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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- 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.
July 29, 2020
(Washington, D.C.) July 29, 2020 -- CLPHA Executive Director Sunia Zaterman released the following statement on the Republican plan for the next coronavirus relief package, the Heath, Economic Assistance, Liability Protection and Schools Act (“HEALS Act”): "The recently announced Senate Republican version of the latest coronavirus stimulus proposal is noteworthy because public housing and Housing Choice Voucher funding are included. While the amount is not equal to the funding in the HEROES Act, the fact that emergency rental assistance is included in the Republican version indicates a rare bipartisan acknowledgement that public housing and vouchers offer critical, immediate relief to those facing housing instability as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. With the coronavirus showing no signs of abating soon, the need for rental relief will continue to grow. CLPHA urges Republicans and Democrats to continue to prioritize the urgent needs of renters as the stimulus moves through the Congressional process."
About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities |
From The Denverite:
The Denver Housing Authority is looking into new ways to increase the city’s housing stock. Its new apartment complex takes advantage of one option that’s been on the minds of Denverites: office-space conversions.
DHA announced last week that they renovated a former medical office building at 655 Broadway, turning the space into an affordable apartment building.
The nine-story building houses 96 affordable units for seniors and disabled individuals. There are also an additional 14 apartments that will be used to help transition unhoused patients from Denver Health into housing after their hospital stay.
The units range from studios to one-bedrooms with rents ranging from $950 to $1,250 with voucher and government assistance, depending on income eligibility requirements. DHA said the units will have a max area median income level of 60%. For an individual, 60% AMI is about $52,140. They also added that about 36 units will be rented out at 30% of a resident’s income.
DHA acquired the building from Denver Health in May 2020 for $5 million. The project then received $18 million in housing tax credits from Enterprise Housing Credit Investments, an affordable housing nonprofit.
Residents began moving in to the new complex on Tuesday.
“Adaptive re-use of this scale, and with the added layer of this being a historic building, is highly complex. This project demonstrates what is possible when so many partners — a housing authority, a public hospital, lenders, contractors, and many, many more — come together for the purpose of delivering high-quality affordable housing and of preserving an iconic structure,” DHA officials said.
Read The Denverite's article "Denver converts old office space on Broadway into 110 units of affordable housing."
From the Housing Authority of Baltimore City's press release:
McCormack Baron Salazar, in collaboration with its codeveloper, the Housing Authority of Baltimore City (HABC), proudly announces the financial closing and construction commencement of Phase III in the Perkins Homes Redevelopment. This pivotal phase involves the construction of two buildings, encompassing 152 mixed-income units, and marks a significant stride in revitalizing the Perkins, Somerset, and Oldtown (PSO) neighborhoods in Baltimore.
Perkins Phase III is part of the mixed-use, multi-phase community-wide redevelopment of the Perkins, Somerset, and Oldtown (PSO) neighborhoods and made possible by a joint award to the City of Baltimore and the Housing Authority of Baltimore of a federal $30 million Choice Neighborhood Implementation grant in 2018.
To win the federal award, HABC and its partners leveraged more than $540 million in committed funding and investments from public, private, and nonprofit partners. The demolition and redevelopment of the Perkins Homes, an obsolete 629-unit public housing development built in 1942, is at the heart of the PSO effort.
Phase III is funded by $3.5 million from Maryland’s Community Development Administration, $8.5 million in ARPA funds from the City of Baltimore and an additional $4.5 million from Baltimore’s Department of Housing and Community Development. Furthermore, as part of the PSO Transformation Plan, the project has been awarded $2.4 million in Choice Neighborhood grant funds.
HABC Executive Director, Janet Abrahams, said, "The significant investment in the PSO project, highlighted by the recently awarded $10 million in supplemental CNI funds from HUD, magnifies the impact of this initiative on Baltimore's redevelopment. Phase III is a crucial component to achieving our overarching goal of fostering a sustainable, mixed-income community."
The total PSO redevelopment includes one-for-one replacement of the Perkins public housing units interspersed with workforce and market rate units throughout the community. A range of housing types will replace the homogeneous public housing community with a mix of replacement public housing units, additional affordable (utilizing Low Income Housing Tax Credits), and market-rate rental housing. All units will be indistinguishable with identical finishes and access to community amenities, including a fitness
center, community spaces, and security. Urban Strategies, Inc. will continue to provide comprehensive supportive services, embracing a holistic approach to community development.
"The start of Phase III is a significant milestone in reshaping Perkins. It's a testament to our commitment to building more than just structures, but an inclusive community where all families and children can thrive. As construction gets underway, we could not be more pleased to work with Kevin Johnson and his Commercial Construction Group team. Through our work and partnership with HABC, we're actively contributing to a brighter future for Baltimore," said Vincent Bennett, Chief Executive Officer of McCormack Baron Salazar.
From Fox 19 News Cincinnati:
A new mixed-income development in Pendleton is now welcoming residents.
The ribbon on the Bennett Point housing project was cut Thursday after two years of construction.
“The impact of this grand opening is enormous. Let me say that again, the impact of this grand opening is enormous,” declared LaVerne Mitchell with Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority.
Construction on the $21 million project started in July 2022.
Bennett Point consists of two buildings that house 56 apartment homes. Nineteen of the units are already rented.
More than 85% of the units will be offered at rents attainable to those earning 60% of the area median income.
“This again represents one of those investments that’s made not just in the infrastructure and the shell of a building, but in the quality, the lives, the legacy and the future of the individuals who will occupy these units,” said Anthony Forte with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The project was made possible thanks to public and private partnerships involving both the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority.
From the Santa Clara County Housing Authority's press release:
The Santa Clara County Housing Authority is pleased to announce a significant milestone in its efforts to preserve and improve the Buena Vista Mobile Home Park, in Palo Alto, CA. The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) issued the first-ever round of awards from a pioneering state program, called the Manufactured Housing Opportunity & Revitalization Program (MORE), which is designed to improve health and safety conditions at mobile homes parks across California.
“This is a big win for our community. It proves that collaboration really can be the key to success,” said Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian, who championed the County/City/Housing Authority partnership to “Save the Buena Vista” in 2017. “From the beginning, the Housing Authority and their team have been determined to ensure that Buena Vista remains an affordable community in a great neighborhood and school district. I am really gratified by this award from the state, which will let us preserve and improve this very special neighborhood.”
The Santa Clara County Housing Authority received the largest funding award through the MORE Program of all 25 projects throughout the state for Buena Vista Mobile Home Park in the City of Palo Alto, totaling $24,595,646. The Housing Authority previously received a grant of $5 million from the State of California’s CalHome program which enables low- and very low-income households to become or remain homeowners.
“Mobile home parks are a critical resource for providing low-income Californians the security of homeownership, but a lack of economic resources too often allows mobile homes and park infrastructure to fall into disrepair,” said HCD Director Gustavo Velasquez. “I am grateful that nearly $30 million in funding through HCD’s new MORE Program and CalHome can help hundreds of residents at Buena Vista start fresh in new homes with up-to-date infrastructure and amenities.”
Currently, Buena Vista has over 260 residents, including 67 children and 52 seniors. Originally built in the 1920s as an “auto camp” for visitors along El Camino Real, in the 1950s it evolved into a mobile home park. Over the years, Buena Vista has naturally grown into affordable housing for low-income families, with a mix of both renters and homeowners who own their own mobile home.
The Housing Authority, along with the City of Palo Alto and the County of Santa Clara, purchased the property in 2017 and has since worked diligently to preserve the affordable housing in one of the most cost-prohibitive and highly resourced cities in the Bay Area. This funding award is a significant milestone in the redevelopment of the community, whereby a bulk of Buena Vista will remain a mobile home park with brand-new, high-quality mobile homes for all existing homeowners, and carving out a portion of the property to become a rental apartment building serving both existing renters, as well as additional income-qualified renters in the community.
Housing Authority Executive Director, Preston Prince, says “In my 30 plus years of experience building affordable housing, this has been one of the most complicated deals I’ve ever been part of, because of the aging infrastructure, the replacement of the current mobile homes, and the lack of resources available to preserve mobile home parks. We are thrilled to receive this MORE award, this unique program gets us one step closer to providing these residents with a new community and opportunities they very much deserve.”
“The state funding award, coupled with City, County and Housing Authority investment will advance this important affordable housing project preserving and rehabilitating the mobile home spaces at Buena Vista for the Buena Vista community and Palo Alto residents,” said Lydia Kou, Palo Alto mayor. “The City has been and continues to be a leader in producing and preserving affordable housing in Santa Clara County using a thoughtful step ladder approach that addresses the needs within the Palo Alto community. Buena Vista has always been a tight-knit affordable housing community within our city, and we are committed to supporting Buena Vista families thrive here in Palo Alto.”
This substantial grant comes as a testament to the Housing Authority's dedication to ensuring the availability of affordable housing and homeownership options, particularly in high-demand areas like Palo Alto. The grant will enable the Housing Authority to undertake comprehensive improvements, addressing essential infrastructure needs, replacing aged and outdated homes, enhancing community amenities, and implementing sustainable and energy-efficient practices. The funding will play a pivotal role in the preservation and improvement of the Buena Vista Mobile Home Park, benefiting both current and future residents.
“As a resident of Buena Vista for over 20 years, I am ecstatic about what's to come” says Park resident Melodie Cheney, “For years, we have been advocating for the improvement of the Park and I feel like it's finally happening, and I am very thankful to the Housing Authority for providing us support through this process and making our dreams a reality.”
From the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority's press release:
Leaders of the Columbus Housing Enterprise (CHE) and the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) announced today they have acquired Cabot Cove Apartments, a 288-unit multi-family affordable housing development located in Hilliard, for $21.6 million.
Columbus Housing Enterprise is a nonprofit organization committed to preserving affordable housing in central Ohio through the philanthropic commitment of leaders in the private sector.
The Cabot Cove transaction, CHE’s second project with CMHA, was conceived by local business and civic leaders Don Kelley and Robert Weiler, along with their families, and will ensure the apartment complex will remain affordable for lower-wage earning families, senior citizens and people with disabilities for the next 75 years.
“This acquisition is another step forward in our game-changing strategy to combine the generosity of two successful and community-minded families with a new nonprofit acting as a steward for the preservation of quality existing unsubsidized affordable housing,” said CHE Board Chair Hal Keller.
“We credit CMHA’s leadership and vision for working with us because rents at Cabot Cove would continue to soar as they are across central Ohio without this agreement,” Keller said. “We also believe this model can be replicated as other multifamily property owners follow the lead of the Weiler and Kelley families.”