CLPHA Press Room

From the Columbus Dispatch:

An autonomous shuttle is expected to begin service in the Linden neighborhood this month in the first residential test of self-driving shuttles in the nation. The shuttles will run along a 2.8-mile route and connect to services like St. Stephen’s Community House.

Self-driving shuttles are scheduled to start traveling in Linden in late January.

The free service will be the first residential test in the country for self-driving shuttles, said Mandy Bishop, Smart Columbus’ program manager.

The shuttles will run along a 2.8-mile route and connect St. Stephen’s Community House, the Douglas Recreation Center, the Rosewind Resident Council and the Linden Transit Center. The pilot program will run for 12 months.

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Partners for the pilot include DriveOhio, COTA, Ohio State University, St. Stephen’s, the Columbus Department of Recreation and Parks, and the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority.

Read the Columbus Dispatch's article "Self-driving shuttles coming to Linden in first test in US residential neighborhood, official says," featuring the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority.

From 90.5 WCBE:

U.S. Housing and Urban Development officials were in Columbus Wednesday for a trio of announcements regarding the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority. 

HUD Midwest Regional Administrator Joseph Galvan announced that CMHA has been awarded nearly $156,000 to  help families attain self-sufficiency.

"These funds will help residents of public and voucher-assisted housing increase their earned income and reduce their dependency on public assistance and rental subsidies," Galvan said. "HUD's Family Self-Sufficiency Program helps local public housing authorities to hire a service coordinator who can work directly with residents to connect them with existing programs and services in the local community."

It's part of almost $3.5 million HUD awarded similar agencies across Ohio. Galvan also announced a $142,451 grant to CMHA to provide permanent homes to 24 veterans experiencing homelessness. The Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing Program, known as HUD-VASH, combines rental assistance from HUD with case management and clinical services provided by the VA. Officials say the vouchers help homeless veterans obtain affordable housing in the private market.

"Since 2017, the Columbus VA along with CMHA has provided permanent supportive housing to 310 veteran households," Director of Veterans Affairs Central Ohio Healthcare Vivian Hutson said. "The Columbus HUD-VASH program leads the region with an average occupancy rate of 96 percent."

HUD also designated CMHA's RISE center a HUD EnVision Center. The designation enables resource-sharing and partnerships with additional federal agencies, including the Commerce, Health & Human Services, Labor, Agriculture, and Education departments. 

Read 90.5 WCBE's article "HUD Awards More Funding And New Designation To CMHA," featuring the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority.

From Smart Cities Dive:

Microsoft says there was a deficit of about 316,000 middle- and low-income affordable housing units in the Puget Sound area last year, which was an increase from the 2018 gap of 305,000 units. 

"The problem is straightforward: Our community isn’t building enough housing that’s affordable to low- and middle-income families, particularly in Seattle’s surrounding cities on the eastside of King County. The solution – as many of us know – is complicated," Microsoft Philanthropies Senior Director Jane Broom wrote in a company blog post. ​​

However, the company did have some progress to report since last year. A Microsoft analysis found that the year-over-year growth rate of that deficit has decreased from 10.8% in 2017 to 3.6% in 2019. Other points of progress from the past year include a $60 million investment with the King County Housing Authority to preserve 1,209 middle-income housing units, and a $5 million grant towards 800 additional permanent supportive housing units for adults experiencing homelessness. 

"We’re very pleased that they [Microsoft] are continuing to find creative ways to move the needle in terms of addressing the affordable housing crisis in the region," Rhonda Rosenberg with the King County Housing Authority told Smart Cities Dive in a statement.  

Read Smart Cities Dive's article "Microsoft adds $250M to Seattle affordable housing commitment," featuring the King County Housing Authority.

From FOX8 News:

Printworks Mill is a new housing development in Greensboro that'll offer affordable options. This historic mill is slowly transforming into a brand new multi-use community.

“Printworks Mill is a fantastic example of using a distressed asset and turning it around and making it a productive place for people to live," said Cynthia Blue, of Greensboro Neighborhood Development. 143 of the units in the community will cater to low-income families.

“Every bit helps when you think about the dire need for affordable housing," said James Cox, of Greensboro Housing Authority.

Read FOX8 News' article "Printworks Mill in Greensboro to offer affordable housing," featuring the Greensboro Housing Authority.

From the El Paso Herald-Post:

Since she was a child, Patricia Castillo has wanted to be a teacher. Thanks to the Housing Authority of the City of El Paso‘s scholarship program, she’s taken an important step toward achieving that goal.

“I saw a flyer in the community, and I thought, ‘Why not?'” she said.

When she learned about the scholarship program, Castillo, 25, was already enrolled at the University of Texas at El Paso. The scholarship provided her not only a financial boost toward reaching her goal but a boost to her motivation as well.

“The scholarship motivated me to work even harder,” she said. “Before the scholarship I was unmotivated and taking my time with school. I would recommend for anyone in my position to go to school and apply for the HACEP Scholarship and to take advantage of the resources around you.”

Read the El Paso Herald Post's article "HACEP scholarship program helps residents achieve educational goals," featuring the the Housing Authority of the City of El Paso.