Welcome to CLPHA's Press Room
CLPHA experts welcome interview requests from print, radio, television, and online reporters and are happy to provide their insights on issues of public housing and related legislation and policy.
For media inquiries, please contact:
David Greer
Director of Communications
During the COVID-19 quarantine, David can be reached at (202) 550-1381 or dgreer@clpha.org.
*Please let us know if you are working on deadline.
To view all of CLPHA's press releases, click here.
To view all of CLPHA's press statements, click here.
You can subscribe here to our biweekly newsletter, events invite list, and topic specific newsletters. You can also follow us on Twitter at @CLPHA. Or, send us an email with your interests and we would be happy to add you to our press lists.
Thanks again for your interest in CLPHA!
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.
- Listen to HousingWire's coverage of our letter in their Daily Download podcast.
- Read HousingWire's article about our letter.
August 3, 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 Boston Herald:
Boston housing officials and city-based nonprofit Economic Mobility Pathways are seeking more participants for a mentoring program aimed at helping low-income Bostonians out of poverty.
Within its first year, roughly 50% of the 266 participants in the program, dubbed ‘AMP Up Boston’, have achieved at least one of their key goals of pursuing homeownership, securing a job or completing education, said Kim Janey, former acting-mayor of Boston and current CEO of Economic Mobility Pathways, or EMPath. The program is now entering its second year and its own goal is to double participation, she added.
“As a result of this partnership, we see our participants achieve amazing things,” Janey said at a Friday news conference at the Alice Heyward Taylor Apartments in Roxbury. “If the study confirms what we know about our work, we are excited for the potential to replicate it in other cities across the state and nationwide.”
The program, a partnership between EMPath and Boston Housing Authority, is open to BHA residents who are between the ages of 18 and 55. Participants are paired up with an EMPath mentor to set a range of goals focused on education, career advancement, homeownership and finances, among other areas.
Read the Boston Herald's article "Boston Housing Authority residents achieving goals through new mentoring program."
From the Housing Authority of the City of Austin's website:
Austin Mayor Steve Adler honored Housing Authority of the City of Austin President and CEO Michael Gerber for his work on expanding affordable housing in Austin by presenting him with a Key to the City.
Adler presented the key during his remarks at an event celebrating the groundbreaking for the forthcoming renovations of the Pathways at Rosewood Courts on Thursday, December 15, 2022.
“I wanted to make this award today, with all of you present, to thank Michael Gerber for the terrific work the Housing Authority of the City of Austin has accomplished,” Adler said. “Mike has often said that we have one of the best housing authorities in the country. I disagree. We have THE BEST housing authority in the country, and that is due to Mike’s leadership.”
“I am grateful for the Mayor’s appreciation,” Gerber said. “This honor is a credit to the wonderful staff here at the Housing Authority. Every day, HACA staff demonstrate extraordinary dedication to providing affordable housing and services that support our residents toward self-reliance, growth, and opportunity.”
Traditionally, the Key to the City is an esteemed symbol of civic recognition and gratitude reserved for individuals whose service to the public and the common good rise to the highest level of achievement.
Read HACA's website article "HACA President and CEO Honored with Key to City from Austin Mayor to Steve Adler."
From The Real Deal:
The City of Austin has plans to redevelop the country’s oldest African American public housing complex into an affordable residential district.
Carleton Companies and the Housing Authority of the City of Austin plan to transform the 83-year-old Rosewood Courts in East Austin into the new Pathways at Rosewood Courts development with all-new income-restricted residential units, Community Impact reported. Eight of the original buildings will remain as part of an historic district, while the others will be replaced.
“This is for the families that will come after us. Instead of it just being a roof over our heads, it will be a place we are proud to call home and feel comfortable inviting people over,” Steve Whichard, a 10-year tenant and member of the Rosewood Courts Resident Council, said about the project.
Plans call for a “commemorative green space” in the restored Emancipation Park, a block of 12 affordable townhouse units, three new multifamily buildings and two parking lots. The historic district will retain eight of the 1930s-era buildings and modernize the 20 apartment units within.
“We’re really helping to solidify Rosewood Courts as that cultural landmark for the East Austin community — and really on the national level,” the housing authority’s Sylvia Blanco told the outlet earlier this year.
The property’s residents have already been relocated and will be offered the chance to return to the development when it opens. The housing authority expects to begin construction in the coming weeks and complete the project by fall 2024.
Read The Real Deal's article "Carleton Cos. to redevelop oldest African American housing complex," featuring the Housing Authority of the City of Austin.
From KLTA 5 Los Angeles:
The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles, aka HACLA, has completed a multi-million dollar purchase of an apartment complex in Crenshaw with a plan of keeping the rentals affordable for decades.
The property is the Residences at Woodlake, an apartment community located at 4555 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
HACLA purchased the 276-unit property for a price of more than $76 million.
As part of the purchase, a deed restriction has been placed to ensure that the bulk of the units remain available for residents making less than the city’s median income.
According to a news release from HACLA, half of the units will be restricted to families making less than 80% of the city’s median income, while an additional 10% of the units will be restricted to families making even less.
The restrictions will remain in place for at least 55 years, the Housing Authority said.
Read KTLA 5's article "Los Angeles Housing Authority purchases Crenshaw apartment complex to secure affordable housing for decades."
From the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles' website:
On Thursday, December 8, 2022, the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) joined Mayor Eric Garcetti, Councilmember Mike Bonin and Thomas Safran & Associates (TSA) to celebrate the groundbreaking of Thatcher Yard in Marina del Rey. Located on a 2.1 acre site at 3233 Thatcher Avenue, Thatcher Yard will be a 98 unit affordable & supportive senior and non-age restricted housing community. HACLA has committed 39 Project Based Vouchers (PBVs) to the project for an estimated $20.3 million contribution in HAP over a 20-year contract. The target population will be homeless and chronically homeless seniors and families with supportive services provided by The People Concern and Imagine LA. Plans call for 98 one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments with amenities such as a fitness center, a courtyard, and community rooms. TSA currently anticipates that the apartments will be open for resident by the third quarter of 2024.