Welcome to CLPHA's Press Room
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David Greer
Director of Communications
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(202) 550-1381
For Immediate Release
November 9, 2020 |
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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. 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 intersect the housing field and other areas of critical importance such as health and education.
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 intersect the housing field and other areas of critical importance such as health and education.
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 intersect the housing field and other areas of critical importance such as health and education.
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.
As the September 30 deadline quickly approaches for when the U.S. Treasury Department must begin to recapture and reallocate funds from grantees unwilling or unable to spend down from the original Emergency Rental Assistance Program (known as ERA1), the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) is helping unlock ERA funds for its residents. However, several other PHAs continue to encounter obstacles with the program.
NYCHA and the Office of Temporary and Disability Insurance have entered into a Data Sharing Agreement that allows NYCHA to collect tenant consent for data sharing, the tenant to attest to being financially impacted by COVID, and NYCHA to file an ERA application on their behalf. Last week, NYCHA launched an effort to collect electronic consents and has already gathered 1,400 resident consents. NYCHA also is beginning an in-person canvassing effort to knock on doors and obtain consent. Once all consents have been obtained, NYCHA will then apply for each “consented” tenant’s arrears using bulk submissions on a weekly or biweekly basis. CLPHA recommended to HUD and Treasury that bulk signature submissions be used to help speed ERA fund distribution.
However, PHAs, including NYCHA, remain concerned about the hurdles they still face in distributing ERA funds. A main concern for NYCHA is whether there is adequate New York State ERAP funding, or, if not, that there be a reallocation of funds if the State pays out its allotment before reaching NYCHA residents.
Last month during the CLPHA Tenant-Based Committee call, CLPHA members reported their ERAP concerns around inflexibility for ERA program owner identification requirements, inability to certify a family’s eligibility without prior resident consent and the arduous application process which requires families to start the application only for it to disappear or time out.
CLPHA is focused on the September 30 deadline and will continue to work with HUD and Treasury to advocate for the maximum amount of flexibility for PHAs when administering ERAP funds.
From the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority’s press release:
An innovative collaboration launched last year between the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) and the Healthcare Collaborative of Greater Columbus (HCGC) is among only four organizations in the United States to receive 2021 NMA Housing Awards, regarded as one of the affordable housing industry’s premiere achievements that recognize the outstanding service excellence of individual agencies.
CMHA and HCGC were honored with the NMA Large Agency Resident Service Award, named after the founder and president of California-based Nan McKay and Associates (NMA). The award is given annually to leaders in the affordable housing industry nationally with more than 2,500 units in their agency portfolio and whose community outreach efforts improve the future of the residents and families they serve.
“This years’ service award recipients exemplify the best of the best at helping their communities’ most vulnerable citizens resolve unmet needs for transportation, food, education, job training, healthcare, housing and more,” NMA CEO John McKay said during a virtual celebration announcing the winners on Friday, Sept. 17.
“In a year when so many faced extraordinary challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, public housing authorities like CMHA and their affiliated partners such as HCGC stepped up to develop new ideas and build new partnerships while continuing to work toward the goals of providing safe, high quality and affordable housing for low-wage-earning households, people with disabilities and the elderly,” McKay said.
CMHA joined with nonprofit HCGC last year to help broaden support for the Central Ohio Pathways HUB (the HUB) that HCGC has managed since 2019 and to date serves approximately 600 individuals per month. HCGC’s HUB is a nationally certified program dedicated to supporting the emotional, economic, behavioral, social, learning and health outcomes of vulnerable populations in Franklin and surrounding counties.
Over the past year, the new CMHA-HCGC partnership contributed to the delivery of nearly 30,000 meals to the hungry, connected 650-plus youth with out-of-school programs, distributed over 1,600 COVID-19 wellness kits and provided almost $114,000 in emergency rental and utility assistance. The community health workers (CHWs) in the HUB aim to understand the root of why an individual needs assistance and provides them with the tools to address their challenges. CHWs then guide clients on a path to success, through improvement of their physical, mental and economic well-being. With over 75% of connections to care and services successfully completed in the program, CMHA residents are experiencing the lasting impact of participating in the HUB.
From Lucas Metropolitan Housing's press release:
National Church Residences, in partnership with Lucas Housing Services Corporation-a Lucas Metropolitan Housing (LMH) Non-Profit Affiliate-has been awarded $5,898,509 from HUD's Section 202 Supportive Housing Grant for the Elderly for Collingwood Green Phase V. The Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly Program provides rental assistance and capital advances to private, nonprofit sponsors to finance the development of housing for very low-income elderly residents.
Collingwood Green Phase V will consist of a 75-one-bedroom apartment mixed-use building, with commercial space on the first floor. The 20-acre site with the mid-rise building will serve the elderly. The projected total development cost will exceed $17 million.
Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur was on hand for the announcement. She stated, "Our seniors have spent their lives building up and providing for the next generations - and we owe it to them to ensure they are provided the dignity, care, and respect they deserve. This remarkable partnership between National Church Residences, Lucas Metropolitan Housing, and the federal government is indicative of the community-wide dedication to lifting up our aging residents. We appreciate the tireless efforts undertaken by all to advance this project and bring us one step closer to housing our neighbors in need."
The award will support the construction of 30 of the 75 apartments that will be available for very low-income elderly households. The remaining 45 apartments will be funded through a variety of other sources including, but not limited to, private funding, Low-income Public Housing Tax Credits, and the Federal Home Loan Bank-Affordable Housing Program.
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"At Lucas Metropolitan Housing (LMH), we are translating vision into reality-to create and maintain sustainable, affordable housing opportunities, provide pathways to a better quality of life, and empower vibrant communities. This award supports our vision to expand the supply of affordable housing with supportive services. In this case, to provide options for the elderly that will allow them to live independently but in an environment that provides additional support activities," said Joaquin Cintron Vega, LMH President and Chief Executive Officer and President of the Lucas Housing Services Corporation.
From the Housing Authority of Baltimore City's press release:
Governor Larry Hogan, Mayor Brandon Scott, Housing Authority of Baltimore City (HABC) president and CEO Janet Abrahams and City Councilmember Robert Stokes took turns at the controls of an excavator today to help bring down the final bricks on the last of six buildings of phase I of the 1940’s-era Perkins Homes.
The demolition clears the way for construction to begin later this fall on what will become the first section of the new Perkins Homes. It’s part of HABC’s $1 billion Perkins Somerset Oldtown (PSO) redevelopment plan, reshaping these neighborhoods into a sprawling community with excellent amenities and families of all income levels.
The state has been a major contributor to 2,000-acre PSO transformation. This year’s state budget allocated $10 million more than originally projected to keep the project on pace. Governor Hogan said PSO has been a priority for him.
“The state of Maryland has committed $230 million for this redevelopment effort,” Hogan said.” “These investments are about taking our communities back and renewing hope and providing opportunities, and that is exactly what we are doing here today.”
“We appreciate the governor’s support and acknowledgement of how impactful the PSO plan is to HABC residents and the city of Baltimore as a whole,” said HABC President and CEO Janet Abrahams. “I also want to thank our HABC families for their continued belief in this project. They had to go through a lot. We had to relocate 586 households from this property to get where we are today. In the next 3-5 years this area will transform from being a hole in the donut of thriving neighborhoods to a vibrant community of choice.”
From NBC 5 Dallas/Fort Worth:
A historic part of Fort Worth is now even closer to a major transformation.
On Thursday morning, city leaders broke ground on phase one of a multi-part plan to improve the beloved Stop Six neighborhood.
Cowan Place Senior Living, which will be located at East Rosedale Street and Stalcup Road, will feature 174-units designed for seniors 62 and up.
The development is part of a bigger plan to build an urban village on the west side of the Lake Arlington area, alongside numerous other projects planned across the neighborhood to bring massive commercial and residential development opportunities to residents. It's an effort city leaders hope will help with the high unemployment, crime, and poverty that has affected the neighborhood for decades.
Cowan Place will be part of a total of 1,000 mixed-income rental units with a community hub, an aquatics center, and other amenities planned for the urban village.
"You'll see a focus on walkable streets, we have parks and green space – a lot of emphases will be put on an aquatic center that we hope to get there after the bond election. So really great things that Stop Six just hasn't seen in 50 years coming back to that neighborhood, to make it sustainable for the next 50,” said Mary-Margaret Lemons, Fort Worth Housing Solutions president.
The progress has been a long time coming. In the last 10 years or so, there has been over $120 million of public investment in the Stop Six area.
Fort Worth’s housing authority and the city partnered back in 2013 to come up with a transformation plan for the community as part of the Stop Six Choice Neighborhood Initiative.
After years of planning, community input, and putting together a huge battle plan to apply for grants and put the project on paper, the city of Fort Worth won a $35 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in April 2020.
“When we really started this idea of applying for this huge grant we went over to City Hall and said, 'Will you guys be our partner?' And the resounding answer we got from everybody was, 'Yes.' Everybody says now is the time for Stop Six,” said Lemons.
Read NBC 5 Dallas/Fort Worth's article "Fort Worth Breaks Ground on First Phase of Stop Six Transformation," featuring Fort Worth Housing Solutions.