CLPHA Press Room

From WBUR Boston:

Boston's largest housing provider has a new leader. This week, former Boston City Councilor Kenzie Bok begins her role as administrator of the Boston Housing Authority, the agency that oversees the city's affordable housing.

She joined WBUR's Morning Edition host Rupa Shenoy to talk about her vision for increasing affordable housing and directing more resources to the problem.

Read BHA Administrator Kenzie Bok's interview with WBUR Boston.

From Sacramento News & Review:

After years of behind the scenes work and collaborations between the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency, Itasker Hollins Community Economic Development Corporation and development partner Related California, a new affordable senior housing development on 39th street and Broadway began construction on July 28. 

The new housing development in Oak Park is designed for seniors who are 62 years old or older and is located across the street from senior housing The Arbors. 

“Projects like this don’t just provide a roof over these seniors’ heads, they provide a community,”  said Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg in a press release from Related California.

The 39th and Broadway development will be a three-story building that will include 43 units with 36 one-bedroom apartments and seven studio apartments. Twelve out of the 43 units will serve formerly homeless seniors whose rents will be subsidized by what is called a project-based rental assistance contract, according to Pastor Itasker Hollins Jr. of All Nations Church of God in Christ.

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La Shelle Dozier, SHRA’s executive director, said 39th and Broadway will serve residents earning anywhere from 30% to 60% of the area median income. 

“So let’s look at a one person household with the maximum income at 30% would be anyone making $22,550 or less. And then 50% is 37,500 and 60%, which is at the top, it would be under $45,060,” said Dozier. “So that gives you an idea.”

Additionally, she said, individuals who are formerly unhoused seniors will receive housing vouchers to live in the complex.

Dozier said senior housing is important because SHRA recognized that there are many seniors who are aging in place and need to move into more of an apartment situation — but Oak Park does not have a lot of senior housing available. So seniors were leaving the neighborhood to secure housing. 

“We felt it was very important for them to continue to live in the neighborhoods that they had invested so much of their time and energy in,” Dozier said. “And so that’s really why we started to look at bringing the senior housing to Oak Park.”

Dozier said setting aside the 12 units for seniors who are formerly homeless, is an important initiative for the city of Sacramento to deal with homelessness. 

“This is another opportunity for us to create those units that will help those needy seniors who, unfortunately, have fallen into a situation where they’re unhoused, secure housing,” said Dozier. 

Read SN&R's article "New senior housing coming to Oak Park," featuring the Sacramento Housing & Redevelopment Agency.

From Houston Style Magazine:

With scorching summer temperatures reaching unprecedented levels of over 100 degrees, Houston is facing the hottest summer ever recorded. The effects of climate change make life without air conditioning not only unbearable but also perilous. In response to this urgent call for action, The Houston Housing Authority (HHA), under new leadership, has taken a historical step forward by introducing the Heat Relief Initiative. This unprecedented program provides air conditioning for every resident living in HHA public housing properties.

"I may be new to Texas, but it didn't take long to realize that people living without air conditioning is not acceptable. It’s not a luxury, it’s a necessity. So, I knew we had to take action, fight for the money, and fix this issue," said HHA President and CEO David A. Northern Sr.

Despite no current mandate for air conditioning provisions in housing agreements from The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the absence of any state or city laws requiring public housing to have A/C, HHA recognized the problem and secured crucial funding for the Heat Relief Initiative from HUD.

“While HUD has not mandated it, we fought tirelessly to secure funding, and our persistence has paid off. Our commitment to our clients means they should never have to endure such intolerable conditions,” said Northern.

Read Houston Style's article, "Houston Housing Authority's Bold and Transformative Heat Relief Initiative: Ensuring A/C Access for All Residents in HHA Affordable Housing Properties."

From Tacoma Housing Authority's press release:

At a regular meeting of the Tacoma Housing Authority’s (THA) Board of Commissioners, the Board voted to approve a resolution that increases the minimum hourly wage for all THA employees to at least $32 per hour.

Much thought was given to the newly agreed upon minimum wage of $32 an hour. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, the average monthly rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Tacoma is $1,643. To afford this level of rent and utilities without paying more than 30% of income on housing (a housing wage), a household must earn $5,477 monthly or $65,720 annually. Assuming a 40-hour work week, 52 weeks per year, this income level translates to a minimum hourly housing wage of $31.60.

In June of 2022, THA pulled data that showed roughly 60% of its full-time staff were earning less than an hourly housing wage. A pay bump for employees making less than a housing wage was initially proposed as one of THA’s strategic objectives adopted by the Board in September 2022. Now, all 174 THA employees will earn a housing wage.

“All of our employees contribute to our mission of providing stable and sustainable housing for all, yet many of our team members have struggled to pay their bills or find housing they can afford in the city we ask them to work,” said Tacoma Housing Authority Executive Director April Black. “We work to find solutions to housing insecurity and poverty; we cannot afford to contribute to the problem.”

The lowest paid workers at THA will now be making substantially more than the competitive market rate, and it is the hope of the THA leadership team that this increase will have a positive ripple effect throughout the job market of Tacoma and the local economy. Simply put, THA believes that everyone should be paid enough to pay their bills, take care of their families, and focus on their vitally important work.

From the City of New York's press release:

New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) CEO Lisa Bova-Hiatt today took a major step towards unlocking billions of dollars for comprehensive renovations for thousands of NYCHA residents — kicking off the resident engagement process for the first resident vote for the Public Housing Preservation Trust. The first resident vote will take place at Nostrand Houses in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn starting this November. Nostrand has more than $600 million in 20-year capital needs and ranks in the 80th percentile of NYCHA buildings for immediate physical needs, and its selection follows conversations with resident leaders. With NYCHA buildings needing nearly $80 billion, this process will offer residents an opportunity to vote and determine the future of their development. Options include entering the Trust or joining the Permanent Affordability Commitment Together (PACT) program — both of which leverage alternative streams of funding available through the federal government — or residents can chose to maintain the traditional public housing financing model, which would make it more difficult to expedite major capital repairs.

The Public Housing Preservation Trust is a public entity established by Mayor Adams and NYCHA in May 2023 and authorized by a law signed by New York Governor Kathy Hochul last year following extensive advocacy from the Adams administration and NYCHA. Under the Trust, residents will always maintain their rights — including permanently affordable rent and keeping NYCHA properties 100 percent public. The voting process is the first of its kind to empower public housing residents to have a direct vote in the future of their homes — beginning with the 2,191 residents in 1,148 apartments across 16 buildings at Nostrand Houses.

“Every revolution has to start somewhere, and our housing revolution is going to start at Nostrand Houses in Sheepshead Bay,” said Mayor Adams. “After decades of neglect and disinvestment by the federal government, the NYCHA Trust is the tool we need to unlock billions of dollars for public housing families across the five boroughs. Just over one year ago, I stood with residents of Nostrand Houses to celebrate our success in getting the Trust passed in Albany, and, today, we are announcing that they will have the first opportunity to vote to have their homes repaired through the Trust. Nobody worked harder to help us get the NYCHA Trust passed than these residents — they delivered for us, and this is our chance to deliver for them.”

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“This is a historic day for NYCHA, as we embark on the voting process at the very first development, giving the residents of Nostrand Houses a true voice in the future of their home,” said NYCHA CEO Bova-Hiatt. “This milestone is a testament to the many partners who understand the vast and compelling needs of NYCHA and the New Yorkers who live in public housing. We are thrilled to join residents on this journey and to present them with modernization options, including the newly established Public Housing Preservation Trust, for improving conditions and contributing to an enhanced quality of life.”