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
(202) 550-1381 or dgreer@clpha.org.
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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 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.
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.
August 10, 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.
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 Housing Authority of Washington County, OR's press release:
On Nov. 9, 2023, from 10-11:30 a.m., local representatives such as Congresswoman Andrea Salinas’s spokesperson, Metro Councilor Gerritt Rosenthal, Washington County Chair Kathryn Harrington and Tigard Council President Yi-Kang Hu, will celebrate the grand opening of Alongside Senior Apartments. Situated on City of Tigard land next to Tigard Senior Center and Fanno Creek natural area, Alongside is a state-of-the-art housing community that will provide 57 affordable homes to seniors. It dedicates 40% of its units to serving extremely low-income residents, income at 30% or less of the Area Median Income (AMI) with federal project based rental assistance. The remaining 60% will serve very low-income residents, earning less than 60% of AMI, with an additional rent buydown by using a state tax credit.
The project, developed by Northwest Housing Alternatives (NHA) and designed by SERA Architects, was constructed by Walsh Construction with a sustainable Earth Advantage Multifamily Certification. Built with a focus on walkability and public transportation, it is located within walking distance of TriMet, Tigard Public Library and Universal Plaza. The development includes amenities such as fully equipped kitchens, walk-in closets, air conditioning, and community features like outdoor spaces, meeting rooms and laundry facilities. Financial contributors include Washington County through their allocation of the voter-approved Metro Affordable Housing Bond, City of Tigard, Metro’s Transit-Oriented Development program, Oregon Housing and Community Services, Enterprise Community Partners, and Umpqua Bank.
In anticipation of the grand opening event, Vitoria Rae, an NHA Board Member and resident, shared that “As an older adult, having safe and affordable housing is critical to my overall well-being. Seniors face many challenges as they age, including finding affordable places to live on a fixed income. Alongside Senior Apartments not only takes away the burden of expensive housing for seniors, but also breaks down barriers to isolation that many seniors face through being located next to the Tigard Senior Center, which offers an entire array of community services for elders."
County Chair Harrington meanwhile stated that, “Everyone deserves a place to call home, especially seniors, who are particularly affected by the regional housing crisis. That is why I am proud to be part of such a diverse collective coming together, in honor of “The Oregon Way”, to build affordable homes like Alongside. With its many amenities and services, we are making housing more affordable, while also building a stronger community that will help our seniors live their golden years gracefully.”
From the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority's press release:
Today, a bipartisan group of elected officials joined representatives from CVS Health® (NYSE: CVS), Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA), Beacon 360 Management, and community leaders to announce the opening of Harriet’s Hope – a 52-unit, multifamily supportive housing community – empowering survivors of human trafficking. Named in honor of abolitionist Harriet Tubman, who helped many escape slavery, Harriet’s Hope is a first-of-its-kind development for Columbus and among the nation’s first service-enriched housing communities exclusive to human trafficking survivors. Residents will live in a community with access to robust onsite case management and social services that address the unique needs of human trafficking survivors, while also encouraging rehabilitation and self-sufficiency. With construction now complete, residents will begin moving in December.
Harriet’s Hope was made possible through expansive public-private partnerships on the state and local level. Building the $15.6 million property was made possible through CVS Health’s $10.6 million investment, facilitated through the Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing (OCCH). Additional funders include Affordable Housing Trust of Columbus and Franklin County, Ohio Housing Finance Agency, City of Columbus, Park National Bank, Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati, the Ohio Legislature, Ohio Capital Impact Corporation and Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing.
Joining forces for survivors
Vulnerable individuals of all ages and backgrounds are exploited and forced into labor and involuntary sex work, and Ohio is no exception. In recent years, Ohio has bolstered its response to combat human trafficking through infrastructure development and multisystem approaches, such as the state’s Human Trafficking Initiative led by Attorney General Yost. Now open, Harriet’s Hope will help the state carryout its mission to “end labor and sex trafficking statewide,” by providing survivors a safe space for their healing and recovery journey.
“I’m grateful for the synergy between the public and private entities we have working on this project,” Attorney General Dave Yost said. “Without such partnerships, this kind of vital assistance would not be available. Collectively, our duty is to establish the groundwork for resources like Harriet’s Hope to serve as the on-ramp to the highway to hope."
Supporting vulnerable Ohioans
Recognizing housing’s impact on community health outcomes, CVS Health invested $10.6 million to build Harriet’s Hope as the initiative’s sole equity funder. Harriet’s Hope is a further demonstration of the company’s commitment to address housing insecurities – and support Ohio human trafficking survivors.
“Whether forced into labor or sex work, human trafficking is detrimental to the health of an individual and larger community – making this both a health care and public health issue,” explains Latasha Brown, MPA, CVS Health’s anti-human trafficking administrator. “Between the supportive services we provide our Aetna-OhioRISE members who survived human trafficking to my work on Attorney General Yost’s Human Trafficking Commission, every day I see the myriad of physical and mental health challenges survivors endure. A survivor cannot improve their overall health and wellbeing without stable access to quality housing. For Harriet’s Hope residents, this haven will allow them to focus on their healing journey and position them for a bright next chapter.”
Health and healing
Complex challenges often arise when servicing the multifaceted needs of this vulnerable population. Columbus-based co-developer and nonprofit Beacon 360º Management initiated the program design and will be responsible for the management and coordination of supportive services provided at Harriet’s Hope.
“We’re grateful for the overwhelming support Harriet’s Hope has received by our local leaders, the business community, and CMHA alike,” shared Celia Kendall, CEO of Beacon 360° Management. “In alignment with Beacon 360° Management’s commitment to provide innovative ‘People First’ solutions to housing challenges, we collaborated with survivors to develop our supportive housing model and it was clear that housing and affordability were not enough to position survivors of such complex traumas for success. How fitting that Harriet’s Hope was constructed on the very site where human trafficking once took place will now be an instrumental solution to this issue."
“Harriet’s Hope is just the latest example of CMHA being laser-focused on providing housing and meeting the specific needs of our neighbors in Columbus and throughout Franklin County,” said CMHA Board Commissioner, Stephen Daley. “Our goal is to ensure CMHA remains an innovative agent for change and continues to evolve to meet the region’s housing and service needs. We're proud to be part of this collaborative effort with Beacon 360° Management to address the complicated challenges faced by survivors and vulnerable populations. Harriet’s Hope is a testament to our commitment to holistic solutions that make a meaningful impact on the lives of our community members."
Services will be tailored to the unique needs of trafficking survivors, and supports each resident’s immediate and long-term goals – in addition to job-skills training and employment opportunities. This includes comprehensive, trauma-informed case management services provided by The Salvation Army, where professionals collaborate with residents to create crisis stabilization and safety plans.
Illicit drugs are often used on vulnerable individuals in the human trafficking recruitment process, to induce compliance, create dependency, punish and incapacitate an unwilling victim, or used to cope with the trauma of being trafficked. Additionally, nonprofit human services agency Alvis, Inc. will be administering recovery-specific services as needed, including recovery counseling and planning, alcohol and drug testing, and medication oversight.
Workforce development and employment opportunities will also be available through Columbus Works, a Columbus-based nonprofit focused on eliminating poverty through work force training, job placement, and long-term barrier removing wrap-around services. Peer support will be provided by Freedom a la Cart, a Central Ohio nonprofit catering company that empowers human trafficking survivors by providing job skills to foster self-sufficiency and stability. The organization’s staff will also provide Harriet’s Hope residents peer support.
From the Chicago Housing Authority's press release:
The Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) announced the new Restore Home initiative at the Board of Commissioners meeting on Tuesday, November 21, 2023. The initiative is part of the agency’s proposed 2024 budget and capital plan, which will be considered at a special board meeting in December.
Under Restore Home, CHA will invest up to $50 million in 2024 to renovate and rehabilitate vacant buildings in the small and medium-sized apartments portfolio (commonly known as the agency’s “scattered sites.”) Approximately three dozen small and medium-sized vacant apartment buildings around the city will be targeted for renovation, with more than 175 units brought back into leasable condition over the next twelve to eighteen months.
“Since the middle of last year, CHA has been assessing vacant properties in our small and medium-sized portfolio. We’ve identified funding and created an approach. The pieces are in place for this major undertaking to begin,” said CHA CEO Tracey Scott. “Over the next twelve to eighteen months, our staff and Section 3 contractors will be laser focused on restoring these apartments and getting families into homes. This is another way we are achieving our mission of preserving and creating housing opportunities that help families unlock their economic power."
As part of Restore Home, CHA plans to renovate approximately 40 single-family homes that are part of the scattered sites portfolio and make them available for affordable homeownership opportunities. (CHA will still maintain a portfolio of approximately 145 single-family homes.) Additional information on this effort will be announced in 2024.
This effort will complement the agency’s recently announced Down Payment Assistance program, which provides another pathway for CHA residents and other low-income Chicagoans to achieve their homeownership dreams.
“CHA has heard time and time again that our residents and community members want more options to create generational wealth for their families through affordable homeownership,” Scott said. “Additionally, when CHA residents purchase homes and no longer live in subsidized housing, that creates new rental housing options for families on our waitlist to be housed."
The agency is also utilizing its Section 3 vendor pool to aggressively renovate and rehabilitate vacant public housing apartments in otherwise occupied small and medium-sized buildings. New contracts with Section 3 vendors were approved by CHA’s Board in September. Year to date, more than $16 million has been spent to bring 277 vacant scattered site units back into service, with another 188 in progress.
CHA’s overall 2024 budget as well as the agency’s 5-year capital plan will be considered at a special Board meeting in December.
From The Mercury News:
Construction is underway on a supportive housing project in San Jose to provide stable homes for more than three dozen young adults who are homeless or leaving the foster care system across the South Bay.
The former Pavilion Inn, at 1280 N. Fourth St., will be converted to 43 studio and one-bedroom apartments. It’s set to open by next summer. The site will offer residents wraparound services, including mental health care and job counseling.
“Providing these young people a lifeline to housing and services now is an investment not only in their future, but in the future health of our own community,” Laura Archuleta, executive director of project developer Jamboree Housing, said in a statement.
An estimated 764 children and young adults are homeless in Santa Clara County, according to the most recent count early this year.
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The city and Santa Clara County are putting about $17 million toward redevelopment, with the other $15 coming from the state’s Homekey homeless housing program. The county Housing Authority will also supply federal housing vouchers to cover most rent for at least 21 residents.
Read The Mercury News' article "43-unit housing project for homeless youth coming to San Jose." featuring the Santa Clara County Housing Authority.
From the Fort Worth Report:
Eula Halliburton has been waiting three years for Cowan Place to open, allowing her to return home to her Stop Six neighborhood.
Every day, she would come by the lot that would one day be the location of affordable senior housing. She wondered when she would be able to move in. On Friday, Nov. 10, she was finally able to do just that.
A grand opening for Cowan Place was held Nov. 13 although the complex welcomed its first residents two weeks ago, over two years after groundbreaking back in September 2021. Cowan Place, a 174-unit housing development for seniors aged 62 and older, is the first phase of the Stop Six Choice Neighborhood Initiative.
For Fort Worth Housing Solutions, this is the culmination of six years of work to develop the property they purchased years before receiving the $35 million grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development to implement the initiative.
“When we received our grant, it was actually about a month after COVID was announced and so it was exciting, but it was just kind of anti-climactic, and we didn’t exactly know what we were doing,” said Mary-Margaret Lemons, president of Fort Worth Housing Solutions. “It was new ground, but to see it today, this huge, beautiful building that’s serving seniors… to see the impact it makes on their lives is really amazing.”
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The project was community-driven, Lemons said, noting that many of the details were selected by the residents through quarterly meetings. That community approach will translate into the other phases of the Stop Six Choice Neighborhood Initiative too.
“There’s an African proverb that says ‘If you want to go fast, go alone, but if you go far, go together.’ And I think that has been true,” Lemons said. “When we get together, we are making a lasting and impactful change in this community, for the community, by the community.”
What has been accomplished with Cowan Place has given many hope of what’s to come to Stop Six as the development plan of the neighborhood continues to move forward with two housing projects already underway.
“I hope it really renews a sense of trust with the community that we promised this was going to be world class and it really is and that it’s just the beginning,” said Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker. “The MLK community center, opening Hughes House — all of these projects together really do help revitalize an area that deserves it.”
Read the Fort Worth Report's article "Cowan Place welcomes home Stop Six seniors, brings hope for future of neighborhood."