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David Greer
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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, 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.
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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
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative |
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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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About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative |
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(202) 550-1381
For Immediate Release
July 30, 2021 (Washington, D.C.) July 30, 2021 – CLPHA Executive Director Sunia Zaterman released the following statement upon the scheduled end of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) nationwide eviction moratorium on July 31, 2021:
“While millions of low-income households are facing the threat of homelessness with the eviction moratorium scheduled to end this week, public housing authorities are committed to using every tool and resource available to keep residents safely housed. Public housing authorities understand that keeping people housed is the most cost-effective approach to prevent homelessness. Evictions are expensive, burdensome, and time consuming, and they increase turnover and vacancy costs for housing authorities. Furthermore, evictions are a soul-crushing experience that impacts every aspect of one’s life and are a significant contributor to long-term unemployment and homelessness.
“Throughout the pandemic, housing authorities have connected at-risk residents with additional support and services, including obtaining emergency rental assistance. The good news is the Treasury-administered Emergency Rental Assistance Program has increased the speed of its fund distribution. We know that more can be done to streamline access to funds by partnering with local housing authorities to help those assisted households in need.
“Congress funded emergency rental assistance programs because they are the most cost-effective measure to avoid the destructive and demoralizing process of evictions and prevent poverty. We urge the Treasury and Housing and Urban Development Departments and the White House to continue to work closely together to distribute emergency rental assistance as quickly and efficiently as possible to stem the tide of evictions.”
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About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative |
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In this December 27, 2018 article by Bruce Japsen for Forbes.com, CLPHA Executive Director Sunia Zaterman discusses the importance of cross-sector collaborations between housing and health care to improve life outcomes for low-income families and seniors.
“We’re housers with expertise in the management and operation of affordable housing for low-income families and seniors, but we are not experts in the complexities of health care service delivery,” Zaterman said. “That’s why nearly all of the public housing authorities we surveyed work with a partner to provide health services. Most would do more if they had the funding and resources to commit to their health partnerships.”
Anthony Scott, CEO of Durham Housing Authority (left) and A. Fulton Meachem, President & CEO of Charlotte Housing Authority (right) in Durham, NC.
CLPHA is pleased to see that our members are visiting each other’s communities to share knowledge, ideas, and best practices for preserving and strengthening their public housing portfolios and resident services.
In August, the Charlotte Housing Authority (CHA) hosted the Durham Housing Authority (DHA) and Durham city officials on a bus tour of Charlotte public housing properties. The Durham delegation also met with CHA staff, board members, and residents to discuss how Charlotte is transforming its housing portfolio and resident services through entrepreneurial efforts in real estate development, bond programs, property management, and family self-sufficiency programs. You can watch a video slideshow of the Charlotte & Durham meeting here.
In October, residents, staff, and board members from the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority (MPHA) traveled to Cambridge, MA to meet with Cambridge Housing Authority staff and tour public housing communities. MPHA learned from Cambridge about their ongoing, comprehensive public housing transformation financed through the RAD program, Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, and other funding tools. In a post-trip recap, MPHA said their residents expressed the importance of seeing and hearing for themselves that these programs did not result in displacement. In fact, said MPHA, “CHA residents were often able to simply move units and continue living in their building even as the work proceeded around them.” You can watch a video about MPHA’s trip to Cambridge here.
Representatives from the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority on a bus tour of Cambridge Housing Authority properties.
The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP)will redevelop the vacant Larimer School, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, into 35 affordable housing units. This project is part of HACP’s larger Larimer/East Liberty Choice Neighborhoods redevelopment plan.
The Otto Bremer Trust awarded a $100,000 grant and a $500,000 low-interest loan to the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority (MPHA). MPHA will use the loan to support housing authority operations for its 6,000 public housing units and will use the grant to fund construction of the 16-unit Minnehaha Townhomes, slated to open in 2019.
From the Tacoma Housing Authority's press release:
THA was proud to join Mercy Housing on June 9 and celebrate the grand opening of their new 129-unit building at Aviva Crossing.
This is a major step in our effort to develop more than 500 units of affordable housing at James Center North, next to Tacoma Community College and the future light rail extension. THA and our partners are working to build a new, affordable residential community, from new buildings to utility improvements that will support hundreds of new residents.
“This building and any future buildings would not have been possible on this site if not for the partnership between THA and Mercy,” said THA project manager Annette Massari. “It would not have been possible for Mercy to complete the incredibly important infrastructure work if not for the CHIP and EPA grants that THA secured. It would not have been possible for THA alone to leverage the project management resources to build both the infrastructure and housing project amidst its other work. It would not have been possible for the funders to commit as they did, if not for the depth of affordability possible on this project achieved thanks to THA’s commitment of project-based vouchers in all 129 apartment homes, or the promise of over 300 additional future homes now possible at James Center North.”
The project includes utility improvements and other infrastructure work that will support the hundreds of new affordable housing units coming to Aviva Crossing.
“It’s thrilling to be at the grand opening of this building,” Massari said, “not only because it faced real perils in the way of funding hurdles, restricting easements, and tight timelines, but also because this project, in some ways literally, paved the way for future housing, extending the reach of this project and the impact of our mission.”
We are also providing support with project-based vouchers to help Mercy’s Aviva tenants afford the rent.
Congratulations to Mercy Housing and all our partners who are helping to bring new affordable housing to Aviva Crossing.
POLITICO, one of the most influential news sites read by Congress and the administration, published an article recently calling out the administration's attempt to eliminate the Restore-Rebuild program, which would have disastrous effects on the creation of new affordable housing and could impede the development of as many as 278,000 public housing units.
CLPHA CEO La Shelle Dozier spoke with Politico reporter Cassandra Dumay about the "hypocrisy" of removing a key tool in affordable houing development while CLPHA Board Member Lourdes Castro Ramirez of the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles and CLPHA Member Lisa Jones of the San Diego Housing Commission explained how it is a direct hit to their development "pipeline" and how it feels like the administration is setting housing authorities "up for failure."
La Shelle Dozier also spoke with CLPHA Board President Jeffery K. Patterson of the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority about what ending Restore-Rebuild would mean to public housing authorities and how CLPHA and our industry partners are opposing this detrimental action on our most recent episode of CLPHA's To The Point Podcast -- listen here.
To preserve this critical tool for affordable housing development, CLPHA has launched the Protect Restore-Rebuild Coalition on behalf of more than 3,000 PHAs, affordable housing developers, and advocates for low-income families. We are still accepting participants into the coalition. To join the Coalition and receive meeting invitations, email [email protected].
From the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh's newsletter:
The HACP, its nonprofit affiliate, Clean Slate E3, and its community partners are committed to investing in the future of our youth. This common goal was evident during the HACP’s Citywide Tailgate Event on April 24.
The event was held at co-host ACH Clear Pathways’ headquarters in the Hill District during the pro football draft on the North Shore and Downtown. Five-hundred attendees turned out to show their mutual support of these future MVPs throughout the free, four-hour event.
Thanks to our sponsors — the Jourdan Kelli Fund of the Pittsburgh Foundation, Weatherspoon & Williams LLC, Championship Chase TV – and partners Machine Age Studios, STEM Coding Lab, Beyond Blessed Catering, Ebenezer Baptist Church, the CheatCode Gaming trailer, Mastro Gourmet Quality Ice, 412 Ice Cream, sorors of Zeta Phi Beta LLZ Chapter, and our Youth Career Forum panelists Joshua Sutherland, NFL music supervisor, Jourdan Washington, RCA/Sony Records associate director of marketing, and Ezra “Ezzy” Harris and Jaymir “Jammer” Walls, St. Benedict the Moor student-athletes and ACH Clear Pathways students for making this event a success.
Guests had the opportunity to sign a giant appreciation card for former Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin designed by ACH Clear Pathways art student 16-year-old Ta-Nyiah Benjamin, learn hands-on STEM technology and workforce development skills aboard our two CyberBus mobile units, battle each other in friendly video game play aboard the CheatCode Gaming trailer, learn about our Clean Slate E3 scholarship and outof-school-time programs, and enjoy free food from Beyond Blessed Catering and 412 Ice Cream.
Five lucky guests went home with donated PlayStation 5 video game systems.
Congratulations to the winners of our Youth Madden Football Tournament — first-place winner Nyzer McDonald and secondplace winner Caleb Hauser. Nyzer won a PlayStation 5 Pro, and Caleb won a PlayStation 5.
Three other lucky raffle winners took home the remaining donated PlayStation 5 systems — Ra’Dale Taylor, Ezzy Harris, and HACP Tenant Council representative Ms. Sandra Almond.
“I am so very thankful to receive something like this in a raffle,” Ms. Almond said during the April HACP Resident Advisory Board meeting. “I’m going to give it to my grandchildren, and they and my great-grandchildren are going to have so much fun!”
The Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles also donated raffle items, including a signed football by Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown.
Ty Miller of Championship Chase TV emceed our Youth Career Forum that further shined the spotlight on these future legends.
Jourdan Washington of RCA/Sony Records advised the youth in attendance to not be afraid to share their ideas.
She said as the associate director of marketing, she works closely with the management, creative, and digital teams, among others, and serves as a quarterback for the artists.
She also stressed the importance of networking with whoever you meet.
“Make sure you have conversations with people,” she said.
She and Joshua Sutherland of the NFL both grew up in musiccentric homes, and are both accomplished pianists.
As an NFL music supervisor, Mr. Sutherland has to keep track of current artists and music trends, as well as seasoned hits for older NFL fans.
He added when music is played for NFL games, they only have about 7-10 seconds to get your attention.
“We want to make sure we reach fans where they are,” he added. “We want to keep in mind where the game is being played, who is playing, and what music is trending right now.”
He said he wished he knew earlier on in his career that it was OK to make mistakes.
“I may not have put myself into situations where I would get something wrong. You can’t get everything right all the time. I didn’t put myself in situations where I would grow. By putting myself into situations where I didn’t know everything it helped me to gain more trust because people knew I wanted to grow.”
He wants the next generation to know that they can walk the path that he walks, and can have this platform. When Mr. Sutherland started in his career, there were no people of color in his field. He said he was thankful he could rely on his family and community to encourage him when he was down.
“You saw someone that looked like you hold this seat. I want you to know that you can hold this seat and so much more!” he said.
Ezzy Harris and Jammer Walls are both student-athletes who are aiming for the stars.
Ezzy plans to play baseball and basketball at Seton LaSalle High School, and aspires to study business management. He already runs his own summer snack shop at ACH during summer camp sessions, and has designed his own clothing line with a friend called Radiant Stars.
Jammer will play football at Central Catholic High School. He is aspiring to become a professional athlete.
They both say they want to be role models for fellow youth because they don’t want them to go down the wrong path in life.
“Our youth are our future,” HACP Executive Director Caster D. Binion said. “The HACP, Clean Slate, and ACH Clear Pathways have always strived to brighten the paths of our local youth, and we couldn’t think of a better time to watch them dazzle as the city shines its spotlight on the many talented young athletes hoping to be drafted into the pro football league.”
From WSOC-TV Charlotte:
Atrium Health has finalized a major land contribution that will help expand affordable housing in Charlotte.
The health system has transferred 14 acres off North Tryon Street to INLIVIAN, the city’s public housing authority, paving the way for new mixed‑income residential development.
The move comes after Atrium Health and INLIVIAN executed a land‑swap agreement this week. Under the deal, Atrium Health exchanged its 3‑acre property at 720 E. Morehead Street in Dilworth — which will also be developed for affordable housing — for a similarly valued 3‑acre parcel at Baxter Street Park in Midtown.
The Midtown property supports future expansion at The Pearl, Charlotte’s first innovation district.
With this agreement, Atrium Health has now contributed more than $51 million toward affordable housing and homelessness solutions in the Charlotte region over the past five years — one of the largest commitments made by any locally based organization.
“When families have a safe place to call home, we see it in their health and well‑being,” said Steve Smoot, EVP and president of the North Carolina and Georgia division at Advocate Health. “By partnering with INLIVIAN, we are helping create meaningful opportunities for families across Charlotte, while also supporting the continued growth of The Pearl.”
Wexford Science & Technology, a development partner at The Pearl, is also building a residential tower on about one acre of land, with 5% of units deed‑restricted for affordable housing.
The 14‑acre North Tryon property was deed‑restricted by Atrium Health in June 2024 to ensure it would be used for affordable housing. It sits between North Tryon and North Poplar streets and borders a 16‑acre INLIVIAN development already underway.
At least 25% of the units built on the site must be reserved for affordable housing, and half of those must be available to households earning 50% or less of the area median income.
From the New York City Housing Authority:
On March 26, a proud and grateful gathering of NYCHA staff came together to celebrate the graduation of CMLA Cohort 3: the newest graduating class of the Authority’s Coaching and Mentoring Leadership Academy (CMLA) .
“This isn’t just a graduation,” said Yvette Andino, Vice President of Employee Engagement and founder of the CMLA program. “It’s a visible shift in the culture of our organization.”
Over the course of the 16-week program, mentees are paired with mentors who share not only practical expertise but also the perspective and working wisdom that come from years of experience: successes, mistakes, lessons learned, and the realities of leadership inside a large and complex organization.
But the CMLA’s emphasis extends beyond technical skills alone. The program encourages participants to reflect more deeply on how they lead, communicate, collaborate, and support one another.
“These mentees balanced their everyday responsibilities with something much deeper,” Ms. Andino said. “They found the time not just to manage their jobs and responsibilities — but to reflect deeply on how they do that important work.”
That spirit of mutual investment and support was echoed throughout the ceremony.
“To all of you mentees — thank you for being part of this program, because being part of this program means you are taking an active part in creating a better NYCHA,” said NYCHA CEO Lisa Bova-Hiatt. “To all of you mentors — despite all the challenges you handle every day, you chose to give your precious time to help other people learn and grow and thrive.”
“When you have somebody who makes you feel supported and heard and understood, it just makes such a difference,” Ms. Bova-Hiatt added. “And the more we pay it forward, the more we create an incredible NYCHA.”
NYCHA Chief Operating Officer Eva Trimble reflected on the important role mentorship has played in her own life and career.
“I would not be here today without my mentors,” Ms. Trimble told participants. “They absolutely shaped my life and my career.”
Participants were also encouraged to continue building connections across departments and to carry the program’s lessons into their everyday work.
“Leadership is about service,” said NYCHA Chief Administrative Officer Erin Villari. “And a key ingredient of real leadership is humility.”
“The supportive, coaching aspect of leadership should be at the forefront of everything,” Ms. Villari added. “Service in leadership; humility in leadership; humanity in leadership — what a great program!”
Dr. Tischelle George of NYCHA’s Learning & Development team praised the program’s broader impact on both mentors and mentees alike.
“The CMLA program really opens your eyes,” Dr. George said. “We serve an organization that cares about all of us, about our growth and development as professionals.”
As mentors and mentees were recognized, the sense of a growing leadership community was unmistakable. Participants reflected on increased confidence, stronger relationships, and a deeper sense of purpose in their work.
That momentum is already continuing beyond graduation. Several participants now plan to join Learning & Development’s “Learning Leaders” initiative, extending learning opportunities throughout the Authority, while new graduates were encouraged to return to the program as mentors themselves.
As certificates were presented and the ceremony drew to a close, one message emerged clearly: leadership is not a static title, but an ongoing practice grounded in reflection, connection, humility, and service.
For NYCHA’s newest CMLA graduates, that practice is already well underway.