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.
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David Greer
Director of Communications
(202) 550-1381 or dgreer@clpha.org.
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Washington, DC – Members of the Campaign for Housing and Community Development Funding (CHCDF) hosted a national call with over 2,200 registrants yesterday, January 15, about the effects of the partial government shutdown on low-income people and communities and the affordable housing programs that serve them.
Experts from multiple affordable housing organizations shared information on the shutdown’s impact on federal affordable housing and community development programs and emphasized that the longer the shutdown continues, the more negatively it will impact people with the lowest incomes – seniors, people with disabilities, and families with children. Panelists spoke about the shutdown’s effects on public housing, project-based rental assistance, housing vouchers, rural housing, and housing and services for seniors, people with disabilities, the homeless, and those at risk of homelessness.
The panel encouraged listeners to contact their members of Congress and tell them to vote now—before residents in federally assisted housing experience rent hikes and evictions—to reopen the federal government and pass clean fiscal year 2019 spending bills. Listeners were also urged to encourage their members of Congress to sign onto a “dear colleague” letter led by Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) and Representative Marc Veasey (D-TX) to be sent to President Trump on the shutdown’s severe consequences for affordable housing.
“Nearly 700 property owners that have HUD contracts to operate housing affordable to the lowest-income seniors, people with disabilities, and families with children have seen those contracts expire due to the shutdown, and more will expire this month and next,” said NLIHC President and CEO Diane Yentel. “These contract suspensions put the homes of nearly 70,000 low-income renters at risk of serious rent hikes and evictions. HUD has asked owners of these properties to dip into their savings, if they have any, to cover the costs. Some will be able to do so, but not forever, and some have already communicated to their tenants that rent hikes are coming. The longer the shutdown goes on, the more untenable it will become for properties owners to keep scraping by without their federal contracts - and the more the lowest-income renters will suffer.”
“Public housing authorities, which are responsible for housing over 3 million low-income households nationwide, are doing everything they can to keep things running during this period of tremendous uncertainty, but it is unclear how long they can continue with business as usual for residents and landlords,” said Council of Large Public Housing Authorities Executive Director Sunia Zaterman. “Without a guarantee from HUD that funding will be available in March, many PHAs 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.”
“As the budget stalemate continues, the impact on small towns and rural families grows more severe. Everyday Americans are losing out on billions of dollars’ worth of affordable housing, clean drinking water, and community facilities, like town halls, fire stations and hospitals,” said Housing Assistance Council CEO David Lipsetz.
“HUD has made clear already, in December, [it has] not renewed 224 contracts for rental assistance in Section 202 Housing for the Elderly communities, and more are set to expire in January,” said LeadingAge President and CEO Katie Smith Sloan.“LeadingAge’s members, all nonprofits, rely on regular and adequate funding to provide quality affordable housing to some of the nation’s lowest-income older adults. The average older adult in HUD’s Section 202 Housing for the Elderly program has an annual income of $13,300, an income far too little to make ends meet in any private housing market. More than 400,000 older adults rely on the Section 202 program, while another 1.2 million rely on other HUD programs for housing assistance. We urge Congress and the White House to end the shutdown so that . . . these 1.6 million older adults have the stable housing they need to age with dignity.”
“The shutdown’s impacts range far beyond Washington, DC,” said National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials CEO Adrianne Todman. “It’s hurting workers, small businesses, farmers, and housing providers across the country. Housing providers are struggling with contingency plans to make repairs to units and to pay landlords in the voucher program. And guess who will suffer the most? The low-income families and seniors who rely on a functioning federal government. They are at risk now and will be at even greater risk as the shutdown continues. If any of these families are harmed by the shutdown, the blame lays squarely at the feet of the White House and the Congress.”
“Every day that it drags on, the needless government shutdown threatens more low-income seniors, people with disabilities, and seniors who rely on critically important federally assisted affordable housing,” said National Housing Trust Federal Policy Director Ellen Lurie Hoffman. “Private rental housing owners are scrambling to cover operating costs for which the federal government is contractually responsible, with no end in sight.”
Listen to the CHCDF national call on the impacts of the shutdown on affordable housing programs and community development at: https://bit.ly/2DersVM
Read NLIHC’s latest update on the shutdown at: https://bit.ly/2AzHoju
Check out NLIHC’s interactive map and a state-by-state breakdown of how the shutdown is impacting some HUD-assisted housing.
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About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA): 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.
About National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC): Established in 1974 by Cushing N. Dolbeare, the National Low Income Housing Coalition is dedicated solely to achieving socially just public policy that assures people with the lowest incomes in the United States have affordable and decent homes.
About Campaign for Housing and Community Development Funding (CHCDF): An education, strategy and action hub led by NLIHC. The coalition of more than 70 national organizations works to ensure the highest allocation of resources possible to support affordable housing and community development. CHCDF’s members represent a full continuum of national housing and community development organizations, including faith-based, private sector, financial/intermediary, public sector and advocacy groups.
A coalition of more than 70 national organizations tell the Administration & Congress that people with the lowest incomes will be hit hardest if the shutdown continues.
Washington, DC - Members of the Campaign for Housing and Community Development Funding (CHCDF) sent a letter to congressional leaders today calling on them to protect low-income Americans by ending the government shutdown and passing full-year spending bills that provide strong funding for affordable housing and community development programs.
CHCDF, a coalition led by the National Low Income Housing Coalition, expressed strong concern for the shutdown’s immediate and long-term impacts on affordable housing programs and the low-income people they serve. The letter also called out the shutdown’s impact on the housing stability of low-wage government contractors, like janitors, security guards, and cafeteria servers, who often live paycheck-to-paycheck. These individuals working without pay are at risk of being unable to cover their rent payments, putting them at risk of eviction.
The government shutdown is thwarting critical investments in local communities and in affordable and accessible housing for low-income families, threatening to destabilize over four million households that depend on HUD’s rental assistance programs and creating widespread uncertainty for affordable housing investors.
“The longer the shutdown continues, the more the lowest income people will be hard hit,” said NLIHC President and CEO Diane Yentel. “Residents living in HUD-subsidized properties are some of our country’s most vulnerable people - the clear majority are deeply poor seniors, people with disabilities, and families with children. They rely on government assistance to remain housed, and a prolonged government shutdown puts them at increased risk of eviction and potentially homelessness. It’s incredibly reckless to risk the homes of our country’s lowest-income and most vulnerable people as perceived leverage for a border wall.”
“The partial government shutdown is a disaster for the millions of low-income families, seniors, and people with disabilities who depend on HUD assistance for safe, stable housing,” said Council of Large Public Housing Authorities Executive Director Sunia Zaterman. “Funding uncertainty puts more than two million voucher households at risk of losing their homes, and a lack of operating fund payments will force public housing authorities to shut units that cannot be repaired or properly maintained.”
“The bottom line for us is care and concern for the people we serve, and the shutdown hurts them,” said CSH President and CEO Deborah De Santis. “Every hour the deadlock drags on means people who really need housing and services are not going to get them. And the longer critical agencies stay shuttered the more likely it is families, children and other individuals now counting on help to stay housed and healthy will have their lifelines cut off.”
“Each day of the shutdown makes it harder and harder for the nearly 10 million people who live in HUD-assisted housing – low-income families, people with disabilities, veterans, and the elderly – to avoid eviction, keep their heat turned on, and access health care and supportive services,” said Enterprise Community Partners President Laurel Blatchford. “Congress and the Administration must find a way to restore funding for programs critical to the livelihoods of Americans across the country.”
“As the shutdown continues, HUD has made clear it will become unable to renew rental assistance contracts for housing providers,” said LeadingAge President and CEO Katie Smith Sloan. “LeadingAge’s members, all nonprofits, rely on regular and adequate funding to provide quality affordable housing to some of the nation’s lowest-income older adults. The average older adult in HUD’s Section 202 Housing for the Elderly program has an annual income of $13,300, an income far too little to make ends meet in any private housing market. More than 400,000 older adults rely on the Section 202 program, while another 1.2 million rely on other HUD programs for housing assistance. We urge Congress and the White House to end the shutdown so that each of these 1.6 million older adults have the stable housing they need to age with dignity.”
“Local governments rely on consistent contact with HUD in order to ensure reliable funding for services, projects and developments funded with grant programs like the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnerships program,” said National Association for County Community and Economic Development Executive Director Laura DeMaria. “These programs provide vital services and resources to low-income families across the country. As long as HUD remains shut down, local governments, their community partners, and the low-income families they serve will lack the stability and constant flow of funds they need to operate.”
“This shutdown is hurting families across the country whether or not they work for the federal government and prolonging it will make matters worse,” said NAHRO CEO Adrianne Todman. “Capital expenses that require approval from HUD employees are left undone, and housing vouchers are not reaching families in need as housing agencies curtail additional spending. We should be especially concerned about the public- and private-sector landlords in the project-based rental assistance program who are left without funding and/or contract renewals. Those who can are already dipping into their reserves to make repairs and respond to their residents’ needs, but these reserves only go so far. This is unacceptable. End the shutdown.”
“Vulnerable Americans are the casualty of the current political battle. As a partial federal shutdown drags on, essential federal housing programs and tenant protections are in jeopardy,” said National Housing Law Project Executive Director Shamus Roller.
“The needless government shutdown has put the lowest-income residents at risk and left private rental housing owners scrambling to cover operating costs for which the federal government is contractually responsible,” said National Housing Trust Federal Policy Director Ellen Lurie Hoffman. “This threatens seniors, people with disabilities, and families who are struggling to make ends meet, as well as the viability of critically important affordable housing properties.”
Read the complete letter outlining the impact of the shutdown on specific affordable housing programs at: https://bit.ly/2RkB8Xd.
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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.
About National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC): Established in 1974 by Cushing N. Dolbeare, the National Low Income Housing Coalition is dedicated solely to achieving socially just public policy that assures people with the lowest incomes in the United States have affordable and decent homes.
About Campaign for Housing and Community Development Funding (CHCDF): An education, strategy and action hub led by NLIHC. The coalition of more than 70 national organizations works to ensure the highest allocation of resources possible to support affordable housing and community development. CHCDF’s members represent a full continuum of national housing and community development organizations, including faith-based, private sector, financial/intermediary, public sector and advocacy groups.
Announcing the New CLPHA.org
(WASHINGTON) January 7, 2019 - The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA) is pleased to announce the launch of our newly-redesigned website.
The new CLPHA.org showcases our member PHAs and offers industry news and updates with a bright, modern look and dynamic, user-friendly content that is easy to navigate on a desktop computer or a mobile device.
DYNAMIC: A carousel of stories and the latest news on the front page keeps the content fresh. CLPHA.org is a website to bookmark and visit regularly.
INFORMATIONAL: At the new CLPHA.org, you will find articles and information about the latest developments on Capitol Hill and from HUD, facts and updates about programs important to public and affordable housing, and news from CLPHA about our work on behalf of our members.
USER-FRIENDLY: The new CLPHA.org features sections on each of CLPHA's priorities: Public Housing, Housing Choice Vouchers, Moving to Work, RAD, and our cross-sector initiative Housing Is. Plus, dedicated sections for Legislation & Policy, Press, News & Events, and Membership.
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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.
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(Washington, D.C.) June 17, 2021 – The nation's leading advocacy organizations representing public housing authorities have come together to support universal housing vouchers. The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities, the Moving to Work Collaborative, the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials, and the Public Housing Authorities Directors Association have released the joint letter below:
"Safe, secure, and stable housing is as essential to America’s social safety net as are Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare. Housing stability is central to improving life outcomes and economic mobility for low-income Americans. However, only one in five low-income households that are eligible to receive housing assistance can be served by existing programs due to limited funding. The pandemic has reinforced that rental assistance, such as the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program, is critical to ensuring housing stability and managing sudden losses in income. Just as Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are structured to be available to all who are eligible, rental assistance must be too. Expansion of the voucher program offers a proven and effective approach to scale universal housing assistance to address housing instability and prevent homelessness in America.
Housing Choice Vouchers are a proven source of permanent housing stability. They are highly effective at providing long-term financial stability to formerly homeless populations and others experiencing housing instability. A recent HUD study found that offering families a permanent housing voucher resulted in greater housing and family stability compared to short-term interventions. Furthermore, a recent study from Columbia University found that expanding housing vouchers to all eligible households could help reduce poverty by 9.3 million people as well as reduce racial disparities in poverty. Vouchers are also frequently paired with supportive services to offer comprehensive assistance to individuals with complex mental and physical health conditions. Public housing authorities are uniquely positioned to aid low-income families in their challenges to regain employment and support children’s virtual learning because of their partnerships with nonprofit and government service providers that focus on education, health, and employment. Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies recently reported on the critical role that service coordinators in publicly funded housing have played in providing food and supplies, assisting with technology, and combatting resident anxiety and loneliness. Housing Choice Vouchers are a proven and effective rental assistance delivery system to scale universal housing assistance because they can be quickly distributed through the existing network of 2,200 state and local housing agencies that administer vouchers in urban, suburban, and rural areas. Housing authorities are trusted experts and partners in their local rental markets, have been administering the voucher program for nearly 50 years and are accountable to local and federal oversight and operate with significant public input. With the proper funding, housing authorities have the capacity for a rapid expansion. Housing vouchers power local communities. Landlords, many of whom operate as a small business, understand that the voucher program is a guaranteed, reliable income source and provides the benefit of long-term stability. PHAs have been using the additional funding and regulatory relief provided by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to expedite administrative processes most often cited by landlords as reasons for preferring unassisted tenants. With this funding, PHAs have also been able to offer incentives and support to increase landlord participation in the HCV program. We must strive to be a nation that believes that all people deserve the security that comes from having a home. Housing Choice Vouchers are the path to achieving this vision." |
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About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative |
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(202) 550-1381
For Immediate Release
May 11, 2021 |
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(Washington, D.C.) May 11, 2021 – CLPHA Executive Director Sunia Zaterman released the following statement supporting the New York City Housing Authority’s call to double the public housing infrastructure investment proposed in the American Jobs Plan to $80 billion:
“The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities urges the Senate Majority Leader to stand firm on his call to double the public housing infrastructure investment in the American Jobs Plan to $80 billion in his meeting today with President Biden, Speaker Pelosi and GOP leadership.
“The New York City Housing Authority deserves its fair share of Senator Schumer’s request since it serves nearly double the amount of residents than any other housing authority, and its housing portfolio is among the oldest in the nation. Decades of chronic disinvestment has driven its unmet capital repairs alone to $40 billion. The $80 billion request enjoys critical support from Congresswoman Nydia Valezquez (D-NY) and the NYC-area Congressional delegation. This investment would also be a significant step to addressing racial inequity, a key priority of the Biden administration.
“As the American Jobs Plan moves through the legislative process, political leaders must guarantee that housing will remain in the infrastructure bill and that the commitment to recapitalize public housing infrastructure be doubled to $80 billion so that the needs of NYCHA and public housing portfolios across the nation are adequately met.”
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About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative |
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April 28, 2021
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(Washington, D.C.) April 28, 2021 – CLPHA Executive Director Sunia Zaterman released the following statement in response to President's Biden's joint address to Congress tonight to mark his first 100 days in office:
"President Biden’s commitment to investing in our nation’s future through the American Jobs Plan and the American Families Plan, which was released tonight, has the potential to lift the lives of more than 2 million families living in our nation’s public and affordable housing. The American Jobs Plan improves the lives of public housing residents through a $40 billion commitment to retrofit and rebuild public housing properties to 21st century codes and standards.
"The American Families Plan improves the lives of public housing residents by expanding access to quality pre-school, direct support to children and families through child care, and investing of the childcare workforce, of which many public housing residents are employed. Because public housing residents are often employed in low-wage positions that do not offer paid leave they will be among the many beneficiaries of the national comprehensive paid family and medical leave program in the Families Plan.
"Public housing has always been about more than buildings. It is about the hopes and dreams of millions of Americans. The combination of the American Jobs Plan and American Families Plan is a powerful offer to make those dreams a reality."
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About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative |
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The Department of Housing and Urban Development today issued additional information about HUD’s contingency plan so that PHAs administering the HCV program may access their HUD-held Housing Assistance Payment Reserves (HHR) under certain circumstances due the lapse in appropriations.
According to the letter, HAP renewal funds and Administrative Fees are scheduled to be paid on time for February, but HUD recognizes that the funds may not cover the monthly HAP needs as a result of additional leasing or costs.
HUD will allow access to HHR funds in situations where the failure to act “would result in an imminent threat to the safety of human life or the protection of property.”
PHAs may request HAP reserves from HUD under the following circumstances:
- To protect families that are imminent risk of termination of assistance; and/or
- PHAs that were eligible to receive a payment for January 2019 and did not receive it (e.g. first time RAD payments for a project) and need reserves to ensure that the property owner(s) receive(s) a HAP payment to continue assistance and protect the residents at the property.
Read the letter for instructions to request an additional payment covered by the HHR.
For more information on the shutdown’s impact on public and affordable housing, join today’s national conference call at 4:00 pm ET for insights from CLPHA and other housing industry experts. Click here to register.
As the partial government shutdown continues and creates more uncertainty for public housing authorities, CLPHA is collecting information on the impacts and effects of the government shutdown on housing authorities and residents.
We are particularly interested in examples regarding landlord willingness to accept new vouchers from HCV participants, and PHA decisions around issuing new vouchers.
We will be sharing your feedback with our media contacts and coalition partners (please let us know if you do not want your PHA’s name identified).
Please send any information to Emily Warren at ewarren@clpha.org as soon as possible.
CHCDF National Call to Learn About the Impacts of the Government Shutdown
CLPHA, as a member of the steering committee of the Campaign for Housing and Community Development Funding, will be participating in a national conference call on January 15 at 4:00 PM ET to provide updates on the latest information and guidance on how advocates can engage lawmakers to help end the shutdown.
In response to a January 5 Washington Post article focused on new research about where voucher holders live, CLPHA Executive Director Sunia Zaterman submitted a Letter to the Editor to emphasize examples of PHAs’ innovative housing mobility strategies. Although edited significantly for length, the version published in print and online describes landlord recruitment and retention efforts, and calls for additional local flexibilities and sufficient federal funding.
Today, CLPHA Executive Director Sunia Zaterman was quoted in Affordable Housing Finance discussing how the shutdown threatens the stability of low-income households. Though HUD has prepared payments for housing vouchers and the public housing operating subsidy through February, Zaterman notes that the “existential threat” for voucher holders looms given the uncertainty of when the shutdown will end. If housing authorities cannot utilize HUD funding after February, there is a risk that that they will not be able to pay landlords and that landlords will subsequently begin to evict voucher-holding tenants.
Zaterman added that as HUD funding remains suspended due to the shutdown, local housing authorities are growing increasingly concerned about how they will maintain properties, make repairs, and pay employees.
CLPHA will continue our advocacy in support of PHAs and will provide members with additional news about the shutdown as we learn it.
The Houston Housing Authority has named Jamie Bryant its new President & CEO.
Bryant brings nearly 25 years of experience in real estate development, organizational management, public-private partnerships and nonprofit governance to HHA. His career highlights include leading transformative projects throughout Houston that balance innovative development with community impact.
As CEO, Bryant guides HHA in advancing its mission to provide quality, affordable housing options and promote education and economic self-sufficiency.
Before joining HHA, Bryant served as the co-CEO of Parkway. Prior to Parkway, he was president and chief operating officer at Midway. During his tenure, he worked on transformative mixed-use projects such as the redevelopment of the Town & Country Mall site into CityCentre. This and other projects contributed to billions of dollars invested into Houston in mixed-use developments, leveraging partnerships with governmental and civic organizations to benefit all stakeholders.
Bryant has served on the boards of directors for nonprofit organizations at the forefront of affordable housing in Greater Houston, including Avenue and the Fifth Ward Redevelopment Authority. He has also served on advisory boards for the University of Houston, Cadence Bank and the management committee for Urban Land Institute Houston. His board service demonstrates an ongoing commitment to advancing affordable housing, infrastructure improvements and community development initiatives that benefit the region.
Outside his role as CEO, Bryant is an educator. He has shared his expertise by teaching graduate real estate and finance courses at the University of Houston’s Bauer School of Business and speaking on topics such as leadership and organizational culture. Bryant and his family also dedicate personal time to non-profit, educational and faith-based organizations they support in their community.
Bryant earned a Bachelor of Science in Management, Finance from Tulane University and a Master of Economics and Real Estate from Texas A&M University.
CLPHA welcomes Jamie Bryant to our membership!
From the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society:
The Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) owns and operates affordable housing locations for qualifying low-income families and individuals in the Cleveland, Ohio, metro area. CMHA was the first chartered public housing authority in the United States, and it has a mission “to create safe, quality, affordable housing opportunities and improve the quality of life for the communities [we] serve.” The organization houses more than 55,000 low-income residents living in Cuyahoga County. One part of fulfilling that mission happens through the CMHA digital inclusion programs, which provides digital navigation services to residents in several key areas: affordable internet connection options, computing devices, tech support, and digital literacy classes. CMHA is a ConnectHomeUSA (CHUSA) community, receiving funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to support digital inclusion programs and services.
The information technology (IT) division at CMHA runs its digital inclusion programs and services, which start with ensuring that residents in every location have options for free or affordable internet access. CMHA makes bulk service agreements with ISPs like Spectrum and assists residents interested in subscribing. By making bulk agreements with ISPs, CMHA caps the monthly cost for any service at $20 and requires ISPs to provide a minimum download speed of 200 Mbps and a minimum upload speed of 20 Mbps. CMHA recognizes that internet service and the ability to use it to complete regular life tasks are not luxuries but necessities. For example, each year, residents are required to recertify their income to maintain their eligibility for affordable housing—a process that will soon be 100 percent online, so CMHA digital navigators assist residents who need help recertifying.
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Partnerships with other organizations in the community are paramount to the CMHA Digital Inclusion Program’s success. For example, the Olivet Housing and Community Development Corporation leads many digital literacy courses at CMHA locations. By partnering with community organizations like Olivet, CMHA is able to simultaneously support more residents and support partners with overlapping missions to close the digital divide. Most courses take place over an eight-week period, and residents who successfully complete a course receive a device. Additional partner organizations provide training to digital navigators and staff, and others are internet service providers serving residents with low-cost home internet plans. The CMHA Digital Inclusion Program is also periodically able to distribute refurbished desktop and laptop computers that would otherwise be recycled to residents.
We are pleased to announce that the Newark Housing Authority has become a member of CLPHA!
The Newark Housing Authority provides rental assistance to over 15,000 households in Newark, NJ. Leonard Spicer serves as the agency's Executive Director. Learn more at newarkha.org.
Please join us in welcoming NHA to CLPHA – we look forward to working together to improve life outcomes for families served by PHAs!
From the Indianapolis Housing Agency's press release:
Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the City of Indianapolis announced the appointment of Yvonda A. Bean (pronounced E-vonda) as Indianapolis Housing Agency’s new Chief Executive Officer, effective Monday, February 17, 2025.
"In HUD’s role overseeing the Indianapolis Housing Agency, we are encouraged by the appointment of Yvonda A. Bean as its new CEO,” said Felicia Gaither, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Field Operations, Office of Public and Indian Housing at HUD. “Ms. Bean’s proven ability to lead agencies through challenges and achieve operational excellence will be vital as we work to recover this agency. We are confident her leadership will strengthen the agency’s mission to provide safe, quality, and affordable housing for Indianapolis residents.”
Ms. Bean brings a wealth of experience and proven leadership to IHA. She joins from Columbia, SC, where she currently serves as CEO of Columbia Housing and Cayce Housing, as well as president of nonprofit affiliates SC Affordable Housing Initiatives (SCAHI) and Columbia Housing & Development (CHAD).
“I am pleased that Yvonda A. Bean will be serving as Indianapolis Housing Agency’s CEO,” said Mayor Joe Hogsett. “I look forward to seeing the ways in which her expertise from serving more than two decades in public housing, including the recovery of two troubled housing agencies, will now be utilized to support the residents of IHA.”
With 25 years of progressive experience in executive leadership within the affordable housing industry, Ms. Bean has built a distinguished career marked by a resident-focused, HUD-compliant approach and a strong record of operational excellence.
During her tenure at Columbia Housing, Ms. Bean spearheaded transformational change, including:
- Realizing over $100 million in new construction development projects.
- Earning a high performer designation for the Housing Choice Voucher Program.
- Completing the agency’s first Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) conversion.
- Establishing an employee apprenticeship program to foster career advancement.
- Partnering with a local community college to provide public housing residents with free tuition and scholarship opportunities.
Before leading Columbia Housing, Ms. Bean served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Housing Authority of the City of Lafayette, Louisiana. Under her guidance, the agency overcame HUD supervision and achieved significant growth, operational stability, and financial health.
Ms. Bean is also deeply involved in advancing the affordable housing sector through her extensive board and committee work. She serves on the Board of Governors for the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) and is the Vice Chair of NAHRO’s Legislative Network Advisory Committee. She also chairs the Legislative Committee for the Southeastern Regional Council of NAHRO and holds leadership roles on multiple other housing and community development boards. Ms. Bean’s contributions to the industry have been recognized with prestigious honors, including NAHRO’s 2023 Professional of the Year award and the 2024 Advocate of the Year award.
Ms. Bean holds a Master’s degree in Counseling & Psychology from Troy State University, a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Augusta State University, and several nationally recognized certifications in affordable housing.
Reflecting on her appointment, Ms. Bean shared:
“I am incredibly honored to have been selected to serve as IHA’s new CEO. The organization’s mission aligns deeply with my values and passion for creating equitable housing and economic opportunities for marginalized communities. My work has been rooted in the belief that housing is a right and not a privilege—EVERYONE deserves access to safe, affordable housing. I am thrilled to join IHA and look forward to collaborating with HUD, the City, the Board, the IHA team, residents, and community partners to contribute to IHA’s impactful work.”
From KXAN News Austin:
The U.S. Department Housing and Urban Development’s acting secretary, Adrianne Todman, visited the build site of an Austin affordable housing project Wednesday morning.
The Prospect Heights project is a redevelopment of the former Rosewood Courts, one of the nation’s oldest public housing sites. The development is under the direction of the Housing Authority of the City of Austin (HACA) and the Austin Habitat for Humanity.
Todman’s remarks honored the legacy of former President Jimmy Carter.
“When people talk about housing, it’s sometimes this very abstract thing,” she said. “But what [Carter] did…for decades, he was out there with a hammer and a toolkit, pounding nails, making sure that people saw him as a former president, lifting up something that’s so important to all of us, and that is access to partnership and access to housing.”
Following the speeches, Todman, Watson and Travis County Judge Andy Brown participated in the raising of wall frame sections.
“Austin is one of the rare, rare cities across the country that have built so much houses that we’ve been able to see rents just modulate and go down. That’s tremendous,” Todman said. “A lot of other places that are trying to do that have not done it, but Austin is a shining light of an example of what can be done.”
Read KXAN News Austin's article "HUD Secretary tours Rosewood Courts redevelopment project."