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David Greer
Director of Communications
(202) 550-1381 or [email protected].
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Web tool targets idea-sharing and improves cross-sector
collaboration to help low-income families
April 22, 2021
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About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative |
April 9, 2021
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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
March 31, 2021 |
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(Washington, D.C.) March 31, 2021 – Sunia Zaterman, executive director of the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities, released the following statement upon President Biden’s announcement of the American Jobs Plan:
“The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities applauds President Biden’s transformative American Jobs Plan to reimagine and rebuild the American economy by centering housing as key to accomplishing the administration’s top priorities of economic impact, racial equity, and climate change. The $213 billion to produce, preserve, and retrofit more than one million housing units, with $40 billion targeted at the long-neglected public housing capital needs, is the size and scale that can move the needle on improving public housing infrastructure. CLPHA has called for a 10-year road map to recapitalize the public housing portfolio.
“The centrality of public and affordable housing means its impact reaches beyond shelter. It is also critical to other key elements of the American jobs plan including expanding broadband, improving childcare, and increasing health care opportunities. Public housing authorities are the most efficient delivery mechanism for these critical services because of their understanding of local needs, especially the needs of underserved communities of color. Public housing authorities stand ready to implement the bill when it becomes law.
CLPHA will work closely with Congress to ensure that the housing provisions are fully funded and remain central to the bill.”
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About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative |
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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.
Hunt Capital Partners has provided $4.2 million in capital federal LIHTC equity financing for Rhododendron Place, a future 30-unit Vancouver, WA housing community funded in part by the Vancouver Housing Authority. Rhododendron Place will house individuals experiencing homelessness with behavioral health disorders or mental disabilities and offer related supportive services.
The San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC) and partners held a groundbreaking ceremony for Pacifica at Playa Del Sol, a future community of 42 affordable rental apartments, 12 of which will be set aside for individuals and families with developmental disabilities. SDHC contributed $10.8 million in tax-exempt Multifamily Housing Revenue Bonds towards the project, which is expected to cost $17.3 million.
From WOSU Public Media:
The Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority opened its first complex in Grove City on Monday.
The $29-million, 82-unit Cobblestone Manor apartment complex at 1050 Lamplighter Drive serves low- and fixed-income senior residents.
Grove City Mayor Ike Stage said Monday that the growth in the number of residents needing affordable housing continues to grow in central Ohio. One of the fastest growing age groups is people over 60.
"Keeping them within the community is pretty important and being able to give a wide range of housing is pretty important," Stage said.
About three-quarters of the apartments will be reserved for people with incomes of $20,000 a year. The remaining apartments will go toward residents making up to $55,000 a year.
Read WOSU Public Media's article "Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority opens its first development in Grove City."
From the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority's press release:
Last week, the Minneapolis City Council approved a funding agreement enabling MPHA to begin administering a new city-funded Emergency Housing Voucher (EHV) program, modeled after the successful but sunsetting federal EHV program. This program will provide targeted rental assistance in partnership with Hennepin County’s Continuum of Care for individuals and families who are homeless, at risk of homelessness, or have a high risk of housing instability.
The new city-funded EHV will provide up to 36 months of rental assistance for up to 100 households. The program has a goal of enrolling 50 individuals and 50 families.
“This new program offers a lifeline to some of our most vulnerable neighbors at a time of competing housing and homelessness crises in our city,” said Abdi Warsame, Executive Director/CEO of the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority. “I am thankful to Councilmember Wonsley and Council Vice President Osman for leading the city’s investment in this proven solution. Agency staff are eager to get this new funding in the hands of individuals and families most in need and to help address our community’s housing affordability challenges.”
The new city-funded EHV program was first established by Councilmembers Robin Wonsley and Jamal Osman in the City of Minneapolis’ 2025 budget. Following a series of challenges to establish a funding agreement in 2025, the program was excluded from Mayor Frey’s proposed 2026 budget. Councilmember Wonsley subsequently led an effort to amend the City of Minneapolis’ 2026 budget, initially restoring the $1.4 million in annual funding for the program. The City Council later amended this proposal, changing the structure to a three-year, $1 million-a-year pilot program (appropriating $2,091,786 in 2026, with 2027 and 2028 city budgets projected to include additional funding).
To be eligible for this new program, households will need to be assessed and referred through Hennepin County’s Coordinated Entry System. Once a participant household is referred to MPHA and approved for participation, households will be offered wrap-around case management services provided by Hennepin County and county-contracted providers, including housing coordination and placement within the City of Minneapolis, up to $3,500 in assistance from MPHA to help address any obstacles in both finding and moving into stable housing, and ongoing rental assistance from MPHA to maintain housing stability for up to three years.
This unique combination of benefits mirrors the federal EHV program and are intended to increase access and remove barriers for unhoused individuals and families facing the most immediate housing challenges.
While the new program will issue 36-month vouchers, the 36 months of rental assistance may not occur over 36 consecutive months. Based on the federal EHV program, vouchers are expected to be administered for up to five years due to initial placement timelines (on average, it takes approximately six months from program enrollment for a household to find a rental unit) as well as accommodating pauses because of participant rehousing needs. When a placed household wants or is required to move without a new unit under lease, voucher use is paused until a new unit is secured. This allowance can push the actual administration of the voucher beyond 36 months.
The agency anticipates issuing its first EHV on or around June 1, with the placement of all 100 available EHVs estimated to take 18 months from the first issuance.
From the King County Housing Authority:
The first King County Housing Authority Dream to Keys home purchase is official! KCHA staff Sandeep Kamoh and Kristin Pace built this program to create a real path to homeownership. Now, KCHA residents have the opportunity to use their voucher toward a mortgage and build wealth through ownership.
And it's paying off.
Lanequia went from learning about Dream to Keys to owning her home in nearly 5 months. Once she found the right place, she closed in 16 days. An incredible result that speaks to the hard work of KCHA and our community partners, Movement Mortgage and Paul Real Estate Group.
This is a big deal. Not just because it's a first, but because it proves what's possible for long-term stability and opportunity.
Congratulations to Lanequia on her new home — and to Sandeep and Kristin for bringing this program to life!
Take a moment to watch Lanequia's story.
From the Spokane Housing Authority's press release:
The Spokane Housing Authority (SHA) has been awarded $126,000 from the Washington State Department of Commerce Early Learning Facilities Program to support predesign of the Orchard Vista Early Learning Childcare Center in the Dishman Hills neighborhood of Spokane Valley. The facility will be co-located with SHA’s Orchard Vista Apartments—240 affordable units currently under construction—and will help meet the region’s need for high-quality, affordable childcare.
The Orchard Vista Apartments will serve households at or below 60% of area median income. Through a public-private partnership with the Spokane-based Inland Group, SHA is developing the housing with working families in mind. It is centrally located in a commercial area, just minutes away from a WinCo Foods, the Valley Transit Center, the Spokane Valley Library, Spokane Valley City Hall, and Balfour Park. The first units are expected to be ready for occupancy by May 2026, with full project completion by year end.
To further support working families with children, SHA set aside a quarter-acre parcel on the same site to construct a childcare center. The planned 4,500-square-foot facility will be located on the site’s northwest corner. SHA has already invested approximately $580,000 of its own general unrestricted funds in land acquisition and site preparation.
The award will enable SHA to work with a design team, including a childcare provider, who will advise on facility design, ensuring the space is shaped by expert guidance and aligned with its operational needs. The final design and operating model will determine the number of new childcare slots the center will support. SHA currently estimates capacity for two classrooms of approximately 18-20 students each, for a total of 36-40 new Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) or Working Connections Child Care (WCCC) slots available to residents of the Orchard Vista Apartments and qualifying families in the surrounding area.
SHA will own the facility and lease it to an operator. SHA aims to minimize debt on the property to support an economically viable agreement between both the operator and SHA. SHA will collaborate with the operator to ensure the facility meets community needs, including the potential provision of extended or non-traditional childcare hours.
“Investing in this new childcare and early learning facility is really an investment in our community’s future,” said Pamela Parr, Executive Director of SHA. “Families will have access to high-quality care that supports children’s development and gives parents the peace of mind they need to thrive at work. For employers, this project strengthens the local workforce by reducing childcare barriers and helping parents stay engaged in their careers. We’re proud to help create a space that benefits families, supports businesses, and builds a strong foundation for our region.”
From Fresno Housing's press release:
Fresno Housing, alongside community partners and local leaders, celebrated the groundbreaking of Avalon Commons Phase II, continuing the development of a new affordable housing community in Northeast Fresno.
Phase II will add 45 affordable apartment homes, including one-, two-, and three-bedroom units. This expansion builds on Avalon Commons Phase I, completed in December 2024, and brings the full development to 105 total units in a high-opportunity area with access to schools, employment, and essential services.
The ceremony brought together elected officials, development partners, and community members to mark the next step in expanding access to quality, affordable housing in Fresno.
“We’re not just building housing, we’re changing what’s possible for families in this community,” said Tyrone Roderick Williams, CEO of Fresno Housing. “Avalon Commons puts opportunity within reach with access to strong schools, stable housing, and a future families can build on.”
“This project reflects what we can accomplish when we invest in every corner of our city,” said Mayor Jerry Dyer. “Collaboration and strong partnerships are essential to addressing Fresno’s housing needs, and Avalon Commons Phase II represents a meaningful step forward. By expanding housing opportunities in Northeast Fresno, we’re supporting families today and building long-term stability for generations to come.”
Sharon Williams spoke to the broader impact of housing on families and future generations, emphasizing that access to stable, quality housing creates a foundation for success and opportunity.
Avalon Commons Phase II is made possible through a collaborative effort involving public, private, and philanthropic partners, including the City of Fresno, California Department of Housing and Community Development, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, California Tax Credit Allocation Committee, PNC Bank, Brown Construction, R.L. Davidson, Inc. Architects, The Kresge Foundation, and The California Endowment.
Fresno Housing continues to advance developments that expand housing opportunities across Fresno County, aligning with its mission to create and sustain vibrant communities.