CLPHA Press Room

From the Chicago Housing Authority's press release:

The Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) continues to make steady progress on its Restore Home initiative, fully restoring and leasing several multi-family buildings and single-family homes that were previously vacant due to extensive repair needs.

Announced in late 2023, Restore Home is a major capital effort to renovate and rehabilitate vacant buildings in the small and medium-sized apartments portfolio (commonly known as “scattered sites”). Approximately three dozen small and medium-sized vacant apartment buildings around the city have been targeted for renovation, with more than 175 units brought back into leasable condition by mid-2025. An additional 40 single family homes are being renovated and made available for leasing or affordable homeownership opportunities.

CHA pledged to invest up to $50 million over eighteen months under Restore Home.

At Thursday’s meeting, CHA’s Board of Commissioners approved contracts totaling more than $17 million dollars to renovate four additional buildings that will bring 60 apartments back into leasable condition. These include:

• A 1920s brick six-flat building located at 4834-36 North Kimball Avenue in Albany Park, near the Kimball Brown Line station.
• A 1960s brick three-story/ 24-apartment building located at 4008-14 S. Prairie Avenue in Bronzeville.
• Two vacant properties in the North Lawndale neighborhood: a six-apartment building located at 1500 S. Christiana Avenue and a 24-apartment building located at 1404-1414 S. Homan.

Work on these buildings is expected to be completed by mid-2025.

As of August 31, 2024, under Restore Home: 

• Five multi-family buildings are complete with sixteen apartments occupied.
• Two multi-family buildings are complete and will be occupied by the end of September (four apartments).
• Eleven multi-family buildings are currently under construction (29 units). All are expected to be completed and fully occupied by the end of the year.
• One single-family home completed and occupied; one single-family home is completed and set to be occupied shortly; and one single-family home is under construction;
• Renovation is set to begin on 16 single-family homes shortly.

“Today’s Board action demonstrates that CHA is doing what we said we would do - providing quality living environments in strong communities that help families move forward. We are proud of the progress that we’ve made on the Restore Home initiative to date and are excited to begin this next phase of work,” CHA CEO Tracey Scott said.

From Fort Worth Housing Solutions' press release:

The Stop Six community, Fort Worth city and civic leaders, developers and supporters joined Fort Worth Housing Solutions to celebrate the groundbreaking of Babers Manor on Aug. 28 at the Eastside Boys & Girls Club of Greater Tarrant County.

Also in attendance were family members of Clarence Donald Babers, the namesake of the planned 80-unit community who was instrumental in bringing HUD funding to Stop Six.

“In the years I go to know Mr. Babers working alongside our Mayor Pro Tem Gyna Bivens, I was struck by his tenacity for change, the recognition that public housing would be different and that you could completely transform communities with the right level of public-private partnership,” Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker said. “And that’s what this groundbreaking really represents.”

Babers Manor, which will include townhome and garden apartments on Ramey Avenue between S. Hughes Ave and S. Edgewood Terrace​, joins current Stop Six Choice Neighborhood Initiative developments Cowan Place Senior Living and Hughes House, which is under construction.

Bivens, who grew up in Stop Six and whose district includes Stop Six, has represented the area on the Fort Worth City Council since 2013 and has long advocated for investment in the area. She worked closely with Mr. Babers for years.

“When you visit people who get lucky enough to move to Babers Manor, I want them to know who my friend was because it his knowledge, his connections and overall his passion for his community is why we have Cowan Place … (and) Hughes House,” Bivens said.

Babers Manor is part of the landmark Stop Six Choice Neighborhood effort that launched in 2020 when the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded FWHS and the City of Fort Worth a $35 million Choice Neighborhood Implementation Grant. Former Cavile Place residents who relocated as part of the redevelopment process have the right to return to the community as new Stop Six CNI properties come online.

“I want to emphasize what brought about the funding here,” said Candace Valenzuela, HUD Regional Administrator for the Southwest. “Because of the incredible partners, because of the members of the community, we have this Choice Neighborhood Grant.”

The HUD grant will be spread across six phases of development and is expected to leverage $345 million in investment for the neighborhood. In all, FWHS and partners will develop approximately 925 new units across the community. The City of Fort Worth plans additional infrastructure improvements, including a new community hub and aquatics center.

“The Choice Neighborhood process is all about getting to a yes,” said Mary-Margaret Lemons, President, Fort Worth Housing Solutions. “In 2019 this community stood up and said it’s time.”

The groundbreaking also included numerous partners, including Hunt Capital Partners; Aetna; CVS Health; the City of Fort Worth; Urban Strategies, Inc.; McCormack Baron Salazar Development, Inc.; GMA Construction; RPGA Design Group, Inc. and Mason Joseph Company.

As part of the celebration, donations were made to the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Tarrant County and the C. Donald Babers Memorial Scholarship.

From the Durham Housing Authority's press release:

Tomorrow the public-private partnership of Laurel Street and the Durham Housing Authority (DHA) along with its tax credit equity partners, CVS Health® (NYSE: CVS) and Red Stone Equity Partners, will join other community partners at a groundbreaking ceremony for Commerce Street Apartments, a mixed-income housing community located in downtown Durham.

Commerce Street Apartments is the second housing phase of a four-phase redevelopment initiative in downtown Durham known as Durham Choice. Durham Choice is a partnership between the DHA and the City of Durham created under the umbrella of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Program. Durham Choice will advance the vision outlined in the DHA Downtown & Neighborhood Plan and has three core goals:

• Redevelop two aging public housing developments in downtown Durham, 519 E. Main, and Liberty Street Apartments, into vibrant mixed-income communities in partnership with Laurel Street.
• Provide DHA residents with comprehensive health services, as well as educational and employment training opportunities, to assist them in pursuing their personal goals.
• Invest in the surrounding neighborhood, with a focus on the historic African American community of Hayti, by supporting community institutions, building connections among residents, and supporting small and minority-owned businesses.

Commerce Street Apartments will offer 172 mixed-income apartment homes in two four-story buildings. 88 of the units will be reserved for older adults (62+), while 84 will be available to individuals and families of all ages. 71 of the apartments will be public housing replacement units, while another 58 will serve households with incomes below 60% of Area Median Income. Additionally, nine units will be designated for persons with disabilities or experiencing homelessness and ten units will be reserved for those with mobility impairments.

CVS Health's support of Commerce Street Apartments includes a more than $17 million equity investment towards the construction of the property through Red Stone Equity Partners. The investment is a local demonstration of CVS Health's commitment to improving the health of individuals across the country, which includes creating and preserving access to quality, safe, affordable housing, especially in historically underserved communities. To date, CVS Health's investments have led to the creation or preservation and renovation of over 2,500 affordable and supportive housing units across the State of North Carolina.

"The first step to improving an individual's health and wellbeing is addressing housing insecurities," said Keli Savage, Head of Impact Investment Strategy, CVS Health. "Made possible through community programs like Durham Choice and impactful collaboration, the construction of Commerce Street Apartments will provide Durham residents with a new safe, beautiful, and affordable place that they can proudly call home."

DHA will provide on-site services free of charge to all Commerce Street Apartments residents with the aim of holistically improving the social and environmental determinants that help lead to economic stability, educational success, and improved quality of life. Services provided will include workforce development, education (early learning and school-aged children), and health services. The Durham Children's Initiative and other local partners will provide additional programs and services.

"Commerce Street Apartments further advances the mission to provide more affordable housing options for our residents in various economic levels," said DHA CEO, Anthony Scott. "We are so proud of this development and it being the first phase of our $40 Million Choice Neighborhood Initiative Grant awarded in 2022. This is a continuation of many exciting new communities, and we're thrilled to see this progression and celebrating the milestones with our partners and community."

The complex will be located about one half mile southeast of downtown Durham within walking distance from a senior center, Edgemont public park, a police station, convenience store, and an elementary school. Within just about a mile radius of the properties are restaurants, banks, Family Dollar, grocery stores, and Lincoln Community Health Center. Property amenities will include community rooms, on-site management, computer centers, playgrounds and "tot lots", central laundry, storage, and secured access.

"Commerce Street embodies our commitment to creating vibrant, inclusive communities that cater to the needs of residents of all ages and incomes," said Dionne Nelson, President and CEO of Laurel Street. "We are proud to continue our efforts to increase the vitality of the east side of Downtown Durham through Commerce Street and our other new developments on East Main Street."

Representing its significance to the community, Commerce Street Apartments has also received significant local support totaling $21.7 million, including soft funding from a $9.4 million Choice Neighborhoods Implementation ("CNI") grant loan, an $8.2 million HOME loan from the City of Durham, and a $4.1 million land acquisition loan from DHA. The total development costs for the property are $58.3 million.

From NBC Connecticut:

The New Haven Housing Authority has plans to begin a new affordable housing project as part of the West Rock neighborhood redevelopment. 

The abandoned healthcare facility at 34 Level St. will be transformed into 50 affordable housing units for seniors. 

Shenae Draughn, the executive vice president for Elm City Communities said they were able to obtain the property on Level Street and others in the city, through a partnership with the City of New Haven.

“We look to the city to have a PILOT agreement (which is a "payment in lieu of taxes"), that will help offset the expenses of providing affordable housing in the city of New Haven,” Draughn said. 

Read NBC Connecticut's article "New Haven's tax break program paves way for senior affordable housing redevelopment."