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.
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David Greer
Director of Communications
(202) 550-1381 or dgreer@clpha.org.
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(202) 550-1381
For Immediate Release
November 9, 2020 |
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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.
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 WKRG News Mobile:
Despite rising interest rates and skyrocketing home prices–a community group says home ownership is still within reach for many families.
This weekend the city of Mobile Housing Authority, Mobile County and other groups are partnering for an annual wealth-building day.
This is an event that local brokers have been holding for the past several years, taking it to different spots in Mobile. This year it will be hosted here at the Robert L. Hope Community Center.
A recent home affordability report says more than half of all non-homeowners feel income is the barrier keeping them from buying a home–the federal housing agency says home prices are up 6.6% from last year.
Organizers of this weekend’s Wealth building day say there are programs that may help ease some of those high bars to entry–like down payment assistance or putting closing costs on the seller. They say home ownership is a key to building generational wealth.
Read WKRG News Mobile's article "'Community Wealth Building Day' in Mobile aims for new homeowners."
From the Housing Authority of the City of San Buenaventura's press release:
The Housing Authority of the City of San Buenaventura (HACSB) and nonprofit BRIDGE Housing are pleased to announce the Grand Opening of Westview Village II, a 50-unit affordable rental development which broke ground in the spring of 2022.
The Housing Authority of the City of San Buenaventura and BRIDGE Housing partnered to redevelop Westview Village, the HACSB’s oldest public housing development, over four phases of development. All residents pay 30% of their income as rent.
“The timing of this next phase of Westview Village is significant as it is our 75th Anniversary year and this was our first public housing project,” said Jeffrey Lambert, Chief Executive Officer, HACSB. “The success of this particular project is emblematic of our successful housing programs across the City and we are very proud of it, “said Lambert.
Westview Village Phase II replaced 10 public housing units with 50 modern one- and two-bedroom apartments. The property is located on a 2-acre site on the Westside of Ventura. The development includes 44 one-bedroom and six two-bedroom apartments. Five of the units will be reserved for persons who are experiencing homelessness.
Westview Village II will also include a state-of-the-art community center, a commercial kitchen, two early childhood development classrooms, multipurpose rooms, a rooftop community garden, and a public park. This will complete the third phase of the vision for the Westview Village redevelopment. There will be 286 new affordable rentals and this phase of development will be the hub for this new housing campus. 50% of the Westview II units are fully accessible (mobility accessibility features), and 2 units have audio/visual features for blind/deaf/hard of hearing tenants.
Westview Village I, completed in 2019, was the initial phase of the redevelopment which includes 131 apartments with one to four bedrooms, management offices, a community room, and a public park. Phase I is all electric and 50% net zero. It provides for greywater reuse in landscaping. All residents pay 30% of their income as rent. All residents were temporarily relocated during construction and had the right to return. As part of Phase I, a new street, Village Way, was designed and built to connect all phases of the redevelopment.
Westview Village III construction started in September 2020 and was completed in December 2022. Phase III includes 105 apartments with one to four bedrooms, a community room, and public park. Phase III is all electric and 100% net zero and makes a major contribution to addressing climate change including by reducing vehicle miles traveled. The project’s storm drain system allows for the capture and infiltration of storm water. Twenty-one apartments are set aside for families who are experiencing homelessness.
From Tap Into Paterson:
Making the American Dream come true meant waking up early for nearly 500 Paterson and area residents who filled International High School for the North Central Jersey Association of Realtors (NJCAR) Housing Fair and Expo on Saturday.
Co-hosted by the Paterson Housing Authority and the Fair Housing Council, the more than half-day event featured a number of workshops on topics such as renting versus owning a home, down payment assistance, and financial planning, as well nearly two dozen exhibitors each offering relevant information to attendees seeking to take the journey towards homeownership.
“We all need shelter to live in and communities that are vibrant to feed our souls,” Irma Gorham, Executive Director of the Paterson Housing Authority(PHA) said, laying the foundation for what the anticipated outcomes of the day were. “We are here today to move towards progress, for our communities and for our families.”
After a video outlining the work of Lee Porter, the Founder of the Fair Housing Council, and a woman that many have called a “pioneer and champion” for homeownership, especially in racially diverse neighborhoods, Gorham would be joined on stage by Chris Coccia, President of the NJCAR. Together, the pair recognized the decades of work by Porter, giving Wade Wheeler, a Housing Counselor with Porter’s organization, an award in the housing icon’s absence.
Coccia explained to those in attendance that the process of buying a home typically isn’t as it appears on reality television shows and can be very challenging. His organization, he said, was at International High School on a warm late spring day because they want potential homeowners to be “educated so that they can make great decisions.”
Surveying the growing crowd in the school’s gymnasium, Coccia would tell TAPinto Paterson that the attendance showed that “we needed this,” before intimating to Gemelly Caraballo, Vice Chair of the PHA, that the Saturday event wouldn’t be the last time that NJCAR would be in the Paterson community.
“This is exactly what we do,” Coccia added, suggesting that the newly formed relationship with the PHA would have a long term, and positive, impact.
Read Tap Into Paterson's article "Paterson Housing Authority, Partners Host Housing Fair and Expo."
From the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency's newsletter:
SHRA and state and local partners gathered to celebrate the grand opening of Mutual Housing on the Boulevard a new affordable housing development located along the Stockton Boulevard transit corridor near Florin Road in South Sacramento.
SHRA served as the conduit for a loan commitment of nearly $7 million and tax exempt revenue bonds to help fund this project. The Agency also provided 67 Project Based Vouchers with 50 of those units set aside to house families experiencing homelessness with the help of the California Department of Housing and Community Development's No Place Like Home program.
Mutual Housing on the Boulevard construction is complete and is fully occupied for all 127 apartments for extremely low-income families.
“It’s not just about buildings, it’s not just about creating a unit it’s really about how do you create community and how do you create a home. One of those things that’s really necessary is having the social services and making sure that the wraparound services are there,” said SHRA Executive Director La Shelle Dozier.
Mutual Housing California has partnered with three social service partners to provide case management services for the permanent supportive housing units: Lutheran Social Services of Northern California, Telecare, and Heartland Child and Family Services.
From Fox 7 News Austin:
"Heavy equipment continues to roll across what was Rosewood Courts in east Austin. It’s been two years since the groundbreaking that came with a completion date targeted for fall 2024.
Little is left from what was one of the first, if not the first, public housing complexes for African Americans. The transition to what will be called Pathways at Rosewood Courts is costing just under $63 million, a major endeavor for the Austin Housing Authority.
"Absolutely. I mean, this is the next chapter," said COAHA Chief Operating Officer Sylvia Blanco.
The supply chain and labor issues, following the pandemic, have delayed completion of this next chapter.
"So now our new timeline is, we'll have the first building available for occupancy by mid 2025. And we should wrap up having the entirety of the site open by the end of 2025," said Blanco.
A few of the original Rosewood units are the only things still standing that currently resemble homes. The remaining eight are being refurbished.
"We've also removed the pitch roofs that had been added on over the years. So now it's the original roofs," said Blanco. "I think it's sort of like seeing a glimpse of that history and time as we like to say, you know, if LBJ himself were here, he would recognize the buildings."
Most of the site is going through a total re-design. Walls have started going up for one of three apartment buildings, which will provide 184 new units. 60 more than what were available. The apartment homes will range in size from a studio to four-bedrooms. There will also be 12 town homes which will be sold as affordable housing.
"Our Rosewood families and our other families that we serve throughout our portfolio will get the first priority in being able to purchase one of these affordable town homes," said Blanco."
Read Fox 7 News Austin's article "East Austin historic neighborhood redevelopment pushes completion to 2025."