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:
David Greer
Director of Communications
(202) 550-1381 or [email protected].
*Please let us know if you are working on deadline.
To view all of CLPHA's press releases, click here.
To view all of CLPHA's press statements, click here.
You can subscribe here to our biweekly newsletter, events invite list, and topic specific newsletters. You can also follow us on Twitter at @CLPHA. Or, send us an email with your interests and we would be happy to add you to our press lists.
Thanks again for your interest in CLPHA!
|
(202) 550-1381
For Immediate Release
February 27, 2021 |
|
|
(Washington, D.C.) February 27, 2021 – Sunia Zaterman, executive director of the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities, released the following statement upon tonight’s passage of the American Rescue Plan Act in the U.S. House of Representatives:
“The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities applauds the House of Representatives' bipartisan passage of the American Rescue Plan Act, which includes $35 billion in emergency rental and utility assistance and a significant extension of the eviction moratorium.
“This legislation is critical to address the rental crisis facing the nation. The situation has only grown worse since the Biden Administration announced the American Rescue Plan in mid-January. Renters have continued to accrue past-due rent at an alarmingly high rate. While the eviction moratorium has provided important protections for renters financially impacted by the pandemic, the moratorium has meant that millions of renters have accumulated significant arrears. Economists estimate that unpaid rent at the end of January 2021 totals $52 billion, which amounts to $5,600 for the average renter. With the March 31 moratorium on evictions rapidly approaching, additional rent assistance is urgently needed to help renters stay in their homes by addressing back rent. The Senate must act swiftly to provide emergency rental assistance and prevent a wave of evictions that will tragically disrupt the lives of millions of Americans.”
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative |
||
|
(202) 550-1381
For Immediate Release
January 28, 2021 |
|
|
(Washington, D.C.) January 28, 2021 – Sunia Zaterman, executive director of the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities, released the following statement upon the conclusion of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs’ nomination hearing for The Honorable Marcia L. Fudge, of Ohio, to be Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development: “The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities applauds HUD Secretary-designate Marcia Fudge’s forceful call for expanding emergency rental assistance at her Senate nomination hearing today for individuals who are facing housing instability due to lost income or are experiencing unemployment because of COVID-19, many of whom are people of color. She understands that the $25 billion allocated to emergency rental assistance in the most recent stimulus was not enough and only a down payment.
“Right now, in back rent alone, 10 million low-income renters have accrued an average of $5,600 in rental arrears, which totals $56.3 billion. The current stimulus package will help approximately 3.5 million renters pay back rent by February. The remaining 7 million renters who are unable to pay back rent will face eviction, compounding the strain on our nation’s economy and compromising our nation’s moral responsibility to address racial inequities among our most vulnerable individuals.
CLPHA calls for Congress to immediately pass President Biden’s American Rescue Plan which contains $50 billion in emergency rental assistance, and for the Senate to swiftly confirm Secretary-designate Fudge so that she can begin her imperative work.”
About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative |
January 6, 2021
(Washington, D.C.) January 6, 2021 – Sunia Zaterman, executive director of the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities, released the following statement on the results of yesterday’s special election in Georgia:
“CLPHA congratulates Raphael Warnock on his historic victory and Jon Ossoff’s election to the United States Senate, thus securing a Democratic Senate majority. The incoming Biden-Harris administration and HUD Secretary-designate Marcia Fudge now have expanded, once-in-a-generation opportunities to improve the lives of low-income Americans who have been especially harmed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The first course of action is for Congress to pass a new stimulus relief bill with $50 billion in emergency rental assistance that addresses housing insecurity and homelessness. These historic wins also provide momentum to permanently expand the Housing Choice Voucher program and recapitalize the public housing portfolio, both of which are concrete steps to eradicating poverty and dismantling systemic racism. CLPHA looks forward to working with the Biden-Harris administration and the 117th Congress to make these legislative goals happen.”
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 .
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative
The Housing Is Initiative, led by the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities, helps build a future where sectors work together to improve life outcomes. Housing stability is a critical first step to improve life outcomes for low-income children, families, and seniors; CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative is based on the premise that sectors can better meet needs when they work together. Housing Is establishes, broadens, and deepens efforts to align affordable housing, education, and health systems to produce positive, long-term results. Learn more at housingis.org and on Twitter @housing_is.
The Housing Opportunities Commission of Montgomery County and partners cut the ribbon on The Lindley, a 200-unit high-rise in Chevy Chase, MD. The opening of The Lindley constitutes a net increase of 22 units of affordable housing in the neighborhood. You can watch a time-lapse video of The Lindley’s construction here.
The long-awaited Opportunity Atlas, published today by the Census Bureau in collaboration with researchers at Harvard and Brown, got top billing on today’s homepage of the New York Times’ data-driven digital property The Upshot. “Detailed New National Maps Show How Neighborhoods Shape Children for Life,” includes the new interactive mapping tool, some of the project’s main findings, and examples of the mobility work that public housing authorities are currently doing, and plan to do, with the data. In addition to quoting Raj Chetty, one of the project’s researchers, authors Emily Badger and Quoctrung Bui feature quotes and examples from CLPHA members Greg Russ, Executive Director of the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority, Andrew Lofton, Executive Director of the Seattle Housing Authority and Andria Lazaga also of SHA who each discussed how PHAs are using the data as part of their Creating Moves to Opportunity (CMTO) work.
Additional news coverage of the Opportunity Atlas includes an NPR segment during today’s Morning Edition broadcast that features interviews with Chetty and local officials in Charlotte, NC, who intend to use the data to shape future policy decisions.
Read the article and use the interactive maps on the NYT website and listen to the Morning Edition story on NPR’s site.
On August 9, HUD sent the 2017 Worst Case Housing Needs Report to Congress, providing national data and analysis of critical problems facing low-income renting families throughout the nation. The report, which is HUD's 16th in a longstanding series, chronicles an increase in severe housing problems, with the number of households considered to have worst case housing needs jumping from 7.72 million in 2013 to 8.3 million in 2015. HUD also reports that, since 2007, the U.S. has seen a 41 percent increase in severe housing problems, and a 66 percent increase since 2001. The Worst Case Housing Needs Report defines households with worst case needs as very low-income renters who do not receive government housing assistance and who paid more than one-half of their income for rent, lived in severely inadequate conditions, or both.
Using data from the 2015 American Housing Survey, HUD found that the economic benefits of an improving national economy are not reaching the lowest-income renter households and that overall severe housing problems are on the rise. The report acknowledges a large shift from homeownership to renting as playing a major role in the increase of worst case housing needs, noting that, "modest gains in household incomes were met with rising rents, shrinking the supply of affordable rental housing stock in an increasingly competitive market."
You can view the 2017 Worst Case Housing Needs Report by clicking here.
On August 1, the Senate Finance Committee held a hearing, “America’s Affordable Housing Crisis: Challenges and Solutions.” The hearing focused primarily on the challenge of increasing the supply of affordable housing and strategies to address the significant housing cost burdens faced by many Americans. Senator Hatch opened the hearing, stating that the affordable housing crisis, “is a problem that should be ready for a bipartisan solution.” To view our write-up of the hearing, click here.
To help tackle the affordable housing issues discussed in the hearing, Senators Orrin G. Hatch (R-UT) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) have introduced legislation, S. 548, the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act. The bill would increase Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) credit authority by 50 percent, as well as enact roughly two dozen changes to strengthen the program by streamlining program rules, improving flexibility, and enabling the program to serve a wider array of local needs.
During the hearing, Committee Members expressed their support for the Cantwell-Hatch bill and there was broad bipartisan consensus that the LIHTC program is a vital tool for increasing the production of affordable housing and providing low-income households, safe, quality, affordable homes. However, there were also concerns raised regarding oversight and compliance of the program. Daniel Garcia-Diaz, director of financial markets and community investment at the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), presented testimony that IRS oversight of LIHTC is minimal and that there are no robust controls in place to ensure reasonableness of costs or compliance with program requirements. According to Mr. Garcia-Diaz, the GAO recommends that HUD, as an agency with a housing mission, play a greater role in the oversight of the program.
In our Statement for the Record, CLPHA applauded the leadership the Senate Finance Committee has shown in support of LIHTC to date and encouraged the Committee to support S. 548. The bill is especially beneficial to the public housing program, which has experienced decades of underfunding and federal disinvestment. We noted that LIHTC has proven to be an extremely important preservation tool for public housing, and PHAs have a long history of leveraging private equity through LIHTCs to fill the funding gap created by decreased federal appropriations. Without the LIHTC program, preservation of their public housing stock would not be possible.
CLPHA also acknowledged that competition for more valuable 9% LIHTCs is fierce in many states and that there have been concerns within the affordable housing community about increased demand from the public housing portfolio. Increasing the allocation authority by 50 percent would support the preservation and construction of up to 400,000 additional affordable apartments over a ten-year period, including the renovation of vital public housing units that are currently at-risk. Additionally, the legislation allows for an increased basis boost for projects serving extremely low-income households. This would be particularly beneficial to housing authorities, as 75 percent of public housing residents are extremely-low income.
CLPHA has been strongly supportive of the legislation. In addition to the Statement of Record above, CLPHA has also engaged in this work as a member of the A.C.T.I.O.N. Campaign Steering Committee (A Call to Invest in Our Neighborhoods). The A.C.T.I.O.N. Campaign has taken a lead role in promoting the expansion of LIHTC, including support of S.548. Last month the Campaign submitted a letter to Senator Hatch in response to his request for comments on tax reform, urging Congress to expand and strengthen the housing credit. Along with other Steering Committee members, CLPHA endorsed and signed the letter.
As Congress takes on tax reform in the upcoming months, we will continue to support this important legislation that would provide needed resources to public housing. CLPHA members should support the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act by contacting their senators during recess to urge them to support the bill.
Two-Generation Economic Act reflects the cross-sector collaboration that CLPHA’s Housing IsInitiative promotes.
Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Martin Heinrich (D-NM) recently reintroduced bipartisan legislation in the Senate, calling for the development of support programs that improve family economic security by breaking the cycle of multigenerational poverty through a comprehensive strategy that addresses the needs of parents and children. The Two-Generation Economic Act of 2017, or S. 435, seeks to align and link existing service systems and funding streams that currently support parents and children separately. Heinrich and Collins believe that aligning the support systems to help parents and children together will increase the whole family’s chances for success in life. The bill also establishes the Interagency Council on Multigenerational Poverty to provide guidance on two-generation programs; establish a system of coordination among agencies and organizations; identify best practices; and identify gaps, research needs, and program deficiencies.
The Two-Generation Economic Act of 2017 is a significant step in the fight against poverty. It would be the first piece of legislation to incorporate a two-generation approach aimed at increasing economic security, educational success, social capital, and health and well-being for parents and children together. In seeking to better align service systems and funding streams, the bill would give states, local governments, and tribes more flexibility to develop programs that meet their specific needs. The approach outlined in S. 435 would greatly improve the effectiveness of service delivery, and it highlights the same principles and goals around which CLPHA’s Housing Is initiative was founded, to better intersect housing and other sectors in order to improve life outcomes. CLPHA has long promoted two-generation initiatives as a best practice and has been a leader in fostering partnerships to encourage innovative solutions to address generational poverty.
The Interagency Council on Multigenerational Poverty will create a national focus on multigenerational poverty by facilitating coordinated efforts across multiple agencies and departments. This interagency collaboration will align and link fragmented systems and funding streams, resulting in holistic approaches that simultaneously address the needs of children and their parents or guardians.
A collaboration that has been in the works for several years, the Two-Generation Economic Empowerment Act includes a balance of input and interests from local service providers, families, administrators, and other stakeholders. Heinrich and Collins hope that this innovative approach will help collectively ensure that people will have an opportunity to use already existing federal resources or attract private investment to implement the two-generation approach in their community, regardless of one’s zip code.
When Senator Collins first introduced the bill, she told the story of a five-year-old girl named Arianna who was homeless, living in a tent with her family outside of Portland, ME. A state social worker worked with the Maine Homeless Veterans Alliance to provide support services to the girl and her family, who are now living in an apartment near where Arianna is attending school. This is a small-scale example of the holistic approach that Collins and Heinrich wish to achieve with their legislation.
“Just as a child’s ZIP code should not determine his or her future success, neither should bureaucratic inflexibility make it so difficult for families to get the help they need to escape intergenerational poverty,” Senator Collins said.
You can learn more about the Two-Generation Economic Act of 2017 by reading this fact sheet that explains the principles of the bill or view a copy of the bill by clicking here.
From the Tacoma Housing Authority's press release:
The Tacoma Housing Authority (THA) has secured new funding to rehabilitate over 300 of its existing affordable housing units. 316 households representing over 1,000 residents of northwest Salishan and Hillside Terrace 2300 will see their units updated over a two-year period. This $150 million effort will bring much needed upgrades and renovations to these decades-old properties.
Resyndication is a feature of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program in which affordable housing providers seek to secure a new allocation of tax credits for the purpose of preservation, rehabilitation, and/or sustainable development. This critical tool ensures that THA has financial backing to update and renovate hundreds of units and improve the quality of life for tenants at THA family properties. This program was recently expanded by Congress and championed by Senator Maria Cantwell.
The rehabilitation project is expected to span two years, with improvements designed to enhance comfort, safety, and sustainability for families. THA is taking a strategic, staggered approach in which households will be temporarily moved to different units in their community while their home undergoes construction. The scope of work includes:
• New roofs, windows, and heat pumps
• Upgraded appliances, flooring, cabinets, and countertops
• Interior and exterior painting
• Modernized plumbing and electrical fixtures
• Comprehensive site improvements
“Salishan and Hillside Terrace are family properties at their core,” said Director of Asset Management and Real Estate Development Ken Short. “This resyndication is more than a construction project—it’s an investment in children, parents, and neighbors who deserve high-quality, safe, and sustainable housing.”
55% of households whose homes will be rehabilitated include children, and 73% are extremely low-income, earning less than 30% of Area Median Income (AMI). The average annual income of these households is $28,918.
The resyndication is backed by over $150 million in funding from multiple sources, including a $10 million award from the Washington State Department of Commerce, dedicated to energy efficiency upgrades including new windows and heat pumps with air conditioning. Citi Bank is serving as the lender for this effort, underscoring the strong financial partnerships that make this ambitious rehabilitation possible.
THA has engaged LMC as the general contractor, who will partner with local development group 1DROP to facilitate outreach and opportunities for local, community-minded small businesses to work on the project.
From the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles' newsletter:
Two new Panda Cares Centers of Hope are opening doors to education and opportunity for youth across HACLA communities. We celebrated the openings with ribbon cuttings at Pueblo del Sol and William Mead Homes, highlighting a major investment in youth empowerment. At Pueblo del Sol, Panda Cares and Panda Associates partnered with the Variety Boys & Girls Club to establish a new Center of Hope, creating a dedicated learning space that supports academic success, skill-building, and college and career readiness.
At William Mead, we welcomed the transformation of the community center into a Panda Cares Center of Hope through its long-standing partnership with the Boys & Girls Club of West San Gabriel Valley & Eastside. Since 2018, this collaboration has provided residents at William Mead, Ramona Gardens, and Estrada Courts with educational support, leadership development, recreational programming, and digital literacy skills.
From the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority's press release:
Wesley Housing, The Lamb Center, Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority (FCRHA), Fairfax County, and City of Fairfax officials, and other development project partners gathered on November 3rd to break ground on Beacon Landing in Fairfax, VA. The innovative rental apartment community will provide 54 new Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) units with wraparound supportive services to people experiencing or at-risk of chronic homelessness.
Beacon Landing is the result of a thoughtful partnership between Wesley Housing and The Lamb Center, leveraging both organizations’ complementary missions, expertise, and long histories of community service to deliver Northern Virginia’s largest permanent supportive housing community. Located in the northeast portion of Fairfax City, on the same street as The Lamb Center’s existing daytime drop-in shelter for people experiencing homelessness, the community will replace the former Hy-Way Motel site (9640 Fairfax Blvd, Fairfax, VA), which was demolished in 2024.
Once complete, Beacon Landing will offer primarily studio-style apartments tailored for single individuals with very low incomes. The Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority (FCRHA) awarded 48 project-based vouchers for the development. The community will feature 42 studio, 10 one-bedroom, and 2 two-bedroom apartments. The building is designed as 100% universal design and nine units will meet Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards (UFAS) and American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Type A requirements to address resident accessibility needs. The new apartment building will feature an innovative, trauma-informed, energy-efficient design and will meet National Green Building Standards (NGBS) and Zero Energy Ready Home (ZERH) requirements.
Once complete, Beacon Landing will offer primarily studio-style apartments tailored for single individuals with very low incomes. The Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority (FCRHA) awarded 48 project-based vouchers for the development. The community will feature 42 studio, 10 one-bedroom, and 2 two-bedroom apartments. The building is designed as 100% universal design and nine units will meet Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards (UFAS) and American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Type A requirements to address resident accessibility needs. The new apartment building will feature an innovative, trauma-informed, energy-efficient design and will meet National Green Building Standards (NGBS) and Zero Energy Ready Home (ZERH) requirements.
“This is not just a building; it’s a bold response to a growing need,” said Wesley Housing President and CEO Kamilah McAfee. “Beacon Landing shows what’s possible when communities like Fairfax County and City of Fairfax come together cross-jurisdictionally to invest substantial resources in housing solutions that are compassionate, coordinated, and lasting.”
The five-story, mixed-use development will include structured parking, a community space, an outdoor terrace, and office space on the ground floor, enabling an expansion of The Lamb Center’s job readiness programs to help individuals find and sustain employment. Residents will also benefit from case management and wrap-around services to support their health, stability, and independence, ranging from income and benefit navigation to life skills training and mental health support.
“Nine years ago, grounded in faith, The Lamb Center asked a simple question: ‘What is the greatest unmet need of our homeless neighbors?’ That question brought us to this moment. Beacon Landing shows what’s possible when boundaries fade and communities unite around a shared conviction — that housing is not a privilege, but a fundamental human right,” said The Lamb Center Executive Director Tara Ruszkowski.
“At the FCRHA, we are committed to removing barriers and creating access for everyone in their quest to find opportunities. Beacon Landing does just that, by providing people experiencing homelessness with homes and supportive services to help them thrive,” said Lenore Stanton, Chair, FCRHA.
From the Los Angeles Sentinel:
In honor of Veterans Day, Mayor Karen Bass welcomed servicemembers from across Los Angeles to Getty House for a luncheon recognizing their service and celebrating the early success of her “House Our Vets” initiative, a program launched in January to end Veteran homelessness in the city. The event brought together Veterans who recently secured permanent housing, property owners contributing units to the effort, and civic leaders partnering with the city to accelerate placements.
Since the program’s launch, the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) reports that nearly 400 Veterans have been housed through the HUD-VASH program, with a retention rate of 99 percent. The progress reflects major policy changes Mayor Bass championed in Washington, D.C. last year, where she led a delegation of more than 50 bipartisan mayors in pushing for the removal of federal barriers preventing Veterans from receiving both disability benefits and housing vouchers simultaneously.
“For years, federal policies forced Veterans to choose between healthcare and housing,” Bass said, addressing the crowd gathered inside the Getty House courtyard.
“No one who served our country should ever have had to make that choice. When I learned these policies left thousands of vouchers unused, I knew we had to act.”
The mayor reflected on her experience chairing the U.S. Conference of Mayors Ad Hoc Committee on Homelessness, where her advocacy helped secure HUD waivers and regulatory changes that now allow Veterans to retain their earned benefits while accessing permanent housing assistance.
Read the Loa Angeles Sentinel's article "Mayor Bass Celebrates Veterans, Highlights Progress Toward Ending Veteran Homelessness."
From the Housing Authority of the County of San Bernardino's website:
On November 4, HACSB and its partners celebrated another milestone in the transformation of the Arrowhead Grove community: the groundbreaking of Alder Square, the fourth phase of redevelopment at the site. Previous phases of redevelopment added 322 new homes to the community, replacing 252 original 1940’s Public Housing units beginning in 2016. Alder Square will add 92 new apartment homes, including 14 mobility-accessible and 10 hearing-accessible units, and an on-site manager’s unit, for individuals and families earning between 30% and 80% of the area median income. Like previous phases, Alder Square is developed in partnership with its development partner, National CORE. HACSB’s Executive Director, Maria Razo, is proud of the enduring partnership between the Housing Authority and National CORE. “Our partnership has grown into a truly collaborative relationship, and we are united by our shared commitment to create high-quality affordable housing and thriving communities for the residents we serve. Together, we’re proving that affordable housing can be transformative,” Razo said.
HACSB would like to thank the many partners who have supported this project, including National CORE, San Bernardino County, the City of San Bernardino, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Congressman Pete Aguilar, the California Department of Housing and Community Development, the California Strategic Growth Council, the California Community Reinvestment Corporation, Hudson Housing Capital, California Climate Investments, and Capital One.
Construction of Alder Square is expected to finish in late 2027.
