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CLPHA Responds to Trump’s Proposed Cuts to Public Housing Budget
In the face of an estimated capital needs backlog of $70 billion, HUD’s budget zeroes out the public housing capital fund, which is used to address the growing physical needs of aging properties.
WASHINGTON (February 10, 2020) - Sunia Zaterman, Executive Director of the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities, issued the following statement today in response to President Trump’s FY 2021 Budget proposal, which would slash funding for the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development by more than 15 percent, including a 43 percent cut to public housing funding.
“It is no surprise that this Administration has again proposed to gut funding for our nation’s public housing authorities, which serve more than 3 million low- and very low-income families, the elderly, and people with disabilities through the public housing and voucher programs.
“In the face of an estimated capital needs backlog of $70 billion, HUD’s budget zeroes out the public housing capital fund, which is used to address the growing physical needs of aging properties.
“In his Budget Brief message, Secretary Carson touts the department’s commitment to resident health and safety with a nominal $90 million increase in funding to address certain hazards including lead, radon, and carbon monoxide. These one-off grants, though welcome, are insufficient and do not comprehensively address the needs of public housing residents or properties.
“We also have serious concerns that HUD’s budget underfunds the Housing Choice Voucher Program and Project-Based Rental Assistance so inadequately that as many as 160,000 households could lose voucher funding.
“The proposal additionally attempts to reintroduce rent increases and work requirements, two controversial polices that lack support from advocates and housing leaders.
“Some bright spots in the budget include increases to the Family Self-Sufficiency Program and Jobs-Plus, and a request of $100 million for the RAD program, which enables public housing authorities to convert public housing units to the Section 8 funding platform.
“But these improvements are meaningless if there are not enough resources to operate the public housing properties or to dramatically improve property conditions for residents living there.”
“Congress has previously rejected draconian budgets that shred our safety net, and we call on them to do so again.”
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.
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CLPHA Statement on PHA Radon and Mitigation Practices
WASHINGTON (November 22, 2019) - The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities issued the following statement in response to news coverage about radon testing and mitigation practices in public housing:
Public housing authorities (PHAs) are committed to providing rental housing that is safe, decent, and affordable for millions of low- and very-low income families, the elderly, and persons with disabilities. PHAs are regulated and funded by the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which sets health and safety standards for PHA properties.
HUD does not require or fund PHAs to test for or mitigate radon in public housing units. While HUD does have radon testing and remediation requirements for certain multi-family properties, these do not apply to public housing.
Chronic underfunding of public housing has led to a mounting capital needs backlog of an estimated $70 billion, yet HUD’s most recent budget proposal would have slashed funding for public housing by $4.6 billion and zeroed out the Public Housing Capital Fund, which is designed to address capital needs.
PHAs welcome consistent standards with adequate funding to mitigate hazards through grants or other funding opportunities. As an example, CLPHA strongly supports bipartisan legislation in the House and Senate to mandate the installation of carbon monoxide detectors in all public housing units. The Safe Housing for Families Act would provide $300 million over a three-year period to install and maintain the detectors.
CLPHA is supportive of these and other comprehensive efforts to improve conditions in HUD-assisted housing for low and very low-income residents.
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“In the coming weeks, the House will consider bipartisan legislation to permanently authorize the disaster relief funding platform for housing programs. The Reforming Disaster Recovery Act of 2019 is rational, comprehensive, badly needed, and Congress should pass it. Its proposed standardization and codification would make it easier for public housing authorities (PHAs) to apply for, and receive, relief funds after being impacted by disasters the way our colleagues and their residents were in Houston during Hurricane Harvey, in Wilmington during Hurricane Florence, in San Buenaventura during the Camp Fire, and the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico during Hurricanes Irma and Maria.
“Perhaps if the bill were law today, the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development would have a harder time intentionally stalling the disaster relief funding process for Puerto Rico, which two senior HUD officials admitted to doing during a hearing last month, and Secretary Carson has not denied.
“This is unconscionable and a blatant disregard of a statutory deadline. Though Congress has allocated $20 billion in CDBG-DR funds to Puerto Rico, HUD has only disbursed $1.5 billion, while thousands of American citizens struggle to recover.
“To remedy this, Senate appropriators included strong language in the THUD spending bill to prevent HUD from implementing its financial transformation initiative until the Department takes the appropriate steps to make all disaster recovery funds available along with necessary administrative requirements, which would include remaining allocations to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
“Congress must take action to compel HUD to follow the law. We urge support for the House and Senate efforts to ensure that all Americans, regardless of income and geography, whose housing is impacted by natural disaster receive the support they need quickly and efficiently.”
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 the Seattle Housing Authority's press release:
The Seattle Housing Authority has completed Sawara, its sixth new residential building at Yesler, a neighborhood near downtown Seattle that is being redeveloped by SHA into a vibrant, new mixed-income community. Sawara is located at Yesler Way and 8th Ave, Seattle. The building name honors Japanese culture in the neighborhood and can refer to a cypress tree or a type of fish.
Sawara features 114 one, two, three and four-bedroom units of housing affordable to people with low incomes. Its sustainable design includes photovoltaic panels to provide solar power to the building and energy saving appliances and ventilation systems. Residents will have access to a secure large central courtyard and playground, adjacent pocket park, underground parking and bike storage. Some of the apartments at Sawara are specifically designed for residents with hearing or visual impairment and others are “Breathe Easy” units designed for people with asthma and other respiratory health concerns. Sawara is part of Seattle City Light’s Exemplary Buildings Program as a model of energy-efficient, healthy and durable housing.
With the completion of Sawara, SHA has nearly finished construction of its new low-income residential housing at Yesler. The final building SHA has planned is Juniper, which is currently under construction. Yesler redevelopment replaces the 561 Yesler Terrace public housing units previously on the site with new apartments for extremely low-income residents and adds more than 1,100 additional affordable homes along with up to 2,000 market-rate rental apartments developed by private development partners.
Yesler Terrace was the city’s first public housing, built in 1940 by the then newly established Seattle Housing Authority. The redevelopment of Yesler Terrace began in 2013 after SHA, with the help of a Citizens Review Committee comprised of Yesler residents, surrounding neighbors, city officials, nonprofit service partners and citizens at large, shaped a plan for replacing Yesler Terrace’s aging housing and deteriorated infrastructure with a new community for Yesler residents and people across a spectrum of income levels.
Amenities in the transformed Yesler neighborhood include a large central park with views of Mt. Rainier and Puget Sound, a fully accessible pedestrian pathway connecting Yesler with adjacent neighborhoods, the Yesler Hillclimb joining Yesler with Little Saigon and the Chinatown-International District, a green-street loop with exercise stations, public art, pocket parks, community gardening plots and a streetcar line. SHA is continuing to work with community partners to expand its wide range of services for low-income residents to provide them with increased educational, health, employment and other opportunities. The partners recently announced a new Yesler Legacy Fund to support these services.
SHA’s first new residential building at Yesler, Kebero Court, opened in 2015, followed by Raven Terrace in 2016, Hoa Mai Gardens in 2017, Red Cedar in 2019, Hinoki in 2022 and Sawara in 2024.
Yesler redevelopment is supported in part by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, City of Seattle and select property sales to private developers. Construction of Sawara was made possible by funding from Wells Fargo Bank and the Washington State Housing Finance Commission. The contractor is Marpac Construction. The architect is Ankrom Moisan.
From CW 39 News Houston:
An organization dedicated to helping people find affordable homes is now helping storm victims.
The Houston Housing Authority is hosting resource distribution events on Thursday at five locations where they’ll offer people impacted by Hurricane Beryl free food, water, ice, fresh produce, and cleaning and sanitizing supplies.
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The housing authority is also offering a cooling station for people who still don’t have power at their homes because of last Monday’s hurricane.
It’s open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the HHA Main Office, located at 2640 Fountain View Drive in Houston.
Also at the Main Office, HHA is offering assistance paying utility bills, and the Gulf Coast Community Services Association will help people apply for FEMA funding to help cover costs they may have incurred because of the powerful storm.
From CBS 4 News El Paso:
El Paso's public housing authority broke ground on the second phase of its affordable housing project for veterans and their families in northeast El Paso on Wednesday.
Housing Opportunity Enterprises -- aka HOME -- the City of El Paso's public housing authority, celebrated a groundbreaking for the next phase of Patriot Place, an affordable housing community in the northeast that prioritizes veterans and their families.
According to HOME, phase two -- which encompasses 104 units -- represents a $32.8 million investment in the "quality of life for veterans in the El Paso community."
“We are honored to break ground on the next phases of Patriot Place,” said Gerald Cichon, CEO of HOME. “This project is a testament to our unwavering commitment to supporting veterans and ensuring they have access to safe and affordable housing. We look forward to welcoming them to their new homes.”
Cichon added that El Paso is "built on the military," and given how integrated the city and Fort Bliss are, HOME wanted to "give honor back and make sure that we took care of the veterans that've taken care of us."
Read CBS 4 News El Paso's article "El Paso housing authority breaks ground on new phase of veteran housing project."
From the NYCHA Journal:
On July 15, the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) and NYCHA celebrated the opening of much-needed affordable housing in the Mott Haven area of the Bronx, on underutilized land at the site of NYCHA’s Betances VI campus. The development will provide 101 units of deeply affordable housing, including 70 homes for extremely low-, low-, and moderate-income New Yorkers; 30 apartments set aside for New Yorkers who had previously experienced homelessness; and 18 units reserved for NYCHA residents to receive priority housing.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony to open Betances Family Apartments was attended by HPD and NYCHA, as well as public and private partners and elected officials, including Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, Deputy Speaker and Councilmember Diana Ayala, and representatives from BNY, NEF, Lemle & Wolff, Alembic Community Development, and The Bridge.
“Today, our administration joins the South Bronx in proudly saying ‘yes’ to more affordable housing in our backyards,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “The only way to solve our generational housing and affordability crises is to simply build more, and the Bronx is setting the example by welcoming working-class New Yorkers, NYCHA residents, and formerly homeless individuals into the community with open arms. With more than 100 units of deeply affordable units, the Betances Family Apartments sets a model for the rest of our city to follow and embody.”
“With 101 new affordable homes for New Yorkers in Mott Haven, this project marks an investment in housing access for those in need of affordable and supportive housing,” said Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce Maria Torres-Springer. “Offering furnishings for families who have previously experienced homelessness, priority units for NYCHA residents, and services on-site for all residents, Betances VI is an excellent example of how we can provide support and opportunity through housing. I’m grateful for the partnerships that resulted in this project coming to be, as this administration continues to invest in new affordable homes for New Yorkers.”
“Today marks a milestone for Mott Haven as we deliver a new home for New Yorkers struggling with housing insecurity or mental health issues: you deserve safe, stable, and affordable housing,” said NYC Commissioner of Housing Preservation and Development, Adolfo Carrión Jr. “Not only does this transformative project create much-needed affordable and supportive housing for New Yorkers and those with mental health challenges, but it also revitalizes a once-underused property — uplifting the entire community while creating a healthy, vibrant residence for low-income and formerly homeless individuals.”
“We consider ourselves extremely fortunate whenever we’re able to celebrate the completion of new housing on NYCHA property,” said NYCHA Chief Executive Officer Lisa Bova-Hiatt. “NYCHA is very proud of the work completed in concert with our partners at HPD to bring about the addition of Betances Family Apartments to the Betances VI campus. This new building creates invaluable housing stock amid the current crisis and the 101 deeply affordable units within will serve as amazing new homes for the New Yorkers that will soon inhabit them.”
“NYCHA is proud to work directly with HPD and our partners to respond to one of our city’s biggest needs — the development of new, affordable housing,” said NYCHA Executive Vice President for Real Estate Development Jonathan Gouveia. “The Betances Family Apartments shows how we can come together to utilize our resources to provide existing NYCHA residents with amenities, community spaces, and beautiful new housing. We are excited to celebrate the opening of Betances Family Apartments today and look forward to welcoming home 100 residents soon.”
Read the NYCHA Journal's article "Partnership Brings New Affordable Homes to Mott Haven."
From New York Governor Kathy Hochul's press release:
Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the opening of La Mora Senior Apartments, an affordable 60-unit, modern and highly energy-efficient building in the Hollow neighborhood of South Yonkers. The $44 million project was developed in partnership with the Municipal Housing Authority of the city of Yonkers.
“La Mora Senior Apartments creates the affordable, supportive housing opportunities that we know are a proven strategy for helping older New Yorkers achieve long-term stability,” Governor Hochul said. “My administration is dedicated to making our state more affordable for New Yorkers, and these apartments will give seniors the opportunity to be part of a vibrant community that is tailored to their needs.”
In the last five years, New York State Homes and Community Renewal has created or preserved 4,500 affordable homes – including 300 linked with supportive services – in Westchester County. La Mora Senior Apartments continues this effort and complements Governor Hochul's $25 billion comprehensive Housing Plan that will build or preserve 100,000 affordable homes across New York, including 10,000 with support services for vulnerable populations, plus the electrification of an additional 50,000 homes.
Located in South Yonkers, the development was constructed on a vacant parcel owned by MHACY that was once occupied by Longfellow Junior High School. The four-story building has 57 one-bedroom apartments and three two-bedroom apartments. All apartments will be affordable to residents 62 and older with incomes at or below 60 percent of the Area Median Income.
Amenities include a community room with kitchen, two business rooms, fitness center, central laundry, building-wide WiFi, storage units, landscaped courtyard and roof top deck. There are two elevators, buzzer entry, an emergency call system, a 24-hour security system, fire alarms and detectors, electronic access controls and surface parking reserved for residents.
Residents also have access to services provided the Yonkers Office for the Aging, including case management, home-delivered meals, assistance with entitlement programs, transportation, health awareness programs, access to nutrition centers, recreation and exercise programs, and supermarket and pharmacy delivery coordination. Services are funded by the Office for the Aging and the Westchester County Department of Senior Programs and Services.
The surrounding neighborhood has multiple public parks and a golf course, and the development is near St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center.
La Mora Senior Apartments is highly energy efficient, meets the criteria for the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) New Construction - Housing Program by receiving ENERGY STAR(R) Multifamily New Construction certification, and is pursuing Passive House certification. All apartments will include low-flow plumbing fixtures, ENERGY STAR (R) appliances, individual high-efficiency electric heat and cooling systems, and LED lighting. The building has a high-efficiency envelope, dual-pane insulated windows, and a central electric hot water heating and distribution system. An emergency generator ensures that the building systems remain operable in the event of a blackout.
La Mora Senior Apartments is being co-developed by MHACY and the Mulford Corporation, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit charitable development corporation formed by MHACY in 2004.
New York State Homes and Community Renewal financing for La Mora Senior Apartments includes $17.7 million in Federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, a $7.9 million first mortgage and $9.1 million in subsidy. NYSERDA’s New Construction – Housing Program provided $240,000 in project incentives. Westchester County funded $3.4 million from the Housing Implementation Fund and the city of Yonkers gave $650,000 in HOME funds. MHACY provided a $2.6 million loan.
President & CEO of the Yonkers Housing Authority Wilson Kimball said, “The Mulford Corporation is incredibly grateful for the financial support La Mora has received at every level of government from the City, county, state and federal government. Allowing Yonkers seniors to age in place in the most resilient housing possible was clearly a collective vision.”