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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July 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 and follow @housing_is for news on CLPHA’s work to better intersect the housing field and other areas of critical importance such as health and education.
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(202) 550-1381
For Immediate Release
July 2, 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 and follow @housing_is for news on CLPHA’s work to better intersect the housing field and other areas of critical importance such as health and education.
Sunia Zaterman, Executive Director, Council of Large Public Housing Authorities, provided the following statement in her opening remarks at the Housing Is Summit on the death of George Floyd:
"I would like to address the events of the past week that have roiled our nation’s conscience. The death of George Floyd once again reveals this nation’s centuries old, enduring stain of racism. Our hearts are with the Floyd family and the families of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Breonna Taylor and the multitudes of black men, women and children who have paid the ultimate price for this country’s systematic and lethal racism.
We as a nation cannot move forward until we right the wrong of racial injustice. This means understanding, acknowledging, and dismantling our sanctioned systems of deep structural inequality.
With our nation facing the deadliest pandemic in more than a century, unemployment rates equal to those during the Great Depression, and now the tragic murder of George Floyd, America’s deep racial inequities have been laid bare. Black Americans are two and a half times more likely than whites to be killed by police. The latest overall COVID-19 mortality rate for Black Americans is nearly two and half times higher than the rate for White Americans. If they had died of COVID-19 at the same rate as White Americans, about 13,000 Black Americans would still be alive. COVID-19-related employment loss hit Black Americans far worse than White Americans. Black households have only 10 cents in wealth for every dollar held by white households. 30 percent of black families still live below the poverty line.
These deep structural inequities can and must be dismantled. Our work is to build a movement with cross-sector partners in housing, health and education that rethinks how these systems can work collectively to achieve racial justice and equity. Let our collective work across sectors lead the way so we as a nation can breathe again.”
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 Eminetra:
Access to food, or inaccessibility, has long been a problem in Sun Valley. It has been described as both a food desert and a food swamp. Similar ideas indicate that access to large grocery stores is not as easy as that of healthy food stores, and that the number of fast food and convenience stores is disproportionate.
Currently, the closest major grocery stores in the neighborhood are Spear boulevard and King Supers on 13th Avenue, about 1.6 miles from the center of Sun Valley. 5 minutes by car, 18 minutes by bus, or 30 minutes on foot under busy streets, railroad tracks and I-25.
Operated by the Denver Housing Authority Youth Employment Academy (YEA), the store occupies the commercial space on the first floor Gateway South. It is one of two mixed-income homes completed earlier this year by the Denver Housing Authority (DHA) as part of the first part of a four-stage Sunvalley redevelopment project. With a grant from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, DHA’s efforts include replacing 333 public housing units with more than 800 mixed-income units.
With Decatur Fresh, DHA extends the project beyond residential. “This is the only grocery store I know was opened by the Housing Corporation,” said David Nisivoccia, Executive Director of DHA. “We want to treat people gracefully and dignifiedly, not only in the building that houses them, but also in order to provide a solid foundation for achieving the goals of people and their children’s aspirations. I’m pretty excited about the approach. “
According to DHA Development Program Manager Annie Hancock, Decatur Fresh is “a 1,800-square-foot international, affordable fresh grocery store, community-led and resident-led … it’s a vocational training opportunity. It’s a neighborhood employment, and it’s about bringing in fresh produce."
Readd Eminetra's article "A New Grocery Store Aims to Address Food Access Issues in Sun Valley," featuring the Denver Housing Authority.
From Spectrum News 1:
Grabbing their gloves and walking out onto the baseball field still takes some getting used to for 17-year-old Melissa Perez and 12-year-old Katherine Rios "because we never had anything like this and it’s all new to us," Perez said.
The field they walked out onto at the Boys & Girls club of William Meade — to them — is straight out of a dream.
“I literally couldn’t believe it," Perez said. "I did not expect it to be something like that. I expected something less, but I loved the outcome of it.”
Over the last year, the baseball field underwent a complete transformation thanks to Tiffany Rubin and the Dodgers Foundation. The project was part of the 2020 All-Star Legacy program meant to be carried out when Dodger Stadium played host to the All-Star game that year.
“This open space was unplayable," Rubin said. "Kids were not able to use the field, not able to play.”
And though the 2020 MLB All-Star game in Los Angeles was cancelled due to the pandemic, the group stuck to its promise and delivered a brand-new field and All-Star teen center.
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As Marisela Ocampo, the director of housing services at HACLA, walks through the community, she’s uniquely aware that something like this was and is still needed.
“The youth in this community, especially during this pandemic, has been having a lot of struggles," Ocampo said. "In our community we have a lot of families who are food insecure, health insecure.”
Plus, without funding from the Dodgers Foundation and help from the Boys & Girls club, the new field wouldn’t have been possible at all.
"I mean we do the best with the funding we do receive but a lot of times what does get left on the side are integral things like this in sports and education,” Ocampo said.
Read Spectrum News 1's article "Dodgers Foundation makes dream come true with new baseball field," featuring the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles.
From ABC 7 Chicago:
The Chicago Housing Authority and Operation Warm gave away more than 6,000 coats Saturday to people just before the city takes a turn toward winter weather.
"It just helps the community so much," said Angela Young, who received a coat at the drive.
That's the goal of Operation Warm, the non-profit that teamed up with CHA to support children and families in need before the cold sets in.
"That's good," said Constance Thompson, who also received a coat. "That's a good drive they do for the kids and everything during all the stuff that goes down... and COVID slowing all the people down."
Operation Warm is the largest coat drive in the U.S. It took place at the University of Illinois Chicago forum.
Read ABC 7 Chicago's article "Chicago Housing Authority, Operation Warm give away more than 6K winter coats."
From NBC 4 Columbus:
Residents and organizers celebrated the first anniversary of the Carol Stewart Village in Franklinton, a place designed to help at-risk youth find stable housing, healthcare, and prepare them for success.
“It kind of puts you on the right track once you have the stability of housing,” said Jay Kerr, a recently placed resident of the village.
Kerr says he was 19 when his foster parents kicked him out of the house.
“I was couch surfing for about seven months and then once you run out of friends, you just…have nowhere to go. I was sleeping in Weinland park for about six months,” Kerr said. “I have to say, it changed my life. It really did."
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The Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority said it is committed to making sure the village is around for years to come, announcing $7 million in funding for the village over the next 15 years.
Read NBC 4's article "Columbus housing for those who age out of foster care celebrates 1st anniversary," featuring the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority.
From the San Antonio Housing Authority's press release:
The San Antonio Housing Authority (SAHA) is taking unprecedented action to extend the eviction moratorium for more than 10,000 residents in its public or mixed-income housing communities through March 1, 2022.
The March 2022 extension is a continuation of the agency’s extension in August 2021, following the expiration of the federal eviction moratorium over the summer when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had exceeded its statutory authority by issuing a nationwide moratorium.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted economically-disadvantaged families, and at the center are SAHA residents, who have a median household income of approximately $10,000,” said Ed Hinojosa Jr., SAHA President and CEO. “Within our communities, families have experienced unemployment, illness and financial loss. Losing their home, the only security they have, would be an unimaginable devastation to their livelihood.”
SAHA is taking extraneous efforts in protecting SAHA residents from eviction and has called on the City of San Antonio and Bexar County to designate funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to help clear approximately $3 million in debt currently owed by more than 2,700 SAHA residents.