New research from CLPHA and Econsult Solutions shows that PHAs generate and induce multiple streams of economic activity benefitting those who reside in public housing, as well as local employers, governments, and industries. "The Economic Impact of Public Housing: Ongoing Investment with Wide Reaching Returns," highlights four key findings:
Public Housing is an Economic Driver
Housing authorities generate economic impacts that ripple through the community, city, and region. PHAs own and manage large property portfolios as well as directly support real estate markets through Housing Choice Vouchers and other housing assistance payments.
- Every $1 million PHAs spend on capital investments generates $1.89 million in economic activity and supports 11 full-time jobs
- From FY13-17, PHAs in Akron, Charlotte, Kansas City, Los Angeles, New York, and Oklahoma spent $4.5 billion on capital needs and generated an estimated $7.6 billion in economic activity, supporting 7,600 full-time jobs
Public Housing is Workforce Housing
While the majority of public housing residents are elderly and/or disabled, among work-able households, most are either working, subject to work requirements, or have worked recently.
Public Housing is a Long-Term Investment
The 1.1 million public housing units around the country are a significant investment by the federal government, with a replacement cost of $183 billion.
Public Housing is a Tax Revenue Generator
Public housing is a critical element of regional and local infrastructure due to its proximity to transportation, business centers, educational opportunities, other housing, and community centers, as well as its multiple economic intersections and influence on the economic growth of their cities.
- 6 PHAs generate $69 million in city tax revenue and $215 million in state tax revenue each year.
From Governor Mikie Sherrill's press release:
Governor Mikie Sherrill today joined the Department of Community Affairs (DCA), Department of Veteran Affairs (DVA), and military veterans from across New Jersey at the Trenton War Memorial to announce that, through the Bringing Veterans Home initiative, the State created a coordinated support system that fully funds housing resources so no veteran has to go homeless. The initiative makes veteran homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurring in New Jersey. Now, more veterans enter housing in New Jersey than enter homelessness each month, and the initiative is sustaining this performance consistently.
“I am incredibly honored to announce that, because of the quick and effective response of our Bringing Veterans Home initiative, every veteran in New Jersey can now access stable housing,” said Governor Sherrill. “This milestone is a groundbreaking achievement. No veteran in our state should endure the hardship of homelessness. We are proud that New Jersey is a leader in ending veteran homelessness and we stand ready to serve as a model for other states on this critical issue."
“If a New Jersey veteran experiences a housing crisis, Bringing Veterans Home is the backstop preventing full scale homelessness,” said DCA Commissioner Jacquelyn A. Suárez. “Our work is more than housing placement. It is about long-term stability. We are making sure veterans have access to the services and support they need to remain in stable, quality housing that they can call home.”
“In a state where our motto is Liberty and Prosperity, no veteran should go to sleep without a roof over their head,” said DVA Commissioner Vincent Solomeno III. “Bringing Veterans Home demonstrates what is possible when government stops asking people in crisis to navigate bureaucratic boundaries and instead organizes itself around the outcome we want to achieve.”
The Bringing Veterans Home initiative launched in November 2024 with a mission to effectively end veteran homelessness across the state. More than $30 million in state and federal funds were committed over a two-year period to help place New Jersey veterans experiencing or at risk of homelessness in stable housing and provide them with support services. Since the initiative’s launch, the State has helped permanently house more than 2,500 veterans. Under the initiative, a veteran is anyone who meets the federal and state definitions of “veteran.” This includes veterans of active duty and reserve components.
DCA’s Office of Homelessness Prevention leads this effort via a dedicated project management team in coordination with DVA, federal partners at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and multiple veterans service organizations. Bringing Veterans Home marks the first time veteran service organizations in New Jersey have formally partnered with the State in the fight against veteran homelessness.
“The phrase ‘homeless veteran’ should not be a thing,” said Senator Raj Mukherji, chairman of the Senate Military and Veterans’ Affairs Committee. “Those who served our nation in uniform deserve, at a minimum, to never go without a roof over their heads. This milestone and Governor Sherrill’s whole-of-government commitment to achieving functional zero represent serious progress toward our obligation to our veterans.”
“The primary measure of Bringing Veterans Home’s success is not a single point-in-time count of veterans who are homeless, but its sustained capacity to rapidly assist veterans in need of housing,” said DCA Assistant Commissioner Janel Winter, who directs the Division of Housing and Community Resources. “We’ve changed the paradigm in New Jersey to create a sustainable system that provides quick and effective outreach to veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, and assist them quickly into shelter, housing, and access to the services they need.”
Through the Bringing Veterans Home initiative, six regional coordination hubs are now established across the state to improve case coordination and standardize a homeless veteran’s access to housing services. Each regional hub is managed by a social services organization that specializes in homelessness interventions. DCA selected the organizations through a competitive request for proposals.
The regional hubs can access resources that are supported by state and federal funds such as Veterans Affairs Supported Housing (VASH) vouchers, State Rental Assistance Program (SRAP) vouchers, HOME program assistance, Supportive Services for Veterans and Families (SSVF) programs, rapid rehousing, street outreach, and emergency sheltering.
“Bringing Veterans Home works because of consistent partner participation, robust communication, and shared data visibility,” said Tina McGill, director of DCA’s Office of Homelessness Prevention. “This achievement shows what’s possible with coordinated commitment and provides a framework we can replicate for other vulnerable populations in New Jersey.”
“New Jersey is showing what’s possible when state leaders, local providers, and veteran organizations treat veteran homelessness as a solvable challenge and organize around a clear goal: helping every veteran in a housing crisis quickly reach a stable home,” said Rosanne Haggerty, president and CEO of Community Solutions, a nonprofit organization that works with local and national partners to reduce veteran homelessness. “Bringing Veterans Home pairs sustained investment in housing assistance with real time data, coordinated action, and accountability for results. New Jersey veterans get fast, effective help in exiting homelessness, with few returning. This disciplined, outcomes-focused approach is the way to make veteran homelessness rare and brief across the country.”
Referrals in to Bringing Veterans Home can take place in multiple ways:
Community partners can submit referrals online on the Bringing Veterans Home webpage at https://bvh.dca.nj.gov/.
Veterans can self-refer either through the Bringing Veterans Home web form, by calling NJ Vet2Vet and/or NJ 211, by visiting any affiliated housing or homelessness services provider, or through engagement with a Bringing Veterans Home street outreach team.
Existing service providers can make electronic referrals through the NJ Homelessness Management Information System (HMIS) or DCA’s SimpliGov platform.
The program requires veterans be contacted within 24 hours after referral with a goal of placement in stable housing within 30 days of initial contact. The process includes assessing veterans for housing priority, identifying any barriers they face, and developing a detailed plan to facilitate housing as quickly as possible.
Bringing Veterans Home at present has enough permanent housing capacity to ensure veterans are stably housed faster than new homelessness cases occur, with minimal returns to homelessness.
From the King County Housing Authority's press release:
The King County Housing Authority (KCHA), joined by the City of Issaquah, US Representative Kim Schrier, public officials, funding partners, development partners, and community stakeholders, today celebrated the groundbreaking for Trailhead Apartments, a new transit-oriented housing community that will bring 154 affordable rental homes to the heart of Issaquah.
Trailhead Apartments will provide affordable homes for households earning up to 40% and 60% of Issaquah’s Area Median Income (AMI), addressing the growing need for affordable housing on the Eastside. Developed by KCHA, the eight-story community will feature a mix of family-sized apartments and amenities designed to support long-term housing stability and quality of life.
The development is part of a broader mixed-income community that includes affordable homes developed by KCHA and market-rate housing developed separately, connected by public open space and pedestrian pathways. Plans for the site include a public plaza, restored wetlands, and a multimodal trail, and community-serving commercial space owned by the City of Issaquah.
Resident amenities will include a community room, exercise room, study room, fourth-floor courtyard, bicycle storage, and other shared spaces. The development is located next to the Issaquah Transit Center and across from Tibbetts Valley Park, and is designed to support a vibrant, walkable, mixed-income neighborhood centered around transit access and community connection.
Trailhead Apartments will also include several homes operated by Life Enrichment Options (LEO) for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, creating additional opportunities for inclusive community living.
Construction is now underway, with leasing and occupancy anticipated in 2028.
From the Cambridge Housing Authority's website:
Standing tall on the banks of the Mystic River in the heart of historic Medford Square, Saltonstall Apartments has been part of the community’s fabric since 1968. On Wednesday, June 24, a ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the beginning of a new chapter in the nearly six-decade-old residence.
That new chapter began in 2019, when Cambridge Housing Authority Deputy Executive Director of Development Margaret Donnelly Moran and former Executive Director Mike Johnston concluded a presentation on the impact of Cambridge Housing Authority’s redevelopment efforts to protect, preserve and transform its public housing properties. The first person to greet them afterward was Medford Housing Authority Executive Director Jeffrey Driscoll asking how he could implement a comparable plan in Medford.
The task was to evaluate MHA’s federal housing portfolio for repositioning, as well as its state portfolio for redevelopment. Assessing options for Saltonstall while considering options and available funding sources, the CHA team’s experience with similarly aged properties helped inform MHA that the property would qualify for HUD’s Section 18 disposition and trigger the tenant protection vouchers that would help fund the rehabilitation. It was not clear in the early stages that Low-Income Housing Tax Credits would be needed or that the CHA’s work with MHA would evolve from acting as a development consultant to becoming a development partner. In late 2022, after the project received no equity proposals, a unique co-development arrangement between the two agencies became necessary for the redevelopment to move forward.
To tackle a project of that scale, MHA needed a partner with a track record of success with large-scale renovations and navigating the complexities of LIHTC development financing. The conversation quickly turned toward a potential partnership. Soon after, Cambridge Housing Authority staff visited the property to assess how they could help. While the aging brick building faced significant challenges, both housing authorities recognized an opportunity to create something transformative, and an agreement between MHA and CHA was formalized in early January 2020 and entered a three-year planning phase.
During her remarks at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, CHA CEO Clara Fraden recalled, “When MHA approached CHA, they brought vision, commitment, and a deep responsibility to their residents and to the Medford community. MHA’s leadership knew Saltonstall needed a comprehensive renovation, and they were determined to do it in a way that preserved their public stewardship and strengthened the housing authority’s capacity for the future. That matters. Continued public stewardship is not easy in today’s economy, but it’s worth fighting for.”
Construction began in May 2023 to modernize all 200 existing apartments and add 22 new units, while preserving the property’s long-term affordability. The renovated one- and two-bedroom apartments feature central heating and air conditioning, accessible walk-in showers, and modern kitchens. Designed with community in mind, the building also includes welcoming gathering spaces throughout the first-floor lobby, a second-floor rooftop terrace, fitness and community rooms, and other flexible uses of space and amenities to support residents who wish to age in place.
From its thoughtfully designed apartments with modern amenities to its communal spaces, the renovated Saltonstall Apartments presents a vision of the future of affordable housing in Medford and stands as a testament to what is possible when neighboring communities work together toward a common goal. Together, two housing authorities have ensured that Saltonstall residents will have access to safe, modern, and dignified housing for generations to come.
Through the collaboration of two public housing authorities, Medford and Cambridge, the redevelopment of Saltonstall Apartments demonstrates the power and potential of the public-public partnership. Working together, CHA and MHA were able to maintain public control of the property, create financial resources for the public entities that can be reinvested into the property or mission, and allow for truly public accountability and transparency. And as part of that unique co-developer arrangement between the two housing authorities, CHA will eventually exit the deal, leaving MHA the property’s sole owner.
“When two housing authorities succeed together, the entire public sector succeeds.” Fraden concluded. “And, Saltonstall is proof of what is possible when public agencies choose to stand together, learn from each other, and stay focused on the people and communities we are here to serve.”