CLPHA Press Room

From KIMA-TV:

Representative Dan Newhouse is in Yakima visiting the new veterans housing project and talking to local leaders about homelessness in the county.

Newhouse toured the former US Marine Corpse Armory building on Tahoma Avenue that will be remodeled and have around 41 units to house homeless vets and their families.

He says this will be a great place to fit the needs of vets and help them get off the streets.

“Homelessness is an ongoing problem certainly among our veterans. This is something we are trying to solve to provide them with a hand up to be able to help them through a very difficult period in their life and this is like I said a natural fit for this kind of a facility," said Newhouse.

Read KIMA-TV's article “Rep. Dan Newhouse tours veteran housing project in Yakima and talks about homeless issues,” featuring the Yakima Housing Authority.

From Curbed Seattle:

Back in June, Seattle officially launched the “ORCA Opportunity” program with free bus passes for Seattle public high schoolers and some Seattle Colleges students. This year, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan announced in her State of the City address Tuesday, the program will be expanded to some of the lowest-income Seattle residents living in Seattle Housing Authority (SHA) properties.

ORCA Opportunity uses existing Seattle Transportation Benefit District (STBD) funds, which come from a voter-approved sales-tax increase and car-tab fee and pay for expanded transit service in and around Seattle. The program directs some of that money toward free, year-round ORCA bus passes, valid on most area public transit agencies. So far, about 14,500 high schoolers and Seattle Promise scholars have participated in the program, according to the mayor’s office.

Read Curbed Seattle's article “Seattle will provide free transit for some low-income residents,” featuring the Seattle Housing Authority. 

From the Times of San Diego:

The housing commission is the recipient of the Nan McKay and Associates’ 2018 Development Award for its Housing First program, which helps San Diego’s homeless residents find permanent housing. The program has created nearly 6,000 housing opportunities countywide since it launched in November 2014.

“Through Housing First — San Diego, the San Diego Housing Commission is partnering with developers and acquiring properties to create permanent supportive housing that is essential to addressing homelessness in the city of San Diego,” said commission Board Chair Stefanie Benvenuto.

Read the Times of San Diego's “Housing Commission Receives Award for Housing First San Diego Program,” featuring the San Diego Housing Commission. 

From the Ventura County Star:

Housing costs are often a family’s largest expense, eating up a higher percentage of income the less a family earns. With that in mind, a program designed to let Ventura residents receiving rental subsidies keep more as their income increases has received more than $65,000 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. 

The money will go to the Housing Authority of the City of San Buenaventura toward administering the Family Self-Sufficiency Program, which is designed to get people off public assistance. 

Read the Ventura County Star's article “Ventura's housing authority gets grant to help families move off public assistance,” featuring the Housing Authority of the City of San Buenaventura. 

From the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh’s Family Self Sufficiency Program was one of several funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which awarded Pittsburgh $350,339 this year.

It’s a renewal grant, but there are no guarantees that each year’s funding will be approved, according to Michelle Sandidge, chief community affairs officer for the housing authority.

The money pays the salaries of eight service coordinators the authority employs to manage cases for its Family Self Sufficiency Program, which helps people achieve goals like owning a home or to make other improvements to their lives, like furthering their education or getting a better job, Sandidge said.

Read the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's article “Programs at Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh get federal funding,” featuring the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh.