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WASHINGTON (September 20, 2019) – Sunia Zaterman, the Executive Director of the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities, issued the following statement today in response to President Trump’s and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Carson’s recent comments on the crisis of homelessness in America:
“It is astounding that this administration is calling for an end to homelessness while refusing to reinvest in public and affordable housing. People without a place to live need stable housing, not just campaign rally rhetoric or politically driven economic reporting based on cherry-picked research to manufacture a root cause of homelessness.
“The reasons for homelessness vary and no single solution will end the crisis, but there is no question that the lack of affordable housing opportunities exacerbates the problem for families, people with disabilities, and veterans.
“The Housing First model, recognized by HUD as recently as December as the most effective way to end homelessness, treats stable housing as a platform for supportive services that meet immediate and long-term needs for individuals and families.
“Meanwhile, this Administration has tried to gut funding for HUD and for public housing authorities, which are essential partners in local efforts to provide safe, stable housing to low and very-low income families, and those most vulnerable to homelessness.
“PHAs work with their Continuums of Care to provide transitional housing, permanent supportive housing, and vouchers to households exiting homelessness. They also coordinate with a variety of local service providers to offer supportive services to ensure housing stability, and work with health and education partners to promote access to services that are essential for family well-being and self-sufficiency.
“The hundreds of thousands of unsheltered people living on the streets in our country need real solutions, not campaign speeches.”
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 Housing Is Initiative to better intersect the housing field and other areas of critical importance such as health and education.
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CLPHA Applauds Appointment of Greg Russ to Lead New York City Housing Authority
Greg Russ is the right leader at the right time to oversee NYCHA and tackle the unique challenges facing the nation's largest and oldest public housing authority.
WASHINGTON (June 19, 2019) - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the City of New York yesterday announced the appointment of Gregory Russ to serve as the next Chair of the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA).
Sunia Zaterman, Executive Director of the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA) issued the following statement in support of the city's selection of Russ, who is the current CEO/Executive Director of the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority (MPHA) and a member of CLPHA's Board of Directors:
"Greg Russ is the right leader at the right time to oversee NYCHA and tackle the challenges facing the nation's largest and oldest public housing authority. Greg is a distinguished public housing executive and proven change maker who has led with innovation to positively transform affordable housing for residents and communities. He is uniquely qualified for this position because of his experience as the Director of Troubled Agency Recovery and his work at the Chicago and Philadelphia housing authorities.
"Throughout his career, Greg has shown a commitment to preserving and improving the public housing stock while promoting self sufficiency and economic opportunities for HUD-assisted families in PHAs across the nation. In addition to his leadership in the field, Greg is considered a national expert on public housing policy.
"CLPHA applauds Mayor Bill de Blasio's selection of Greg Russ to serve as NYCHA's next chair and we look forward to supporting Greg in his new role."
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 Housing Is Initiative to better insect the housing field and other areas of critical importance such as health and education.
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FY20 Funding Bill from the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies Includes Robust Funding Increases and Legislative Language to Prevent HUD from Evicting Mixed-Status Immigrant Families
WASHINGTON (May 22, 2019) - In preparation for a subcommittee markup on the morning of May 23, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies (THUD) today released their FY20 funding bill. According to the subcommittee proposal, the discretionary funding level for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) totals $50.1 billion, an increase of $5.9 billion above the FY19 enacted level, and $13.4 billion above President Trump’s request.
The Executive Director of the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities, Sunia Zaterman, issued the following statement in support of the bill:
“In a familiar pattern and reprise of repudiating Trump Administration budget proposals, the House THUD budget reflects Congress’ continuing commitment to fund critically important housing and community development programs the Administration proposed rescinding, cutting, or eliminating in its budget request.
“CLPHA is pleased that under the leadership of THUD Subcommittee Chairman David Price (D-NC) and Ranking Member Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL), the THUD proposal increases – in several instances substantially increases – or level funds programs critical to communities served by public housing authorities.
“In addition to robust funding increases, such as the doubling of Choice Neighborhoods to $300 million and fully funding the Section 8 account, the proposal includes legislative language to prevent HUD from evicting mixed-status immigrant families from public housing, and to prohibit HUD from unilaterally changing the public housing annual contributions contract without public input and following the administrative procedures act process. Importantly, mandatory rent increases and work requirements were not included in the subcommittee’s bill.
“We applaud the subcommittee for its ongoing commitment to public and affordable housing and look forward to working with the Chair and Ranking Member in support of this bill.”
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 Housing Is Initiative to better intersect the housing field and other areas of critical importance such as health and education.
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From CBS News Los Angeles:
City and state leaders celebrated the groundbreaking of a South Los Angeles 800-apartment-unit complex to be built above a new Costco, with 184 units dedicated to low-income housing.
The developer, Thrive Living, said it's the first new housing in Los Angeles to move forward under state law AB2011, which aims to streamline approvals for apartments and mixed-use projects that include low-income housing.
The 5-acre lot near the intersection of Coliseum and La Brea, will be home to the first mixed-use development in the nation to have Costco as the anchor retail tenant.
"The status quo is over, waiting around for projects to get started and to fail, and for opportunities to die. Los Angeles is moving forward with unprecedented action, driven by urgent collaboration in both the public and the private sector, " Mayor Karen Bass said.
The 5035 Collesium project will feature a new Costco at the street level and 800 apartments above, with 184 dedicated to low-income housing. The remaining units will be offered as nonsubsidized, affordable and workforce housing.
According to Cielo Castro, LA Housing Authority board chair, the affordable housing units will be available to families earning $41,610, at a rental rate of $1,040, including utilities.
Read CBS News Los Angeles' article "A mixed-use Costco, low-income housing development breaks ground in South LA."
From the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority's website:
As the school year begins, teachers and school social workers are reminded of the serious toll housing instability can have on students—students’ school attendance, academic performance, and emotional state can be negatively impacted. That’s why Stable Homes Stable Schools (SHSS) was created: to reduce homelessness among families with elementary-aged kids in Minneapolis.
Stable Homes Stable Schools is a program taking on the homelessness crisis among Minneapolis families through an innovative partnership between MPHA, the City of Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS), and the YMCA of the North. The SHSS program addresses homelessness among Minneapolis Public Schools students’ families through various levels of support: emergency short-term assistance, multi-year rental assistance, and case management. For nearly 1,900 families, SHSS has been a lifeline.
Knowing safe and stable housing is the most significant out-of-school factor for predicting student success, the leaders from the various organizations teamed up to create a wholistic approach to addressing student homelessness. The SHSS program works to improve families’ housing stability, students’ school attendance, and students’ educational outcomes through rental assistance and wrap-around supportive services. All told, nearly 1,900 families have been supported by SHSS since its launch in 2019, with more than 4,500 children benefitting from the program.
Read MPHA's website article "As School Year Begins, Stable Homes Stable Schools Brings Housing Supports to MPS Families."
Santa Clara County Housing Authority Executive Director Preston Prince Quoted
A recent NPR article by Jennifer Ludden spotlights the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) call for research on and establishment of potential pilot programs that would give low-income renters cash for housing rather than vouchers via a policy called direct rental assistance (“DRA”). The article discusses challenges that voucher holders often face in securing and utilizing vouchers, including long waitlists and rejection by landlords due to red tape and source of income discrimination, that could potentially be addressed by providing cash instead.
Preston Prince, executive director of the Santa Clara County Housing Authority (SCCHA), is quoted in the article expressing support of this exploration. SCCHA, a CLPHA member, is also planning to participate in a DRA pilot designed by research group MDRC. Prince notes that this shift in policy could cause housers like himself to ask some tough questions about the status quo of the voucher program, telling NPR, “I've dedicated 35 years of my career to housing. Asking that question of, like, ‘Have we been doing it wrong?’ is a little scary.”
At present, only PHAs with Moving to Work (MTW) authority are able to initiate direct rental assistance programs. Researchers hope to learn whether direct rental assistance could help families find housing quicker, save money for both tenants and housing authorities, prevent recidivism or returns to homelessness, and enable families to move to areas of higher opportunity. However, the article concludes with Solomon Greene, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for HUD’s Office of Policy and Research, reiterating that more data is needed from research and pilot programs, in addition to congressional authority, before HUD makes substantial changes to its current rental assistance models.
Dr. DuBois-Walton to Lead The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven
Dr. Karen DuBois-Walton, CLPHA board member and Elm City Communities (ECC) president, has been named the next president and chief executive officer of The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven. Her last day with ECC and on CLPHA’s board will be November 1.
Dr. DuBois-Walton was elected to CLPHA’s board in 2019. She has served for 16 years as president of ECC, which provides housing opportunities for more than 6,000 families and 14,000 individuals and includes the Glendower Group, LLC (the development affiliate of ECC) and 360 Management Group, Inc. (the property management affiliate). At ECC she has spearheaded initiatives to address systemic inequities in housing and community development, education and economic access and opportunity.
Under Dr. DuBois-Walton's leadership ECC has pioneered numerous cross-sector partnerships with education sector organizations that together offer programming that helps ECC residents pursue educational advancement. ECC’s groundbreaking work that helps improve education outcomes for low-income New Haven residents has long supported and informed CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative, and her move to The Community Foundation underscores the importance of philanthropic organizations to cross-sector efforts to address the needs of low-income families.
“CLPHA and our board have greatly benefitted not only from Karen’s intelligence and expertise, but also her warmth and compassion,” said Jeffery K. Patterson, CLPHA board president and CEO of the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority. “We are heartened to know that she will take her passion for helping low-income families find housing stability, economic opportunity, and improved health and education outcomes into her new role. We wish Karen the best of luck as she embarks on this new opportunity.”
“Karen’s leadership at ECC and on the CLPHA board has always been centered on the needs of low-income families, and particularly families of color.,” said CLPHA Executive Director Sunia Zaterman. “She has shaped our thinking and practices on how to develop and sustain effective cross-sector partnerships to improve life outcomes for those we serve. She will no doubt continue to champion safe, stable, and affordable housing as foundational to improved life outcomes in her new role at The Community Foundation. While we will miss Karen in our industry, we wholeheartedly congratulate her on this new opportunity to continue her work serving the people of New Haven.”
From KSL.com:
A fast-growing section of Salt Lake City is getting another development, this time focusing on affordable housing for seniors.
The Housing Authority of Salt Lake City announced Wednesday it is moving forward with a plan to develop a new senior housing community just east of Fairmont Park. It comes after the Utah Housing Corporation agreed to set aside $20 million in federal low-income housing tax credits to support the construction of the Fairmont Heights Senior Community.
Construction isn't expected to begin until early 2026 after it goes through the final planning and city approval stages but the current plan is to build 110 new units designated for affordable housing for residents who are 62 and over.
The forthcoming Fairmont Heights Senior Community will replace a two-story business office building at 2257 S. 1100 East, directly east of Fairmont Park.
Half of the units will be built in an initial phase and will feature 40 one-bedroom and 15 two-bedroom layouts, available for seniors making 80% or below the area's median income. Most of these units will be set aside for seniors with 50% or below the area median income, which would cap rent somewhere between $600 and $1,150 per month, according to the Housing Authority.
A second phase will complete the remaining 55 units.
"The goal is to keep seniors in the neighborhoods they raised their families and where their families are now," said Britnee Dabb, deputy director of the Housing Authority of Salt Lake City.
Read KSL.com's article "Salt Lake City funds new, affordable senior housing community in Sugar House."