CLPHA Press Room

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.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Jenny Werwa
Director of Communications
202-638-1300 X 120
jwerwa@clpha.org

*Please let us know if you are working on deadline.

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Thanks again for your interest in CLPHA!

Press Releases

Statements

News

10.5.17

CLPHA FY18 Comparative Budget Chart – Operating and Capital Funds

10.5.17

Public Housing as Infrastructure

9.19.17

Advocate for HUD Funding Before August Recess Ends

As the summer August recess winds down, members of Congress, who are currently back home in their districts and states, will soon be returning to the nation’s capital to face a busy fall agenda. High on the agenda is funding the federal government for the coming fiscal year 2018, which begins Oct. 1.

It is reported that Congress may package the eight remaining appropriations bills (out of twelve) into one megabus spending bill. For HUD, this would require the House and Senate Appropriations Committees to agree upon the unresolved issues in their respective FY18 funding bills. If Congress is unable to complete action on the megabus (or any other joint spending measures) by Sept. 30, a continuing resolution (CR) will be needed to keep the government running and funded at current levels. Of note to CLPHA members, a CR will not provide increased funding for THUD programs and will not enable lifting of the RAD cap as proposed in the Senate bill. Adding to the uncertainty, President Trump has threatened to shut down the federal government if he does not get funding for his border wall.

While both the House and Senate funding bills repudiated most of the Trump Administration’s budget proposals, the Senate THUD bill, in particular, offers higher funding levels than the House bill, including funding for the Public Housing Operating Fund, Public Housing Capital Fund, Housing Choice Voucher program, the Choice Neighborhood Initiative, Homeless Assistance Grants, the Community Development Block Grant, the HOME Investment Partnership program, and others. The Senate bill would also completely eliminate the arbitrary unit cap, as well as the public housing application deadlines for RAD.

CLPHA members need to urge members of Congress to fund important housing programs.

Before Congress returns to the nation’s capital and becomes distracted by other matters, it is critical that CLPHA members reach out to their members of Congress and encourage them to support funding for public housing, housing vouchers and other HUD programs.

ACTION:

We strongly urge CLPHA members to contact their members of Congress before the end of the August recess and ask them to support no less than the Senate committee-passed HUD appropriations funding levels for FY18, and the elimination of the RAD cap.

For questions or additional information, please contact: Gerard Holder, CLPHA Legislative Director gholder@clpha.org

8.16.17

Proposed $6.2 Billion Housing Cut Shreds Safety Net for Low-Income Families and Seniors

7.28.17

RAD Cap Lifted in FY2018 Senate THUD

Senate appropriators yesterday marked up their THUD appropriations bill for FY 2018, offering a strong rebuke to the Trump Administration’s housing proposals for the coming fiscal year. Their request for HUD is $8.84 billion above the Administration’s proposal, and $1.94 billion above the FY18 House THUD request.

Equally encouraging, the Senate THUD marks significantly advance several key measures for expanding RAD by:

Eliminating the current 225,000 unit cap on public housing conversions, affording housing authorities and their partners the ability convert properties on schedules aligned to local needs, capacities and available financing.
Maintaining the Public Housing Operating Fund at the FY 2017 enacted level of $4.5 billion, which is $600 million above the Administration’s request of $3.9 billion.
Bumping up slightly the Public Housing Capital Fund level to $1.945 billion, which is $3 million above the FY17 enacted level—but $1.317 billion above the Administration’s proposal.
Increasing Housing Choice Vouchers by $1.015 billion above the FY17 enacted level, which will help housing authorities maintain steady Project- Based Voucher funding, including RAD PBVs over time.
Increasing Project-Based Rental Assistance by $291 million above the FY17 enacted level, assuring a steady funding commitment to this program, including RAD PBRAs.
Making Section 202/PRAC senior properties eligible for conversion under RAD’s 2nd component while offering modest funding to support such conversions.

A big thanks goes to Senate appropriators and their staff who have long-supported RAD and recognized its potential to preserve and improve much-needed affordable housing across the country.

The focus now turns to encouraging Senate and House THUD members to quickly proceed to a conference and resolve critical differences in their bills— the House THUD bill does not eliminate or lift the RAD cap in any way and proposes reduced Operating and Capital Fund levels that will constrain RAD. Then all Congressional members must be urged to pass an FY 2018 appropriations bill in a customary and timely manner needed to carry final THUD conference negotiations.

If the FY 2018 appropriations process defaults to extending a full-year continuing resolution (CR) of FY 2017 spending levels as has been suggested in some circles, the Senate’s good work on RAD will have little or no chance of being included in a CR. So make a point of contacting your representatives soon to urge that they proceed with an FY 2018 appropriations bill—not a CR!

Stayed tuned to the Collaborative’s continuing efforts and recommendations on what you can do in the weeks ahead to pass a FY 2018 appropriations bill favorable to RAD. Plus standby for details on our Fall convening to take and make RAD work at the next level!