CLPHA Press Room

From Fox 7 News Austin:

"Heavy equipment continues to roll across what was Rosewood Courts in east Austin. It’s been two years since the groundbreaking that came with a completion date targeted for fall 2024. 

Little is left from what was one of the first, if not the first, public housing complexes for African Americans. The transition to what will be called Pathways at Rosewood Courts is costing just under $63 million, a major endeavor for the Austin Housing Authority.

"Absolutely. I mean, this is the next chapter," said COAHA Chief Operating Officer Sylvia Blanco.

The supply chain and labor issues, following the pandemic, have delayed completion of this next chapter.

"So now our new timeline is, we'll have the first building available for occupancy by mid 2025. And we should wrap up having the entirety of the site open by the end of 2025," said Blanco.

A few of the original Rosewood units are the only things still standing that currently resemble homes. The remaining eight are being refurbished.

"We've also removed the pitch roofs that had been added on over the years. So now it's the original roofs," said Blanco. "I think it's sort of like seeing a glimpse of that history and time as we like to say, you know, if LBJ himself were here, he would recognize the buildings."

Most of the site is going through a total re-design. Walls have started going up for one of three apartment buildings, which will provide 184 new units. 60 more than what were available. The apartment homes will range in size from a studio to four-bedrooms. There will also be 12 town homes which will be sold as affordable housing.

"Our Rosewood families and our other families that we serve throughout our portfolio will get the first priority in being able to purchase one of these affordable town homes," said Blanco."

Read Fox 7 News Austin's article "East Austin historic neighborhood redevelopment pushes completion to 2025."

From the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority's press release:

The Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) announced today it has completed the $30 million purchase of the 160-unit Waldren Woods apartments with plans to ensure the property operates as a mixed-income community for households of all income levels.

“There’s no question the need for mixed-income housing is at an all-time historic high in Columbus and throughout central Ohio,” said CMHA President and CEO Charles Hillman.

“Our decision to add Waldren Woods to the CMHA portfolio reflects a strong commitment to our mission to provide access to affordable housing opportunities for all residents of Franklin County,” Hillman said.

CMHA bought the property from a single-asset LLC created by Donald R. Kenney (DRK) & Company Realty, a full-service commercial real estate company in Columbus that developed Waldren Woods.

The acquisition is part of CMHA’s strategy to acquire multifamily housing communities located in proximity to schools, transportation options, job centers, healthcare services and other amenities.

The purchase also exemplifies CMHA’s strategy to own, preserve and promote “mixed-income developments,” defined by national nonprofit Local Housing Solutions (LHS) as generally referring to residential settings in which housing is affordable to individuals and families with different income levels.

Read CMHA's press release.

From the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh's press release:

The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP), along with its development arm, the Allies & Ross Management and Development Corporation (ARMDC), have invested in the HACP’s Project-Based Voucher (PBV)/Gap Financing Program since December 2015.

More than $33 million and nearly 380 PBV units of housing completed or under construction to date, the program supports innovative affordable housing developments in neighborhoods across the City of Pittsburgh. In 2023, HACP provided 12 affordable housing developers with additional conditional commitments: 313 PBV subsidies and $24 million of gap financing loans. The program encourages all levels of affordable developers, including community-based organizations, to invest in their communities by preserving and developing affordable housing. It offers vital support to qualified developers and owners by providing both development financing and project-based operating subsidies.

“We continue to use every tool at our discretion in order to meet the growing demand for affordable housing,” said HACP Executive Director Caster D. Binion. “Many local organizations are interested in developing affordable housing around the city. Expanding the Gap Financing Program gives them the opportunity to step up to the plate and take the lead in shaping the communities they call home.”

The Gap Financing tool will also be used to support Allegheny County’s 500in500 initiative announced Thursday by Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato. 500in500 is an initiative to help people in the county, including the City of Pittsburgh, out of homelessness by making 500 affordable housing units available in 500 days.

Read HACP's press release. 

The King County Housing Authority recently published their latest community report "Transforming Lives Through Housing," which outlines how KCHA is addressing their region's affordable housing crisis through improving and expanding housing opportunities, leveraging local partnerships, and serving their commnunity with respect and inclusiveness. You can view the report here.

From the Charlotte Observer:

Sometime in the early 1970s, John Crawford received an offer he couldn’t refuse.

The Charlotte Housing Authority approached him about a job working with families and children who lived in its dozens of complexes. Crawford, then a school teacher and coach, loved working with children. It was a natural fit and he accepted the offer.

But early in the gig, Crawford saw things he found troubling – prostitution, drug dealing and teens overdosing at some of the properties, making it an unsafe environment, he said.

“I wanted to change that,” he said.

‘I’m gonna get there.’ How a unique scholarship helped 4 Charlotteans get their degrees

His method didn’t surface until 1982 when a college-age resident reached out to him, the youth services director, asking for money to help finish school.

That’s when Crawford realized the need and saw a way to give youth living in public housing more control over their destinies.

It evolved into the Greater Steps Scholars, a scholarship fund which after 40 years has reached a notable milestone – 1,000 students living in public housing who have been awarded scholarships.

Many came from impoverished backgrounds whose families may not otherwise have been able to shoulder the hefty cost of higher education. For some already making a plan for college, this scholarship was a welcomed boost.

It’s the only program of its kind in Charlotte, says Aisha Strothers, the executive director of the $5 million endowment now managed by The Foundation For the Carolinas. The goal is to ultimately get to $10 million.

“The big thing here is the programming that we provide, that assists these children,” said Cecil Burrowes, The Greater Steps Scholars board chairman. “We can give you scholarships, that’s great. That gets you into the school. What happens while you’re in the school?”

The program began as the Charlotte Housing Authority Scholarship Fund, which was among many at the housing authority — renamed Inlivian in 2019 — to support economic mobility for the hundreds of families living in public housing, CEO and president Fulton Meachem told the Charlotte Observer.

Read the Charlotte Obesrver's article "40 years. 1,000 student awards. What’s next for this one-of-a kind Charlotte scholarship?"