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.
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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.
July 30, 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 Elm City Communities' press release:
Elm City Communities/Housing Authority of the City of New Haven (ECC/HANH) today announced its partnership with the Connecticut NAACP on its One Million Jobs Campaign (OMJC), to strengthen equity and the economic status of formerly incarcerated community members. This partnership aims to assist in creating a pipeline of attainable jobs available through ECC/HANH and for ECC/HANH residents and provide community-based wrap-around services to assist in workforce development and retention for formerly incarcerated members of New Haven. In signing this agreement, ECC/HANH became the first public housing authority in the country to become a partner agency.
“For decades, barriers to reentry have left our formerly incarcerated family members, friends, and neighbors behind,” said Karen DuBois-Walton, President of Elm City Communities. “This partnership provides an opportunity to address the continuing impacts of mass incarceration by focusing on the wellbeing and growth of our returning community members.”
The OMJC will work with employers to secure commitments to offer jobs for returning citizens that are enrolled in OMJC and identified as job ready. Employer partners will also provide feedback to the OMJC on referred participants.
“The One Million Jobs Campaign welcomes the partnership with Elm City Communities which will help create meaningful opportunities and a pathway to success through job placement and training for individuals impacted by the criminal justice system,” said Scot X. Esdaile, President of the Connecticut State Conference NAACP and national board member.
ECC/HANH has a longstanding commitment to serving families equitably and has established programs and protocols to assist families with reentry. We were among the first housing authorities in CT to rewrite our admission criteria and offer housing opportunities to our returning residents. We have set aside housing units and vouchers specifically to assist returning residents. This partnership is the next step in ECC/HANH’s commitment to serving the reentry population holistically by providing employment opportunities.
“Elm City Communities is proud to become the first public housing authority in the US to sign on to the One Million Jobs Campaign,” said DuBois-Walton. “It is our hope that other housing authorities and employers will follow suit so we can strengthen the economic well-being of our community members that need it most.”
From the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority's press release:
The Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) announced today its plan to begin development of McKinley Manor, a $13.7 million, 44-unit affordable housing community that will exclusively serve low-income elderly citizens age 55 and over who are being relocated from the soon-to-be-decommissioned downtown YMCA of Central Ohio building.
YMCA of Central Ohio leaders have said the first step toward decommissioning and selling its historic building is finding safe, permanent homes for the residents at the 40 W. Long St. facility. The building – which opened in 1924 and is the largest YMCA resident facility in the United States – contains about 400 units of affordable housing for individuals needing support with their housing journey.
CMHA’s proposal for the new McKinley Manor community will help address the transition of 44 of those YMCA residents into their new homes.
“McKinley Manor will build on CMHA’s efforts to provide low-income seniors with more housing options in the area,” said CMHA President and CEO Charles Hillman. “Our team’s goal in serving this population is to enable the residents to age-in-place, while providing an atmosphere conducive to the highest quality of life.”
From Affordable Housing Finance:
New York City is making a big push to change the way it heats its public housing units.
State and local leaders have pledged an initial $70 million investment in the development and production of 30,000 new heat pump units for use in the city’s public housing buildings, a move that transitions the homes away from using fossil fuels.
It also positions the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) to be an early adopter in the new technology while giving residents a modern system of heating and cooling that they can directly control.
Heat pump technology provides cooling and heating from a single unit by moving heat between the indoor and outdoor spaces depending on the season. The process is achieved through the refrigeration cycle, which can be up to four times more efficient than traditional heating systems, such as boilers, which rely on on-site combustion of fossil fuels to produce heat, explained officials.
However, heat pumps are difficult to install, particularly in occupied units. As a result, many operators prefer to delay electric conversion in favor of in-kind replacement of fossil fuel systems.
The new commitment is part of the Clean Heat for All Challenge, an initiative spearheaded by NYCHA, the New York Power Authority (NYPA), and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). The program aims to develop an electrification product that can better serve the heating and cooling needs of existing multifamily buildings and hasten the transition to fossil-free heating sources.
Read Affordable Housing Finance's article "NYCHA to Pilot Cutting-Edge Climate Technology."
From the Camas-Washougal Post-Record:
The Vancouver Housing Authority (VHA) will soon help Washougal grow its inventory of affordable housing.
The VHA has purchased two parcels of land in downtown Washougal and plans to construct workforce-housing complexes — typically defined as housing that is affordable for people earning 60 to 120 percent of an area’s median income — over the next several years.
“We’re really excited to develop this property,” VHA Development Director Victor Caesar said during a Washougal City Council meeting on Aug. 8.
“We’re really early in the planning phase right now. We’re working with the tenant to get them relocated. We gave them a voucher, so they’re looking for a new place to live within Washougal. Later this year, we plan to demolish the house, and then starting in early 2023, we will begin planning work, designs, and community outreach, and then apply for funding applications.”
Caesar said the VHA hopes to kickoff the project in 2024 or 2025.
Read the Camas-Washougal Post-Record's article "VHA to develop affordable housing in Washougal."
From InsideNoVa.com:
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved $33.3 million to acquire roughly four acres in Tyson’s urban center to support the development of 450 affordable housing units by SCG Development Partners, LLC.
According to a news release, the units will be a combination of studio, one, two and three-bedroom apartments and include about 5,000 square feet of community space. Households at 40-70 percent of Area Median Income (AMI) will qualify for the units
The site is within walking distance of several bus stops, and medical, educational, recreational and commercial amenities are within a three-mile radius.
A seven-story office building currently situated on the property, known as Somos at McLean Metro, will be demolished and replaced with two buildings -- one eight-story building and one five-story building.
County supervisors set a goal of 10,000 affordable housing units by 2034 and have been steadily making progress. Supervisor Dalia Palchik praised the move, saying income should not determine opportunity or outcome in the county.
“Our commitment to affordable housing in Fairfax County is characterized by a resolve to build livable spaces, full of engagement and opportunities for all residents – regardless of race, income, or ZIP code – to live their best lives,” she said.
The financing will be administered by the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority.
Read InsideNoVa.com's article "Fairfax County supervisors approve more than $33M for affordable housing development," featuring the Fairfax County Redevelopment & Housing Authority.