Welcome to CLPHA's Press Room
CLPHA experts welcome interview requests from print, radio, television, and online reporters and are happy to provide their insights on issues of public housing and related legislation and policy.
For media inquiries, please contact:
David Greer
Director of Communications
(202) 550-1381 or dgreer@clpha.org.
*Please let us know if you are working on deadline.
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November 20, 2020
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 .
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative
The Housing Is Initiative, led by the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities, helps build a future where sectors work together to improve life outcomes. Housing stability is a critical first step to improve life outcomes for low-income children, families, and seniors; CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative is based on the premise that sectors can better meet needs when they work together. Housing Is establishes, broadens, and deepens efforts to align affordable housing, education, and health systems to produce positive, long-term results. Learn more at housingis.org and on Twitter @housing_is.
About The Center for Disaster Philanthropy
The Center for Disaster Philanthropy’s mission is to leverage the power of philanthropy to mobilize a full range of resources that strengthen the ability of communities to withstand disasters and recover equitably when they occur. CDP manages domestic and international Disaster Funds on behalf of corporations, foundations and individuals through targeted, holistic and localized grantmaking. For more information, visit: disasterphilanthropy.org, call (202) 464-2018 or tweet us @funds4disaster.
New Funds Will Develop and Sustain Public Housing Authority Initiatives to Improve Postsecondary Achievement for Low-Income Households
WASHINGTON (November 25, 2019) – The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities, a housing advocacy organization and leader in efforts to improve life outcomes for low-income individuals and families, announced today that it has been awarded $300,000 from The Kresge Foundation to deepen connections between public housing authorities and their postsecondary education partners.
The three-year grant enables CLPHA to build on work that began last year, in partnership with The Kresge Foundation, to convene cross-sector housing and education partners who are collaborating to improve postsecondary achievement for students served by public housing authorities, including residents and housing insecure college students.
“Last year we showcased how these two sectors are working together to improve educational outcomes for low-income households. With generous funding from The Kresge Foundation, we will help more cross-sector partners develop and sustain their work,” said CLPHA Executive Director Sunia Zaterman. “As a national organization representing 70 of the largest public housing authorities in the country, CLPHA is well-positioned to identify promising innovations and facilitate peer-learning among those doing the work with the goal to scale successful initiatives that can be replicated nationally. We are very grateful to The Kresge Foundation for its multi-year support of our work.”
With the funds, CLPHA, through its Housing Is Initiative, will establish a leadership institute for a cohort of public housing authority staff and their partners who demonstrate the experience and capacity for postsecondary collaboration. In addition to virtual meetings aimed at institutionalizing their cross-sector work, members of the cohort will travel for in-person site visits to learn about the different projects in the field.
“By supporting stronger partnerships between housing authorities and postsecondary stakeholders, CLPHA’s leadership institute will help increase college access and success for both public housing residents who have postsecondary aspirations but need support to realize their dreams, and current college students, whose housing insecurity threatens to derail their educational progress," said Bethany Miller, program officer with the Kresge Education Program.
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.
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative
The Housing Is Initiative, led by the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities, helps build a future where sectors work together to improve life outcomes. Housing stability is a critical first step to improve life outcomes for low-income children, families, and seniors; CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative is based on the premise that sectors can better meet needs when they work together. Housing Is establishes, broadens, and deepens efforts to align affordable housing, education, and health systems to produce positive, long-term results. Learn more at housingis.org and on Twitter @housing_is.
About The Kresge Foundation
The Kresge Foundation was founded in 1924 to promote human progress. Today, Kresge fulfills that mission by building and strengthening pathways to opportunity for low-income people in America’s cities, seeking to dismantle structural and systemic barriers to equality and justice. Using a full array of grant, loan, and other investment tools, Kresge invests more than $160 million annually to foster economic and social change. For more information visit kresge.org.
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For Immediate Release: July 2, 2019
CLPHA, Housing Experts Discuss Potential Dangers of HUD’s Proposed Housing Assistance Family Rule
A recording of the call is available HERE.
Washington, DC - Earlier today, immigration and housing experts gathered to address concerns regarding a recently proposed rule by the Trump administration that cruelly targets immigrant families to prevent them from receiving federal housing assistance. Experts discussed how the rule, which would affect about 25,000 households, would cruelly impact families of mixed-status.
The rule, the experts noted, would force families apart as they struggled to keep their current housing threatening many with homelessness, including the 55,000 children who are either U.S. citizens or otherwise eligible for housing benefits and who would be separated from their families
Below are quotes from today’s speakers.
Doug Guthrie, President and CEO, Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles, said, “If this proposed rule change were to go through it would be devastating for Los Angeles families with mixed immigration status. It would impact as many as 11,600 individuals in assisted housing the majority of whom are young children who are American citizens and it would cost the housing authority millions of dollars. This would likely result in thousands of people becoming homeless at a time when homelessness is already a crisis in Los Angeles.”
Sunia Zaterman, Executive Director, Council of Large Public Housing Authorities, noted, “HUD’s proposal would force mixed status families to decide between a roof for some, or homelessness for all. This is antithetical to the mission of public housing, which is to provide safe, affordable housing to very low-income families. Instead, this proposal would exacerbate crisis levels of homelessness, divert scarce resources from already underfunded public housing authorities, and instill fear and distrust while doing nothing to make our communities safer or better off.”
Diane Yentel, President and CEO, National Low Income Housing Coalition, added, “The cruelty of Secretary Carson’s proposal is breathtaking, and the harm it would inflict on children, families and communities is severe,” said National Low Income Housing Coalition President and CEO Diane Yentel. “Tens of thousands of deeply poor kids, mostly US citizens, could be evicted and made homeless by this proposal, and – by HUD’s own admission – there would be zero benefit to families on waiting lists. This proposal is another in a long line of attempts by the administration to instill fear in immigrants throughout the country. We will not stand for it.”
Arianna Cook-Thajudeen, Bank of America Legal Fellow, National Housing Law Project, said, “The National Housing Law Project opposes this proposed rule because it would have a detrimental impact on the housing stability of millions of families. The federal housing programs in particular serve as a lifeline for many families who are one step away from homelessness. What the Administration is doing is through this proposal is ruthless and reckless. We urge everyone to submit comments to HUD to oppose this rule by July 9th.”
Tory Gunsolley, President and CEO, Houston Housing Authority, remarked, “The current system works. Undocumented occupants are not receiving federal subsidies. The proposed regulations, on the other hand, would cause a needless increase in homelessness and cost the federal government more money. The proposed regulation would force HHA to be an extension of immigration enforcement, a role that does align with our mission to provide safe, affordable housing. It simply doesn't make sense to implement.”
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The Immigration Hub is a national organization dedicated to advancing fair and just immigration policies through strategic leadership, innovative communications strategies, legislative advocacy and collaborative partnerships.
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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(Washington, D.C.) October 28, 2021 -- Council of Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA) Executive Director Sunia Zaterman released the following statement applauding President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better announcement this morning: “The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities applauds President Biden’s announcement of a $1.85 trillion reconciliation framework with $150 billion targeted to affordable housing, the single largest investment in public housing ever. “For decades, millions of public housing residents have suffered from chronic disinvestment in their neighborhoods, exacerbating health, safety, climate risks, and racial inequities. The Build Back Better Act is historic and transformational in its comprehensive long-term approach by making public housing safe and sustainable for generations to come and significantly expanding rental and homeownership assistance. Stable, affordable housing is foundational to the health and economic well-being of all Americans and to our nation as a whole. This unprecedented and long overdue investment in the preservation and expansion of affordable housing, coupled with the Build Back Better Act’s other investments such as universal prekindergarten, the child tax credit, and climate change remediation, will have an historic impact on reducing poverty and improving the climate. “The Biden administration is delivering on a promise that has been decades in the making. CLPHA strongly supports the Building Back Better Act as a history-making investment in public housing and expanding housing opportunities.”
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(202) 550-1381
For Immediate Release
October 28, 2021 |
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About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative |
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(Washington, D.C.) October 1, 2021 -- Council of Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA) Executive Director Sunia Zaterman released the following statement urging Congress not to cut proposed funding for public housing and rental assistance in the Build Back Better reconciliation bill:
“The transformational Build Back Better Act, proposed by President Biden and currently moving through Congress, will significantly expand the nation’s social safety net by providing safe, quality, and affordable housing to millions of low-income and marginalized families. The $90 billion in expanded rental assistance, $80 billion to preserve public housing, and $37 billion investment in the national Housing Trust Fund that passed the House Financial Services Committee in mid-September represents a significant step forward in federal funding for public and affordable housing. These funding levels are appropriate and justified as they finally make up for generations of chronic neglect and underfunding. For this reason, as negotiations about the size of the reconciliation bill move forward, CLPHA urges Congress to retain the funding levels for expanding rental assistance, preserving public housing, and investing in the nation’s Housing Trust Fund.
“Public and affordable housing has suffered under persistent disinvestment for decades. This has left public housing authorities unable to complete capital improvements, which has helped contribute to the loss of 400,000 affordable homes since 1990. Currently only 1 out of every 4 families who are eligible to receive a Housing Choice Voucher are able to access the program because of a lack of funding. This inadequacy of federal resources not only perpetuates the cycle of poverty, but also costs the American economy about $2 trillion every year in lower wages and productivity because of a shortage of affordable housing in major metropolitan areas.
“CLPHA thanks Speaker Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Schumer, House Financial Services Chairwoman Maxine Waters, and Senate Housing, Banking, and Urban Chair Sherrod Brown for championing housing throughout their careers and during the negotiations over the Build Back Better reconciliation process. Now Congress must commit to fully funding public and affordable housing at the levels in the House Financial Services Committee bill.”
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(202) 550-1381
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About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative |
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(Washington, D.C.) September 14, 2021 -- Council of Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA) Executive Director Sunia Zaterman released the following statement supporting President Biden’s nomination of Arthur Jemison to be Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD): “The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA) congratulates Arthur Jemison on his nomination to be Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing at the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Mr. Jemison brings deep experience to the assistant secretary position in community development and public housing, including experience with the Boston Housing Authority, a CLPHA member.
We look forward to working with Mr. Jemison to ensure that the vision of President Biden and Secretary Fudge for improving public housing through recapitalizing the public housing portfolio, expanding the Housing Choice Voucher program, addressing systemic racism, and empowering cross-sector partnerships to improve the outcomes for low-income families becomes a reality. CLPHA will strongly support Mr. Jemison throughout the confirmation process.”
Media Contact: David Greer, CLPHA; dgreer@clpha.org, (202) 550-1381 |
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About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
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In Affordable Housing Finance's article "Turning Point for Public Housing," CLPHA' Executive Director Sunia Zaterman says of the massive capital needs backlog facing public housing authorities that “[t]he handwriting has been on the wall. The funding levels were not sustainable."
Zaterman adds, "We have lost about 10,000 units a year from underfunding," but that "[t]he number of public housing units lost may have slowed to about 8,000 a year, thanks to RAD, in the last couple of years.”
With RAD, says Zaterman, “[w]e have achieved proof of concept,... We could have the portfolio totally recapitalized in 10 years.”
Read Affordable Housing Finance's article here.
Vancouver, WA newspaper The Columbian quoted CLPHA Executive Director Sunia Zaterman about the disastrous effect President Trump's budget proposal would have on pubic and affordable housing in their article "Trump’s budget would cut social safety nets:"
"The administration wants us to think beyond investing in bricks and mortar, and instead think about investing in people. This budget does neither of those things. The disinvestment in housing and supportive services is a disinvestment in our nation’s most vulnerable populations, including the 2.2 million low- and very low-income families, children, elderly and persons with disabilities who are served by public housing. Congress has previously rejected draconian budgets that shred our safety net, and we call on them to do so again."
Vancouver Housing Authority (VHA) Executive Director Roy Johnson, who contributed comment for the story, explained how Trump's proposed budget would negatively impact the individuals and families served by VHA. Johnson told the paper that losing public housing funding would result in 114 planned units losing subsidy, including Caples Terrace, an under-construction project in Vancouver for homeless youth and youth aging out of foster care slated to open in July, and two other public housing projects the housing authority hopes to start at the end of 2019.
Read Zaterman's full statement on Trump's proposed 2020 budget
Scotsman Guide, a resource for mortgage originators, quoted CLPHA Executive Director Sunia Zaterman about how President Donald Trump's proposed FY 2020 budget will affect affordable housing in their article "2020 budget: How does it affect the mortgage industry?":
“The administration wants us to think beyond investing in bricks and mortar, and instead think about investing in people. This budget does neither of those things,” said Sunia Zaterman..."The disinvestment in housing and supportive services is a disinvestment in our nation’s most vulnerable populations, including the 2.2 million low- and very low-income families, children, elderly and persons with disabilities who are served by public housing."
Read Zaterman's full statement on Trump's proposed 2020 budget
In yesterday's article "Trust in Public Housing at Stake Over Looming Government Shutdown," YES! Magazine quoted CLPHA Executive Director Sunia Zaterman and CLPHA members Kurt Wiest, Bremerton Housing Authority Executive Director, and Mark Gillett, Oklahoma City Housing Authority Executive Director, on how another government shutdown could continue to sow mistrust in public housing authorities (PHAs) and HUD.
Zaterman, who noted that landlords could shy away from participating in voucher programs if there is concern that PHAs will not pay them, asked, “Just the prospect of payments not being made will have a very disruptive impact—will the federal government contract be honored?”
Wiest stressed the importance of PHAs maintaining a good rapport with landlords. “We work really, really hard to have good relationships with local landlords. And if there’s the slightest hint that they won’t get their subsidy payments as promised, it erodes trust,” said Wiest. “And this program operates on trust.”
Gillett added that if PHAs cannot pay their landlords, there could be dire consequences for tenants. “There is a provision in the law saying if a housing assistance payment isn’t paid, it shouldn’t be grounds for eviction,” Gillett said. “But it’s never been tested.”
On January 31, HUD, the City of New York, and the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) announced an agreement to address longstanding issues at the housing authority’s properties. The agreement establishes specific requirements and milestones for property improvements and establishes a federal monitor who will be selected by HUD and the Southern District of New York, with input from the city.
On Tuesday, New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio appointed Kathryn Garcia, the city’s sanitation commissioner, to succeed Stanley Brezenoff as interim chair until a permanent head of the authority is selected.
Brezenoff, who also serves on CLPHA’s Board of Directors, called the job as NYCHA’s interim chair and CEO, “one of the toughest and most rewarding jobs in America.” In Tuesday’s press release announcing his successor, Brezenoff said, “I will leave this interim role knowing that we are putting NYCHA in very capable hands. I am confident that Commissioner Garcia is the right person to continue our efforts to improve the quality of lives for residents, and preserve public housing for generations to come.”
From the District of Columbia Housing Authority's website:
The DC Housing Authority (DCHA)’s Office of Public Safety (OPS) joined classrooms at several District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) during Read Across America Week, March 2nd through March 7th. This year’s theme celebrates a nation of diverse readers with story, sound, and song.
On Monday, DCHA Police Chief Michael Reese read to children at Cleveland Bilingual School during the students’ library time. His reading tour continued on Friday, when he attended Peabody Elementary School, where the students got t for a “Wiggle Dance.” He was joined by Security Officer Nijae Williams and Police Officer Angela Robinson.
Detective Jose Campos and Major Lewis Douglas also joined the nationwide reading event with visits to DCPS classrooms. Detective Campos read a Spanish book to first graders.
Celebrated and recognized in the first week of March, Read Across America is a year-long program that encourages reading and a lifelong love of books through elevating stories that feature the diverse cultural experiences of children so they can see themselves in the stories being told.
This national program was created by the National Education Association (NEA) in 1998 and is a call to communities to read to children and promote literacy.
From the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority's website:
In 2023, MPHA started a partnership with Twin Cities R!SE (TCR) to connect MPHA families with career development resources to help residents gain meaningful employment and/or advance in their career, building on MPHA’s successful family housing program. Through this partnership, residents, like Latendra Prince and Audrey Reed, are gaining new skills and reaching their career goals.
MPHA and TCR have made it easy for residents to learn about and sign up for the program. After a family has lived with MPHA for a month, agency staff connect with them to provide information about the new, voluntary TCR programming. When residents express interest, MPHA staff connect them with TCR to get enrolled in their career training program. The TCR program consists of an initial 8-week training course covering both career skills training and personal empowerment, ongoing one-to-one support on applications and interviewing while searching for a job, followed by lifelong access to resources and support through their Career Club.
From the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority's website:
In 2023, MPHA started a partnership with Twin Cities R!SE (TCR) to connect MPHA families with career development resources to help residents gain meaningful employment and/or advance in their career, building on MPHA’s successful family housing program. Through this partnership, residents, like Latendra Prince and Audrey Reed, are gaining new skills and reaching their career goals.
MPHA and TCR have made it easy for residents to learn about and sign up for the program. After a family has lived with MPHA for a month, agency staff connect with them to provide information about the new, voluntary TCR programming. When residents express interest, MPHA staff connect them with TCR to get enrolled in their career training program. The TCR program consists of an initial 8-week training course covering both career skills training and personal empowerment, ongoing one-to-one support on applications and interviewing while searching for a job, followed by lifelong access to resources and support through their Career Club.
From the Housing Authority of Kansas City, MO's press release:
The Housing Authority of Kansas City, Missouri announced that it named Ms. Nona Eath as its new Executive Director effective March 17, 2025.
Ms. Eath was selected after an extensive national search. Ms. Eath is currently the Senior Vice-President for Property Management Operations for the District of Columbia Housing Authority in Washington, DC. Ms. Eath has over 14 years of executive management experience having work at five other housing authorities including DCHA. Ms. Eath earned a Master of Business Administration in Management degree from Amberton University in Garland, TX and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Strategic Management degree from University of North Texas in Denton, TX.
“I am excited to be selected as the new Executive Director for the Housing Authority of Kansas City, MO (HAKC). My excitement stems from a commitment and the opportunity to serve the families of HAKC. In addition, I believe in a willingness to develop and maintain strong partnerships with the Board of Commissioners, City of Kansas City, MO, community partners and other stakeholders. I am anxious to lead a strong team of professionals with a dedication to serve the Families of HAKC.” Ms. Eath said.
Ms. Eath will succeed Mr. Edwin Lowndes who is retiring after over 29 years at the Housing Authority of Kansas City, Missouri including the last 24 years as the Authority’s Executive Director.
Deth Im, Chairperson of the Board of Commissioners for the Housing Authority said that Ms. Eath was selected because “she has the experience and credentials needed to lead the Authority at a time when affordable housing is such a critical part of our community. Her knowledge of affordable housing is critical to the Authority in providing affordable housing to very low-income families in Kansas City.
Mayor Quinton Lucas said "I am pleased to welcome Ms. Eath to Kansas City and our community and appreciate her commitment to supporting our ambitious goal of creating 10,000 new affordable homes for Kansas Citians by 2027. Kansas City continues to be a place where all can live, thrive, and build a family. We will continue to hold the Housing Authority to high standards in ensuring all who need access to housing vouchers can utilize this tool to ensure they have a safe, affordable place to call home."
The Housing Authority provides public housing to over 1,700 families and provides housing assistance to over 7,500 families through the Housing Choice Voucher Program. Funding for both the public housing program and the Voucher program are provided by the Federal government through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
From News on 6 Oklahoma City:
"Plans to decrease homelessness with new housing are underway as the Oklahoma City Housing Authority (OCHA) works to close the affordable housing gap many people face.
OCHA recently received more than 10 million dollars from The Metropolitan Area Projects (MAPS 4). This money is just one part of five allocations over an eight to 10-year period going toward different housing projects throughout Oklahoma City.
One of many projects in the works is the revamp of an empty motel on East Reno Avenue and Martin Luther King Avenue.
The plan is to revamp it into affordable housing.
“One of the things that we really believe in is that it's not just one part of the city or one neighborhood that needs to be at the forefront of affordable housing development or trying to end homelessness, that really all neighborhoods should be a part of the solution,” said Gregory Shinn, Assistant Executive Director of Development and Revitalization for OCHA."
Read News on 6's article "Oklahoma City Housing Authority taking the lead on the fight against homelessness."