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Public Housing Authorities, Community Colleges, College Access Partners Collaborate to Eliminate Barriers to Postsecondary Success
New Report and Recommendations from the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities Highlight Innovative Cross-Sector Collaborations to Improve Postsecondary Achievement for Public Housing Residents and Housing-Insecure Students
Featuring Partnerships in Chicago, Columbus, Los Angeles, Louisville, Tacoma
WASHINGTON (May 16, 2019) – A new report released today from the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA), with support from The Kresge Foundation, showcases the work of five pioneering public housing authorities (PHAs) that are successfully collaborating with postsecondary institutions and local nonprofit organizations to increase college access, retention, and graduation rates for current public housing residents and college students who are experiencing homelessness. “Eliminating Barriers to Postsecondary Success: Cross-Sector Collaborations to Improve Postsecondary Achievement for Students Served by Public Housing Authorities,” identifies key elements of effective cross-sector collaborations and offers a series of recommendations to policy makers, PHAs, and philanthropic foundations seeking to scale, replicate, and invest in partnerships between housing and education organizations.
“The trailblazing public housing authorities featured in our new report, along with their postsecondary partners, are redefining the traditional role of public housing in their communities to reach beyond four walls and a roof,” said CLPHA Executive Director Sunia Zaterman. “With combined expertise from the housing and education sectors, two profoundly siloed systems, the partners are breaking new ground to implement targeted interventions that would not be possible without cross-sector collaboration. By documenting the successes, challenges, and future plans of the five partnerships, “Eliminating Barriers to Postsecondary Success” is an instruction guide to practitioners, policy makers, and philanthropy seeking new cross-sector solutions to serve low-income families.”
The report elevates 11 findings from a November 2018 convening in Washington, D.C., where partners from the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA), City Colleges of Chicago, and One Million Degrees, and the Tacoma Housing Authority (THA) and Tacoma Community College discussed their work to provide financial support and housing opportunities for residents and housing insecure college students; the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) and partner Southern California College Access Network (SoCal CAN) detailed their program to facilitate the college application and enrollment process among young residents, and the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) and partner Columbus State Community College, and the Louisville Metropolitan Housing Authority (LMHA) with partner Family Scholar House explained their dual generation approaches to ensuring young parents can graduate with a degree.
“Housing insecurity and homelessness can create tragic off-campus barriers to student persistence and success,” said Bethany Miller, program officer with the Kresge Foundation’s Education Program. “But solutions-driven partnerships, including those highlighted in CLPHA’s recent analysis, between postsecondary institutions, government agencies and departments, nonprofit social service providers and public housing authorities can tear down those barriers, ease the anxiety of housing insecurity and help more students persist and succeed in college. We support this work because increased educational attainment among students with limited means is the key to breaking intergenerational cycles of poverty and increasing socioeconomic mobility.”
To announce the release of “Eliminating Barriers to Postsecondary Success: Cross-Sector Collaborations to Improve Postsecondary Achievement for Students Served by Public Housing Authorities,” CLPHA will host a press conference TODAY, May 16, 2019 at 2:30 PM ET during CLPHA's annual Housing Is Summit in Washington, D.C., a two-day meeting devoted to developing and sustaining cross-sector partnerships. The brief press conference will be followed immediately by an on-the-record panel discussion featuring executives engaging in postsecondary partnerships. See below for more details about the press conference and panel, which will both be webcast live at http://bit.ly/2URfFlK.
“Eliminating Barriers to Postsecondary Success” also includes an overview of the federal policies that support and limit postsecondary achievement for students served by PHAs, and profiles of the five partnerships.
Chicago Housing Authority, City Colleges of Chicago, One Million Degrees
“The Chicago Housing Authority is proud to support thousands of residents through CHA scholarships and the Partners in Education program with City Colleges of Chicago,” said Cassie Brooks, assistant director of education for CHA. “In pairing grant aid with individual counseling and holistic student supports from One Million Degrees, we continue toward the goals of increased academic achievement and, ultimately, self-sufficiency. We thank the Kresge Foundation and CLPHA for collaborating with public housing agencies, highlighting resident successes and bringing resident post-secondary programs to the forefront.”
Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles, Southern California College Access Network
“The increasing complex college-going process requires students and families today to be well versed in the academic requirements, financial options, and application procedures,” said Alison De Lucca, executive director of the Southern California College Access Network. “The Southern California College Access Network is deeply grateful for the partnership we’ve forged with the Housing Authority for the City of Los Angeles to provide one-on-one college advising at the housing sites. For our students, the pathway starts with a conversation, followed by consistent guidance from a skilled college access counselor. As students are admitted to college with solid financial aid packages and the support they need to succeed, a strong message is being sent to all residents that college and career aspirations are within reach. This cross-sector collaboration demonstrates the readiness and need for continued college access support in place-based settings.”
Louisville Metro Housing Authority, Family Scholar House
"The long-standing partnership Louisville Metro Housing Authority has with Family Scholar House has helped hundreds of parents provide a better life and future for their children,” said LMHA Executive Director Lisa Osanka. “More importantly, this partnership is helping to break the generational cycle of poverty and ensuring that more Louisvillians are able to participate in the economic opportunities that exists throughout our community."
“The partnership between Family Scholar House and Louisville Metro Housing Authority has helped make real the dreams of families who have been in need of the stability that is rooted in safe, affordable housing. For our single parents, pursuing dreams of college graduation and new careers begins with a place for them and their children to call home,” said Cathe Dykstra, president and chief executive officer of Family Scholar House. Stronger and more stable families mean stronger and more stable communities.”
Tacoma Housing Authority, Tacoma Community College
“THA’s partnerships with Tacoma Community College and the University of Washington-Tacoma to house homeless or near homeless students is an excellent investment,” said Michael Mirra, executive director of the Tacoma Housing Authority. These students are determined, but without housing their prospects are poor. The degree they seek is a key to their adult prosperity. And since most of them are parents, this is also an investment in the lives and prospects of their children. That makes these partnerships a very good use of scarce housing dollars.”
What: Press Conference and Panel Discussion Announcing CLPHA’s New Report
“Eliminating Barriers to Postsecondary Success: Cross-Sector Collaborations to Improve Postsecondary Achievement for Students Served by Public Housing Authorities”
When: TODAY, May 16, 2019, 2:30 PM ET
Who: CLPHA, The Kresge Foundation, Postsecondary Partners
Press Conference Speakers
Sunia Zaterman, Executive Director, Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
Bethany Miller, Education Program Officer, The Kresge Foundation
Michael Mirra, Executive Director, Tacoma Housing Authority
Alison De Lucca, Executive Director, Southern California College Access Network
Additional Panelists
Jennifer Thomas Arthurs, Director of Strategic Initiatives, Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles
Cassie Brooks, Assistant Director of Education, Chicago Housing Authority
Erica Walker, Director of Student Development Projects, City Colleges of Chicago
Where: CLPHA's Housing Is Summit
1616 Rhode Island Ave, NW
2nd Floor, Room B
Washington, DC 20009
Webcast Link: http://bit.ly/2URfFlK
RSVP: Jenny Werwa, jwerwa@clpha.org
MEDIA CONTACTS:
CLPHA: Jenny Werwa, jwerwa@clpha.org, 202-638-1300x120 / 301-641-5557
Kresge: Kelly Leon, ksleon@kresge.org, 248-643-9630
CHA: Molly Sullivan, MSullivan@thecha.org, 312-786-3344
Family Scholar House: Cathe Dykstra, dykstra@familyscholarhouse.org
LMHA: Christi Lanier-Robinson, clrobinson@lmha1.org, 502-609-9141
SoCal CAN: Alison De Lucca, alison@socalcollegeaccess.org, 818-742-5583
THA: Brandon Wirth, bwirth@tacomahousing.org, 253-448-2790
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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Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Renowned Physician Dr. Camara Jones to Present Keynote Remarks
WASHINGTON (May 9, 2019) – Collaborators from the housing, health, and education sectors will convene in Washington, D.C., May 16 and 17 for the fifth national Housing Is Summit hosted by the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA). The event, featuring plenary sessions devoted to ending intergenerational poverty and keynote remarks from Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) and renowned physician Dr. Camara Jones, will bring together 300 policymakers, practitioners, advocates, and researchers who are committed to developing cross-sector partnerships that improve life outcomes for residents of public and affordable housing.
“Housing is essential, but not sufficient to help low-income families thrive and break the cycle of intergenerational poverty,” said CLPHA Executive Director Sunia Zaterman. “CLPHA, through our Housing Is Initiative, fosters connections between housing providers and health care systems, schools, and community organizations to develop targeted interventions that support families served by public housing authorities. The Housing Is Summit celebrates these partnerships, encourages peer-learning, and highlights the complementary roles local innovation and national advocacy play in developing cross-sector solutions to our greatest collective challenges.”
The Summit opens on May 16 with keynote remarks from Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), a long-time activist and champion of ending childhood poverty. Rep. Lee recently worked to secure funding for the congressionally-commissioned landmark study, A Roadmap to Reducing Child Poverty, which was published in February by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
During a plenary session following Rep. Lee’s remarks, Christine James Brown, chief executive officer of the Child Welfare League of America and a member of the board of the National Academies will present A Roadmap to Reducing Child Poverty and the authors’ two packages of policy proposals that would reduce child poverty by 50 percent over the next decade.
Joining James Brown for the plenary, the lead author of the groundbreaking article, A Universal Child Allowance: A Plan to Reduce Poverty and Income Instability Among Children in the United States, Dr. Luke Shafer, associate professor for social work and public policy and director of poverty solutions at the University of Michigan, will discuss the significant impact that a universal child allowance of $250 per month could have on the overall health and well-being of children of all incomes, but especially those living in extreme, $2 per day, poverty.
A second plenary session on Thursday will feature David Williams, policy director of Opportunity Insights, the research group led by Dr. Raj Chetty, who will explore how housing mobility research can guide policy and practice.
The first day of the Summit will also include a press conference at 2:30 PM ET announcing the release of CLPHA’s upcoming report, Eliminating Barriers to Postsecondary Success, which profiles the work of five public housing authorities who are collaborating with college access partners and community colleges to increase postsecondary educational achievement for low-income residents and college students experiencing homelessness. Bethany Miller, education program officer with The Kresge Foundation, will moderate a discussion following the press conference with panelists from public housing authorities and postsecondary partners who are participating in this work.
Additional breakout sessions include presentations from national partners and public housing project leads involved in an innovative multi-state, multi-sector collaboration between public housing authorities and UnitedHealthcare (UHC) Medicaid managed care plans. They will discuss their project, Improving Health by Aligning Housing and Health Systems, which is supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and uses data and analytics to develop place-based health interventions.
Day two of the conference opens with a keynote presentation from Dr. Camara Jones, a senior fellow at Morehouse School of Medicine and recent past president of the American Public Health Association, who will address the systemic, structural racism and other inequities that underlay health disparities and how the social safety net can be strengthened with this understanding.
Attendees will next participate in their choice of peer-to-peer working roundtable discussions on topics such as data sharing with anchor institutions, educating homeless youth, and using technology to address resident health needs.
Afternoon breakout sessions will feature Dr. Craig Pollack, associate professor of health policy and management at the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in a panel discussion with researchers who are evaluating the impact of cross-sector interventions to improve health outcomes; a discussion among representatives from public housing authorities and the U.S. Departments of Housing and Urban Development and Health and Human Services who are working to support long-term housing stability for people who are particularly vulnerable to homelessness; and a case study of the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh’s early childhood education collaboration with Duquesne University and ABK Learning and Development Center to improve life outcomes for residents.
The conference will conclude with a closing plenary session devoted to the role of philanthropy in forging innovative cross-sector collaboration to create long-term change. Representatives from The Gates Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, and Melville Charitable Trust will discuss current projects and impact-investing strategies aimed at expanding opportunity and improving long-term life outcomes for lower-income individuals and communities.
The complete Housing Is Summit agenda is available on CLPHA.org.
Many of the conference sessions will be webcast live at the following links:
May 16: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM ET, LIVE WEBCAST
May 17: 9:00 AM – 3:30 PM ET, LIVE WEBCAST
Registration for the Housing Is Summit is currently closed. Members of the media who would like to attend the Summit should contact Jenny Werwa at jwerwa@clpha.org.
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 insect the housing field and other areas of critical importance such as health and education.
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DHA CEO Anthony Scott Testifies Before House Appropriations Subcommittee on Behalf of the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities: Aggressive Action is Needed to Undertake Affordable Housing Production and Preservation
WASHINGTON (March 7, 2019) – This morning, Durham Housing Authority CEO Anthony Scott testified on behalf of the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies during its hearing, “Stakeholder Perspectives: Affordable Housing Production.” Scott emphasized the critical need for reinvestment in the nation’s Public Housing and Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher programs, which are the foundation of the affordable housing market.
“As a nation, we are now at a critical stage for needing aggressive action to undertake affordable housing production and preservation,” testified Scott.
In addition to calling for increased appropriations to the public housing capital and operating funds, Scott urged Congress to combat the affordable housing shortage by providing housing authorities greater flexibility to preserve and transform public housing through the Rental Assistance Demonstration Program, the Moving to Work program, and with selected and targeted flexibilities through a defined statutory process.
“Fundamentally, the RAD program allows DHA to create mixed-use and mixed-income communities that allow a more diverse socio-economic living environment,” testified Scott. “Our barriers are a RAD program that doesn’t allow enough flexibility to fully leverage development opportunities with private sector development… The private market moves at a faster pace and waiting on a RAD approval to transfer units could result in a missed opportunity.”
Scott also recommended Congress eliminate the Faircloth Amendment, which prohibits the development of new public housing units; invest in broad place-based solutions such as the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative to address neighborhood and community development needs; encourage greater interdepartmental collaboration to facilitate cross-sector partnerships with housing; and distinguish public and affordable housing as an integral part of the national infrastructure.
“We thank Chairman Price for inviting CLPHA and Mr. Scott to participate in today’s hearing, and for recognizing that public housing authorities are essential to local housing markets as the owners and operators of most of the assisted housing that serves extremely low-income households while generating wide reaching economic impacts,” said CLPHA Executive Director Sunia Zaterman. “We look forward to working with the committee to increase support for public and affordable housing programs that provide decent housing to the nation’s most vulnerable citizens, connect low-income workers to economic opportunities, and spur regional job creation and economic growth.”
Along with Scott, representatives from the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency and National Housing Trust were invited to participate in the Appropriations Subcommittee hearing.
The testimony is posted to the Committee website and the live-stream recording of the hearing can be viewed on the Committee's YouTube channel.
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 insect the housing field and other areas of critical importance such as health and education.
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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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CLPHA Working with Biden Administration to Speed ERA Fund Distribution (Washington, D.C.) August 27, 2021 -- Statement from CLPHA Executive Director Sunia Zaterman on the Supreme Court's blocking of the CDC's eviction moratorium:
“As mission driven organizations public housing authorities believe that keeping residents housed is the most effective policy for the families, communities, and public health safety. Housing authorities continue to take a multitude of steps to keep their residents housed, including connecting residents with legal and relief resources, streamlining the income recertification process, operating rent relief programs, creating partnerships with community service organizations, and so much more. “The most effective lifeline available to tenants and landlords are the significant funds in the Emergency Rental Assistance Program that Congress passed in two tranches late last year and in the first quarter of 2021. CLPHA is working closely with the Biden administration by providing recommendations that will expedite emergency rental assistance as swiftly as possible.” |
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About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
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(Washington, D.C.) August 4, 2021: Statement from CLPHA Executive Director Sunia Zaterman on the extension of the CDC’s eviction moratorium:
“The Center for Disease Control’s order to extend the eviction moratorium in areas where COVID infections are rapidly rising is a welcome development that will keep millions housed while also decreasing the spread of the infectious Delta variant. CLPHA applauds the efforts of Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) for sounding the alarms as the current moratorium extension wound down and Congresswoman Cori Bush (D-MO), whose personal experience with being evicted grounded her sleep-in protest on the Capitol steps in an authentic voice that resonated with Congressional leaders, the White House, and everyday Americans.
“Throughout the pandemic, mission-driven housing authorities have been committed to preventing as many evictions as possible and only considering them as a last resort. CLPHA has advocated for emergency rental assistance during the pandemic as the most effective way to keep low-income families in their homes by providing assistance to tenants and property owners. The $46 billion that Congress allocated for emergency rental assistance as part of two COVID relief packages was one of the first relief programs to adequately meet the need caused by the pandemic. While the distribution of the relief funds has been uneven, CLPHA will take every opportunity during the 60-day extension to work with Congress and the administration to expedite the distribution of emergency rental assistance of behalf of tenants and landlords so that there no need for another moratorium.”
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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.”
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette quoted CLPHA Executive Director Sunia Zaterman in an article about the government shutdown's impacts on Section 8 Voucher holders if the shutdown continues beyond March 1.
Zaterman said, “Without a guarantee from HUD that funding will be available in March, many [public housing authorities] will need to notify landlords and residents next month that delayed payments are a possibility. Anxious residents and landlords fearful of missed payments, combined with other cascading impacts due to lack of staffing at HUD, including program grants not being renewed and affordable housing development deals not being approved, amount to an unmitigated disaster for millions of low-income families.”
Today, Gray News Bureau published a comprehensive article "SNAP, WIC, Section 8: Separating fact from fiction in the government shutdown" featuring a quote about the shutdown’s effects on HUD programs from CLPHA Executive Sunia Zaterman. Gray News pulled the quote from CLPHA’s January 16 joint press release with the Campaign for Housing & Community Development Funding (CHCDF), of which CLPHA is a member of the Steering Committee.
On the shutdown's effect on housing authorities' future rental assistance payments, Zaterman said, "Without a guarantee from HUD that funding will be available in March, many Public Housing Authorities will need to notify landlords and residents next month that delayed payments are a possibility. Anxious residents and landlords fearful of missed payments, combined with other cascading impacts due to lack of staffing at HUD, including program grants not being renewed and affordable housing development deals not being approved, amount to an unmitigated disaster for millions of low-income families.”
You can read the article via Gray News Bureau TV affiliates:
CLPHA Executive Director Sunia Zaterman spoke to the Pew Charitable Trust's Stateline blog about the looming crisis facing public housing authorities (PHAs) if the shutdown continues. In today's article "Cities Scramble as Shutdown Leaves Families in Federal Housing Vulnerable," Zaterman warned that if the shutdown is still in effect by the end of February, many PHAs will not have enough funds to continue rental assistance payments for March and beyond.
“It’s definitely an all-hands-on-deck, high-urgency red alert for agencies that don’t have sufficient reserves for a sufficient amount of time,” Zaterman said. “And most don’t.”
From KEYT News:
The Housing Authority of the City of San Buenaventura has started construction on the Valentine Road Apartments in Ventura.
“Homelessness is one of the most vexing issues in California, particularly in Ventura we are no different than other cities and we we play a role and trying to solve homelessness in Ventura … one way of doing that is providing safe housing for those that are currently experiencing homelessness," said chief executive officer Jeffrey Lambert of the Housing Authority of the City of San Buenaventura.
The housing authority secured about $32 million through the state’s HOMEKEY program to acquire the former La Quinta Hotel.
Crews are repurposing the hotel to provide more housing for the community.
“We decided to get into the homeless solution business a couple years ago … and we’ve done it in small pieces across our properties. this is the first time we’ve taken an entire property just to solve the homeless crisis Ventura," said Lambert.
Read KEYT News' article "Local housing authority beginning construction of the largest HOMEKEY project in Ventura County."
From WANE 15 News:
Fort Wayne Housing Authority broke ground on a housing development Tuesday that aims to provide supportive housing for at-risk individuals and adults facing chronic homelessness.
The project, named Hillcrest Commons, will demolish the vacant Hillcrest School and provide 24 one-bedroom units that will be subsidized through vouchers from Fort Wayne Housing Authority. Parkview Behavioral Health Institute will also provide “supportive services.”
“There is a real need for supportive housing in our nation, and Hillcrest Commons will provide a solution for families in our community who need critical wraparound services, which will help reduce cases within our city,” said George Guy, CEO and executive director of Fort Wayne Housing Authority.
The housing development will also provide a community space with a kitchen, fitness room, meeting rooms and shared laundry facilities.
Read WANE 15 News' article "Fort Wayne housing development aims to support ‘chronically homeless.’"
Investment Made Possible Through MTW Flexibilities
From the Oakland Housing Authority's press release:
On Thursday, October 3, 2024, city, state, and nonprofit leaders convened at Palo Vista Community Gardens, a public housing community in East Oakland, to announce a series of complementary investments in broadband infrastructure and digital access aimed at bridging the digital divide in Oakland’s most underserved communities. These initiatives, spanning multiple sectors and funding sources, represent a coordinated effort to ensure that every resident, regardless of income or location, can access reliable, high-speed internet and the devices necessary to thrive in today’s digital world.
These investments will expand access to many of the least connected neighborhoods in urban Alameda County—communities that many advocates had feared would be excluded from the State’s once-in-a-generation digital equity investment, and where internet performance is—on average—ten times slower than in higher income, predominantly White communities. Speaking on the dialogue that prioritized Oakland’s highest poverty communities, Assemblymember Bonta shared, “I have to say that we had courageous conversations. They weren’t easy…There was certainly consternation, but at the heart of that was love. Love for the city. Love for the concept of justice and equity and a recognition that connectivity in this day and age is a civil right.”
Oakland Housing Authority Free Internet Initiative
In December of 2023, the Oakland Housing Authority’s Board of Directors unanimously approved $2.5M to fund the first phase of the OHA Free Internet Initiative. OHA Executive Director Patricia Wells announced that service installation is currently underway. This initiative will provide free WiFi to nearly 2,000 residents in OHA’s four largest properties through at least 2027. Director Wells emphasized the importance of this initiative, stating, “The internet is a 21st-century necessity - essential for all aspects of life, including learning, banking, economic opportunity, and health and social services access. With this commitment, OHA deepens its pursuit of an Oakland undivided, where students, families, and residents have access to the internet as a utility.” The goal is to deploy at the remaining sites by Fall 2024.
The City of Oakland’s $15M FFA Last Mile Broadband Infrastructure Grant
Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao formally announced the $15M Oakland Connect grant awarded by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). In July, the CPUC voted unanimously to fund Oakland Connect—the City of Oakland’s $15 million grant proposal to expand access to reliable, high-speed internet in Oakland. Mayor Thao expressed that she is "extremely proud of the team that worked on this and wants to thank the CPUC for selecting our project and providing this opportunity to invest in the most underserved communities in East and West Oakland." The Oakland Connect project will pave the way for the city to expand high-speed internet access to thousands of unserved and underserved families in East and West Oakland while also connecting 14 community anchor institutions and 9 public safety buildings.
The California Department of Technology $20M Middle Mile Investment in Oakland
The California Department of Technology (CDT) is building the largest public broadband network in the United States—8,000 miles of fiber optic cables that connect entire communities to high-speed, reliable internet. The CDT shared that installation is underway on these “internet superhighways” along every eligible state right-of-way in Oakland, including I-580, I-880, and I-980. This state-driven project in Oakland will be a cornerstone of the Statewide network, providing the bandwidth needed to build last-mile networks, including the City of Oakland’s Oakland Connect FFA Last Mile project.
Oakland Public Education Fund’s $1M Student Connectivity Fund for Oakland Unified School District (OUSD)
Supporting student connectivity, OUSD Superintendent Dr. Kyra Johnson-Trammell lauded Oakland Public Education Fund’s announcement of a $1M Student Connectivity Fund that will provide home devices and internet access to students in need in Oakland Unified School District (OUSD). In her remarks, she highlighted OUSD’s dedication to ensuring students have the tools they need to thrive and expressed her gratitude “...the partnership through Oakland Undivided is invaluable to this effort, and now the Oakland Public Education Fund’s $1M Student Connectivity Fund will help us carry on the mission to provide all students in need with a computer and home internet access for the fifth consecutive year.”
These four initiatives represent a bold new era for digital equity in Oakland, where collaborations will bring connectivity and opportunity to underserved residents for generations.
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."