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David Greer
Director of Communications
(202) 550-1381 or dgreer@clpha.org.
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(202) 550-1381
For Immediate Release
February 27, 2021 |
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(Washington, D.C.) February 27, 2021 – Sunia Zaterman, executive director of the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities, released the following statement upon tonight’s passage of the American Rescue Plan Act in the U.S. House of Representatives:
“The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities applauds the House of Representatives' bipartisan passage of the American Rescue Plan Act, which includes $35 billion in emergency rental and utility assistance and a significant extension of the eviction moratorium.
“This legislation is critical to address the rental crisis facing the nation. The situation has only grown worse since the Biden Administration announced the American Rescue Plan in mid-January. Renters have continued to accrue past-due rent at an alarmingly high rate. While the eviction moratorium has provided important protections for renters financially impacted by the pandemic, the moratorium has meant that millions of renters have accumulated significant arrears. Economists estimate that unpaid rent at the end of January 2021 totals $52 billion, which amounts to $5,600 for the average renter. With the March 31 moratorium on evictions rapidly approaching, additional rent assistance is urgently needed to help renters stay in their homes by addressing back rent. The Senate must act swiftly to provide emergency rental assistance and prevent a wave of evictions that will tragically disrupt the lives of millions of Americans.”
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About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative |
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February 2, 2021
(Washington, D.C.) February 2, 2021 – Sunia Zaterman, executive director of the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities, released the following statement upon President Biden's signing of an executive order regarding the public charge rule:
“The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities applauds the Biden administration’s action today to begin unwinding the Trump administration’s patently unlawful Public Charge Rule that included housing assistance receipt against immigrants and their families when applying for an adjustment of residency status. Federal housing assistance exists to keep families together and to lift them up, not to be weaponized to tear them apart. The cruelty of the rule was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic as it caused families to opt out of many critical safety net programs, including federal housing assistance.
"CLPHA looks forward to working with the Biden administration to ensure the equitable and compassionate treatment of immigrants and their families when seeking federal housing assistance.”
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About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative |
(202) 550-1381
For Immediate Release
January 28, 2021 |
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(Washington, D.C.) January 28, 2021 – Sunia Zaterman, executive director of the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities, released the following statement upon the conclusion of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs’ nomination hearing for The Honorable Marcia L. Fudge, of Ohio, to be Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development: “The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities applauds HUD Secretary-designate Marcia Fudge’s forceful call for expanding emergency rental assistance at her Senate nomination hearing today for individuals who are facing housing instability due to lost income or are experiencing unemployment because of COVID-19, many of whom are people of color. She understands that the $25 billion allocated to emergency rental assistance in the most recent stimulus was not enough and only a down payment.
“Right now, in back rent alone, 10 million low-income renters have accrued an average of $5,600 in rental arrears, which totals $56.3 billion. The current stimulus package will help approximately 3.5 million renters pay back rent by February. The remaining 7 million renters who are unable to pay back rent will face eviction, compounding the strain on our nation’s economy and compromising our nation’s moral responsibility to address racial inequities among our most vulnerable individuals.
CLPHA calls for Congress to immediately pass President Biden’s American Rescue Plan which contains $50 billion in emergency rental assistance, and for the Senate to swiftly confirm Secretary-designate Fudge so that she can begin her imperative work.”
About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative |
The District of Columbia Housing Authority (DCHA) and partners cut the ribbon on the Residences at Hayes Street, a 150-unit affordable housing community constructed with help from a $2 million DCHA loan. DCHA will also provide nearly $241,000 annually in rent subsidies to residents.
The Charlotte Housing Authority has opened The Oaks at Cherry, an 81-unit affordable housing community with resident amenities such a playground, cyber café, and fitness center in Charlotte’s historic Cherry neighborhood. You can watch a video about The Oaks at Cherry community here.
Of the complex’s 68 units, 34 are funded by Section 8 project-based vouchers, and 15 of those apartments are set aside for individuals with disabilities. The construction of Key’s Pointe Residences is part of HABC’s massive revitalization plan for Baltimore’s O’Donnell Heights neighborhood.
At the CLPHA Fall Meeting earlier this month, Bruce Katz, former Centennial Scholar at the Brookings Institution and founding Director of the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program,discussed how housing authorities, cities, and other stakeholders can seize the opportunity of the new Opportunity Zone tax incentives. Below is additional information and resources for CLPHA members on Opportunity Zones, including a CLPHA analysis of public housing developments in Opportunity Zones for members and a policy prospectus from Katz on how to best leverage these new tax incentives.
Background
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 established the new tax incentive, which will
“Allow any taxpayer to defer paying tax on capital gains from the sale of property if those gains are timely invested in Qualified Opportunity Funds, which in turn must invest 90% of its assets in businesses located or property used in a low-income community. If investors invest for ten years, they also pay no capital gains tax on the appreciation on that investment.”
Following the establishment of the tax incentives, U.S. governors designated more than 8,700 “Opportunity Zones” in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico; many overlap with locations where CLPHA members have public housing communities. Opportunity Zone incentives are unique because they rely on individual investment decisions instead of government distributions, can be utilized for all manner of projects (residential, commercial, industrial, or infrastructure), are not contingent upon pre-specified outcomes or metrics for success, and there is no cap to the amount of benefits investors can receive.
Current Status
The U.S. Department of the Treasury has released a notice of proposed rulemaking and notice of a public hearing on Investing in Qualified Opportunity Zones. There are two provisions related to housing in the proposed rule: a working capital safe harbor for the acquisition, construction, and rehabilitation of property for up to 31 months and also a provision stating that the basis attributable to land will not be taken into account when determining whether the building has been substantially improved. According to the rule, excluding the basis of land will help facilitate the repurposing of vacant buildings in Qualified Opportunity Zones.
CLPHA will be reviewing the proposed rule to understand how PHAs can take advantage of Opportunity Zones to further local housing goals. Comments on the notice are due December 28 and the public hearing will be held on January 10, 2019.
Resources for Members
CLPHA Analysis of Members in Opportunity Zones: Using the list of designated Qualified Opportunity Zones and HUD data on public housing buildings, CLPHA performed a comparison analysis to determine which public housing buildings are located in designated Opportunity Zones. We found that 57 CLPHA members had at least one public housing building in a qualified Opportunity Zone. In the attached spreadsheet, you can find a full list of properties, including census tract and geographic data, located in Opportunity Zones, as well as a quick-glance table that lists the housing authority and property development name. Click here to download CLPHA’s Analysis from our Dropbox.
Policy Brief – From Transactions to Transformation: How Cities Can Maximize Opportunities –Bruce Katz and Evan Weiss: This brief details a vision for the potential economic and social outcomes of the Opportunity Zone tax incentives and offers ten steps for cities to leverage local resources in order to take advantage of them. Download the brief from Drexel’s website.
Additional Resources:
Opportunity Fund Directory: The National Council of State Housing Agencies (NCSHA) has released this new online resource that provides descriptions and contact information for publicly-announced Opportunity Funds. View the Directory on NCSHA’s website.
Opportunity Zone Explorer: Enterprise Community Partners has created this mapping tool to help those interested in opportunity zones determine which tracts in their regions have been designated and how they related to other federal programs. Use the Opportunity Zone Explorer on the Enterprise website.
The Tacoma Housing Authority (THA) and Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) were recognized for their work in addressing homelessness among community college students and other barriers to higher education in a recent article for Inside Higher Ed. THA’s College Housing Assistance Program began in 2014 in response to rising rents in Tacoma and Pierce Counties. High rates of homelessness among Tacoma Community College students created opportunities for partnership between the College and THA, which now serves 150 students — many of whom have children of their own — who are homeless and near homeless. With the help of a housing voucher and additional financial aid, students are able to continue pursuing their degrees.
CHA is taking a slightly different approach to a similar problem. In working with City Colleges of Chicago through a program known as Partners in Education, the housing authority covers tuition and other fees for residents. Over 600 CHA residents are currently enrolled in Chicago’s community colleges, and while many receive federal and state financial aid, additional assistance from the housing authority ensures continued enrollment. As Moving to Work (MTW) agencies, both THA and CHA are able to engage in postsecondary partnerships as a result of program flexibility.
THA and CHA will further discuss these partnerships with the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles, Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority, and Louisville Metro Housing Authority at a postsecondary convening co-sponsored by CLPHA, Housing Is, and Kresge next month. CLPHA looks forward to discussing how initiatives like these can be replicated and brought to scale across the country.
From the Victorville Daily Press:
The Housing Authority of San Bernardino County has purchased a multifamily apartment complex in Victorville, which it intends to transition into affordable housing.
The Mogharebi Group announced that it arranged the $8.5 million sale of the 60-unit multifamily Northport Apartment at 14243 Rodeo Drive, just east of Doris Davies Park.
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“It’s always exciting when we can increase the number of affordable homes in our communities,” said county housing Deputy Executive Director Rishad Mitha. “By acquiring Northport, we are able to provide a safety net for residents to ensure their homes remain affordable long-term.”
Read the Victorville Daily Press's article "San Bernardino County to convert Victorville apartment complex to affordable housing."
From the St. Thomas Source:
In 2008, when Robert Graham was appointed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to lead the Virgin Islands Housing Authority out of federal receivership, he arrived with decades of experience in public housing management and consulting. Having racked up 33 years in the field, Graham will retire at the end of December.
In her July 5, 2022 ChangeMakers podcast, Katie Goar said, by way of introduction, “Mr. Graham’s years of affordable housing experience has resulted in the successful turn-around of several troubled housing authorities and non-profit entities with underperforming housing portfolios.” Goar, a professor of Public Management, Public Organization, and Public Policy at Purdue University, said, “He began his housing career in 1990 at the largest housing authority in New Jersey and after twelve years in New Jersey and leading a successful turnaround, Mr. Graham went on to lead the successful turn-around of housing authorities in both Connecticut and the U.S. Virgin Islands.”
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But a financial tight ship is only part of what is important to Graham. He believes strongly that providing social support systems to middle- and low-income housing residents is equally critical. “It is the role of affordable housing,” he said recently, “to offer programs that will lead residents to a life of prosperity.”
Those programs include everything from job training to healthcare to mental health services and more. But, never a purveyor of false humility, Graham is quick to admit that the idea “is bigger than me.” A year or so ago when Graham brought Marvin Nesbitt, a South Carolina native with years of experience in community development — including 12 years at the Atlanta Housing Authority — to offer his expertise, it was a measure of Graham’s leadership abilities. Though Nesbitt did not stay on, he did spend his time in the territory sharing his wealth of knowledge and experience with others who could carry on the work. That work, Nesbitt has stated publicly, involves “seeing to it that individuals and families from underserved communities are able to walk a path that leads towards generational success.”
Read the St. Thomas Source's article "VIHA’s Robert Graham Retiring After 15 Years at the Helm."
From the San Diego Housing Commission's press release:
After a nationwide search, the Housing Authority of the City of San Diego has appointed San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC) Executive Vice President of Strategic Initiatives Lisa Jones to be SDHC’s next President and Chief Executive Officer. She becomes SDHC’s sixth leader in the agency’s nearly 45-year history, excluding those who served as interim President and CEO.
“The greatest threats to the well-being and success of our community are the housing affordability and homelessness crises that continue to plague us. In other words, San Diego cannot succeed without the success of the San Diego Housing Commission. Doing so will require compassion, experience, savvy and expertise,” City Council President Sean Elo-Rivera said. “Having worked with Lisa Jones over the last few years, I’ve witnessed her demonstrate those attributes and do so while always prioritizing the people who most need our attention. With her guidance, we’re taking active steps toward ensuring everyone in San Diego can have a home they can afford.”
The San Diego City Council serves as the Housing Authority of the City of San Diego, which oversees SDHC. Council President Elo-Rivera appointed the Ad Hoc Working Group for the Recruitment of the San Diego Housing Commission President and Chief Executive Officer, which led the recruitment process.
“We need a leader who expands access to affordable housing, leverages external resources to help people get off the streets, reverses historical actions that have segregated communities, and invests in the hard-working staff at the Housing Commission. That leader is Lisa Jones,” said City Council President Pro Tem Joe LaCava, the Chair of the Ad Hoc Working Group. The group consisted of City Councilmember Stephen Whitburn, former City Councilmember Chris Cate, SDHC Vice Chair Ryan Clumpner, SDHC Commissioner Johanna Hester, former SDHC Vice Chair Robert Spoon, former Community HousingWorks President and CEO Sue Reynolds, and Derrick Luckett, a longtime licensed real estate broker.
“I am honored and deeply humbled to be entrusted with the leadership of the San Diego Housing Commission at this pivotal time. As housing costs increase and resources continue to be limited, it will take innovative approaches and partnerships to make the progress that San Diegans need. Engaging with the community is one of my core values. I want to reach out to our community stakeholders, our community members and people across our city who don’t know we are there for them to better reach and serve those that need us the most. I look forward to working with our City Council, Mayor Todd Gloria, our Board of Commissioners, our community partners and our outstanding staff to develop more diverse, person-centered solutions to serve families facing housing instability or homelessness,” Jones said.
In her more than 20 years of service in the areas of affordable housing and homelessness, she has developed and implemented housing assistance approaches that focus on the unique needs of the people being served. She has adhered to the additional values of building relationships, collaborating with community organizations, promoting transparency in government, and fostering equity, diversity and inclusion.
She most recently served as SDHC’s Executive Vice President of Strategic Initiatives. In that position, she oversaw key strategic and policy initiatives across agency divisions, including SDHC’s Strategic Plan, SDHC’s Moving to Work designation, and homelessness initiatives.
“I am sincerely excited about Lisa being named as CEO. Her ability to couple strategic thinking and innovation when developing ways to help the organization achieve the mission is outstanding. She also has a deep commitment to using the lived experience of the people the San Diego Housing Commission serves as a guide when crafting support programs that are meaningful. These qualities are essential for the leader of this organization as we strive to address the housing and homelessness crisis in the city. I am confident she will have a profound and positive impact in her new role,” SDHC Board of Commissioners Chair Eugene “Mitch” Mitchell said.
Before joining SDHC in 2017, Ms. Jones worked for seven years for the Housing Authority of the County of San Bernardino in the positions of Operations Manager, Director of Housing Administration, and Vice President of Housing Services. Concurrently, for several years, she also acted as Executive Director of Knowledge and Education for Your Success, a nonprofit affiliate of the Housing Authority of the County of San Bernardino.
She holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the Institute of Leadership and Management with the University of West Anglia, England. She also is an alumnus of the Impact Center’s Women’s Executive Leadership Program.
From the San Diego Housing Commission's press release:
With funding from a new grant announced this week, the San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC) will launch a program to create a pathway for careers in healthcare for youth ages 18 through 26 in the City of San Diego who receive federal rental assistance.
The $604,000 grant from Prebys Foundation will provide funds over a period of two years for “Healthcare Career Catalyst for Young Adults,” an SDHC Achievement Academy program to provide Certified Medical Assistant training and life skills at no cost to eligible youth.
“The opportunity for a career in healthcare as a Certified Medical Assistant can be life-changing for young adults in families with low income. This program is a significant, positive step to support these youth and reflects our strategic priority to help families increase opportunities for self-sufficiency and quality of life,” SDHC Interim President & CEO Jeff Davis said. “I thank Prebys Foundation for partnering with us on this effort by providing this essential funding."
The grant is among $30.6 million Prebys Foundation awarded to organizations throughout the San Diego region in the program areas of Visual and Performing Arts, Youth Success, Healthcare, and Medical Research"
"Our communities are better thanks to the work of the San Diego Housing Commission,” said Grant Oliphant, CEO of Prebys Foundation. “This is why we are proud to invest $604,000 to their work advancing our shared vision for a vibrant and thriving region. We encourage others to support, learn more and celebrate their work."
The "Healthcare Career Catalyst for Young Adults” program builds upon a similar partnership between the SDHC Achievement Academy and Western Medical Training Center that graduated nearly 200 people as Certified Nursing Assistants.
For the new program, the SDHC Achievement Academy will partner with Western Medical Training Center for a comprehensive Certified Medical Assistant course consisting of online and on-campus learning, labs skills, and a clinical externship. Through a partnership with the International Rescue Committee’s (IRC) Center for Economic Opportunity (CEO), program participants will also receive help to establish and build their credit.
More than 4,800 potential program participants have been identified among individuals ages 18 through 26 in households with low income that receive federal rental assistance from SDHC. These young adults include “disconnected” and “overburdened” youth who experience barriers to work and school and/or pressure beyond what is considered normal or healthy for their age. They also may live in underserved communities and have traditionally faced barriers to financial self-reliance.
Approximately 45% of these potential program participants identify as Hispanic or Latino, and more than half identify their race as Black, Indigenous, and/or Persons of Color (BIPOC).
The program will enroll up to 80 people—20 in each of four six-month program sessions offered over two years.
Program participants may also receive the following resources, funded through the grant:
- Credit building loans through IRC’s CEO;
- Assistance with opening checking and savings accounts, as needed, with a $50 savings deposit incentive upon initial enrollment, followed by $100 halfway through and another $100 upon completion;
- A $250 monthly stipend to augment participants’ income;
- A $150 one-time assistance payment toward a computer or similar digital device;
- A $30 monthly stipend to support internet or hot spot access;
- A public transit pass or gas card; and
- Supplies such as scrubs/uniforms and shoes.
From Opportunity Home San Antonio's press release:
Opportunity Home San Antonio was awarded a grant from the Nancy Smith Hurd Foundation in support of the ConnectHomeSA program, helping to narrow the digital divide in the community.
Through the grant, 480 devices will be awarded to Opportunity Home residents upon their successful completion of the ConnectHomeSA digital literacy program, with another 60 devices budgeted for residents to access in public housing community rooms.
“As a trusted funder in Bexar County, the Nancy Smith Hurd Foundation is delighted to support San Antonio Homeownership Corporation and their goal to narrow the digital divide in Bexar County by providing a grant that will help provide internet access, digital literacy and access to devices for housing assistance recipients in the community,” said a spokesperson from the Foundation.
In 2015, Opportunity Home became a ConnectHome community, a program created by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that focuses on providing residents with the three core components of digital inclusion — access to affordable internet, access to devices, and digital skills training. Upon completion of the CHSA program, participants earn a free refurbished digital device.
“Digital literacy and basics are fundamental to our everyday activities, so when our residents are able to become exposed to these skills, it is integral to their growth,” said Jessica Strom, Opportunity Home digital inclusion manager. “Once they gain the knowledge and obtain a device, they are positioned for success in employment, education, and have improved health outcomes.”
This grant allocation from the foundation aids in narrowing the digital divide in San Antonio. Currently, one in six households in the city do not own a computer and one in four households do not have access to internet or reliable broadband.