staff training, and support to ensure equitable, inclusive, and developmentally appropriate learning experiences.
“This investment allows us to provide year-round programming that strengthens emotional resilience, builds academic confidence, and nurtures the unique potential of young people in our communities,” said THA Executive Director April Black. “We are deeply grateful to Virginia Mason Franciscan Health for recognizing the importance of prevention-focused, community-rooted development for young people.”
The expanded ELO Project will help ensure that the program is fostering long-term wellbeing, reducing summer learning loss, and helping close opportunity gaps for THA youth.
From the Durham Housing Authority's press release:
The Board of Commissioners of the Housing Authority of the City of Durham ("DHA") announced today the retirement of Interim Chief Executive Officer, Anthony Snell, effective February 6, 2026. Mr. Snell has made the difficult decision to bring his career in the public sector to a close in order to return home and spend more time with his family.
Mr. Snell joined DHA in 2020. As its Director of Real Estate, he was the driving force behind the development of several high-profile affordable housing projects including JJ Henderson, The Joyce, 500 East Main, Elizabeth Street Apartments, Commerce Street Apartments, Dillard Street Apartments, Villages of Hayti, Tribute Rising, numerous public-private partnerships and many more. Additionally, Mr. Snell was instrumental in fostering a collaborative and impactful partnership between DHA and City of Durham in connection with the City's commitment to investing in the preservation and development of affordable housing.
Since December 2024, Mr. Snell has served as Interim Chief Executive Officer of DHA. During his tenure, Mr. Snell has strengthened both operational and financial stability at DHA. The Board extends its sincere appreciation to Mr. Snell for his outstanding dedication and leadership during his term of service with DHA.
The Board also announced both that it will begin a national search for the next permanent Chief Executive Officer and that Ashanti Brown will serve as Interim Chief Executive Officer during this transition period. Ms. Brown currently serves as DHA's Chief Operating Officer. She began her tenure at DHA in 2017 as the first Director of Strategic Management and has served as the Chief Operating Officer since 2024.
"I join my fellow Commissioners in congratulating Mr. Snell on an outstanding career at DHA and in the public sector," said Mayme Webb Bledsoe, Chair of the DHA Board of Commissioners. Mr. Snell's firm leadership and strategic vision have set DHA on a successful path into the future. We wish him well in his retirement."
"I want the citizens of Durham, particularly DHA residents, to know that my service here has been one of the highlights of my career," said Mr. Snell. I sincerely appreciated the support and guidance of the Board of Commissioners and the City of Durham, and the commitment of the DHA staff. I am confident that the progress made under my leadership will serve the Durham community well into the future."