CLPHA Press Room

From Finance & Commerce:

A pair of low-income housing apartment buildings in Minneapolis will get a $26 million refresh thanks to a funding source being used for the first time by a Minnesota public housing agency.

The Minneapolis Public Housing Authority will receive the funding from the state of Minnesota through housing revenue bonds. The funding source is typically tapped by private and nonprofit housing developers that build affordable housing. The Minneapolis authority will put the money toward a top-to-bottom renovation and partial reconfiguration of the Elliot Twins apartment towers at 1212 Ninth St. S. The buildings are in the southwest quadrant of Interstates 94 and 35W.

The authority sought out the bond funding because federal housing funds are “deeply underfunded,” said Jeff Horwich, Minneapolis Public Housing’s policy director. The authority’s successful application for the money might open up a new avenue for Minneapolis and other cities to fund future housing renovations, he said in a recent interview.

“We feel like we’ve crossed a major barrier here,” he said.

Read Finance & Commerce's article "$26 million renovation will give Elliot Twins more space," featuring the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority.

From NBC 24 WNWO Toledo:

The Lucas Metropolitan Housing Authority (LMHA) wants children in its communities to be ready for preschool and kindergarten. Toledo Public Schools (TPS) and the PNC Foundation are making that happen.

PNC granted $150,000 from its Grow Up Great funds to TPS Friday morning to fund its new early learning program for LMHA families.

The PNC "Pathway to Pre-K" program currently offers free educational classes in the Charles F. Weiler Homes for parents with children 0 to 3 years old. It officially launched in November 2019 and will conclude in May 2020.

These classes can help children become familiar with learning outside home.

Read NBC 24 WNWO Toledo's article "PNC awards $150,000 to TPS for housing authority pre-K readiness program," featuring the Lucas Metropolitan Housing Authority.

From Fort Worth Housing Solutions' website:

Hats off to the 51 women and men who graduated from either the Family Self-Sufficiency or Homeownership programs in 2019!  We celebrated their successes at a graduation dinner Dec. 3.

“The hardest part is to start,” recalled Shunteia Goldman, who shared her story from the podium at the event.  Four years ago Shuntei worked in the kitchen at Cook Children’s. Wanting to do more for her two children, the single mother enrolled in the FSS program and applied for a higher-paying job in Cook’s neo-intensive care unit. She landed the position, then began taking classes at Tarrant County College, knowing that a college degree would increase her earning potential even further.

Read "The Little Engine That Can" on FWHS's website.

From The Journal Gazette:

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced Tuesday it has awarded nearly $500,000 in grants to the Fort Wayne Housing Authority.

A grant for $343,896 will provide access to affordable housing to 56 people with disabilities, and a grant for $148,174 will fund three service coordinators who assist residents participating in the federal Family Self-Sufficiency Program, which aims to reduce or eliminate the need for rental and welfare assistance.

Read The Journal Gazette's article "Fort Wayne Housing Authority receives almost $500,000 in HUD grants."

From the New Haven Independent:

Fifteen-year-old Curtisy McGill is taking a course called Intro to Manufacturing at Hillhouse High. She has an inspiring teacher, who told her that plumbers get paid very well.

Curtisy has already become the the go-to fix-it person in her family, specializing in unstopping the tub and other bathroom appliances.

On Tuesday night, those paths to becoming a plumber converged as Curtisy’s landlord and the head of Elm City Communities/Housing Authority of New Haven (HANH) urged her to apply to the agency’s vocational internship program.

That would be a first for a HANH — to have one of its young residents shadow and learn from one of its own plumbers. It would also be a first for the plumber-in-training to be a young woman.

Read the New Haven Independent's article "She Tapped Into Opportunity," featuring Elm City Communities.