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.
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David Greer
Director of Communications
(202) 550-1381 or [email protected].
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CLPHA Statement on PHA Radon and Mitigation Practices
WASHINGTON (November 22, 2019) - The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities issued the following statement in response to news coverage about radon testing and mitigation practices in public housing:
Public housing authorities (PHAs) are committed to providing rental housing that is safe, decent, and affordable for millions of low- and very-low income families, the elderly, and persons with disabilities. PHAs are regulated and funded by the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which sets health and safety standards for PHA properties.
HUD does not require or fund PHAs to test for or mitigate radon in public housing units. While HUD does have radon testing and remediation requirements for certain multi-family properties, these do not apply to public housing.
Chronic underfunding of public housing has led to a mounting capital needs backlog of an estimated $70 billion, yet HUD’s most recent budget proposal would have slashed funding for public housing by $4.6 billion and zeroed out the Public Housing Capital Fund, which is designed to address capital needs.
PHAs welcome consistent standards with adequate funding to mitigate hazards through grants or other funding opportunities. As an example, CLPHA strongly supports bipartisan legislation in the House and Senate to mandate the installation of carbon monoxide detectors in all public housing units. The Safe Housing for Families Act would provide $300 million over a three-year period to install and maintain the detectors.
CLPHA is supportive of these and other comprehensive efforts to improve conditions in HUD-assisted housing for low and very low-income residents.
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“In the coming weeks, the House will consider bipartisan legislation to permanently authorize the disaster relief funding platform for housing programs. The Reforming Disaster Recovery Act of 2019 is rational, comprehensive, badly needed, and Congress should pass it. Its proposed standardization and codification would make it easier for public housing authorities (PHAs) to apply for, and receive, relief funds after being impacted by disasters the way our colleagues and their residents were in Houston during Hurricane Harvey, in Wilmington during Hurricane Florence, in San Buenaventura during the Camp Fire, and the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico during Hurricanes Irma and Maria.
“Perhaps if the bill were law today, the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development would have a harder time intentionally stalling the disaster relief funding process for Puerto Rico, which two senior HUD officials admitted to doing during a hearing last month, and Secretary Carson has not denied.
“This is unconscionable and a blatant disregard of a statutory deadline. Though Congress has allocated $20 billion in CDBG-DR funds to Puerto Rico, HUD has only disbursed $1.5 billion, while thousands of American citizens struggle to recover.
“To remedy this, Senate appropriators included strong language in the THUD spending bill to prevent HUD from implementing its financial transformation initiative until the Department takes the appropriate steps to make all disaster recovery funds available along with necessary administrative requirements, which would include remaining allocations to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
“Congress must take action to compel HUD to follow the law. We urge support for the House and Senate efforts to ensure that all Americans, regardless of income and geography, whose housing is impacted by natural disaster receive the support they need quickly and efficiently.”
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 Housing Is Initiative to better intersect the housing field and other areas of critical importance such as health and education.
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WASHINGTON (September 20, 2019) – Sunia Zaterman, the Executive Director of the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities, issued the following statement today in response to President Trump’s and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Carson’s recent comments on the crisis of homelessness in America:
“It is astounding that this administration is calling for an end to homelessness while refusing to reinvest in public and affordable housing. People without a place to live need stable housing, not just campaign rally rhetoric or politically driven economic reporting based on cherry-picked research to manufacture a root cause of homelessness.
“The reasons for homelessness vary and no single solution will end the crisis, but there is no question that the lack of affordable housing opportunities exacerbates the problem for families, people with disabilities, and veterans.
“The Housing First model, recognized by HUD as recently as December as the most effective way to end homelessness, treats stable housing as a platform for supportive services that meet immediate and long-term needs for individuals and families.
“Meanwhile, this Administration has tried to gut funding for HUD and for public housing authorities, which are essential partners in local efforts to provide safe, stable housing to low and very-low income families, and those most vulnerable to homelessness.
“PHAs work with their Continuums of Care to provide transitional housing, permanent supportive housing, and vouchers to households exiting homelessness. They also coordinate with a variety of local service providers to offer supportive services to ensure housing stability, and work with health and education partners to promote access to services that are essential for family well-being and self-sufficiency.
“The hundreds of thousands of unsheltered people living on the streets in our country need real solutions, not campaign speeches.”
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 Housing Is Initiative to better intersect the housing field and other areas of critical importance such as health and education.
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From the San Diego Housing Commission's press release:
The long-vacant former site of a City of San Diego public library will be transformed into nearly 60 affordable rental apartments for families through the development of Serra Mesa Apartments, which celebrated its groundbreaking today. Half of the apartments will be set aside for veterans experiencing homelessness.
“I think this project is particularly poetic. It's focused on veterans. Many of you know that Serra Mesa has long been home to many of our region’s military families. We have incredible military housing, literally across the street. Serra Mesa has long supported San Diego's role as America's premier military town,” said Mayor Todd Gloria. “And so, the integration of this project that has this emphasis on veterans really is a continuation of the story of this great community.”
For 55 years, rents for the 59 affordable rental units at Serra Mesa Apartments will remain affordable for San Diegans with incomes ranging from 30 to 60 percent of the San Diego Area Median Income, up to $79,380 per year for a two-person household.
“When families don’t have to worry as much about affording their rent each month, they have a better chance to thrive by focusing more on their career, schooling, health and their family life,” said Colin Miller, SDHC’s Senior Vice President of Real Estate Development.
SDHC awarded 30 Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) Project-Based Housing Vouchers toward the development to assist eligible veterans, who will also receive on-site supportive services from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) San Diego Healthcare System.
These VASH vouchers are tied directly to the development, so that when a resident moves on, the voucher remains at the site to help another eligible veteran family move into affordable rental housing.
SDHC also awarded a $2.5 million loan toward the development, consisting of federal and local funds that SDHC administers for the City of San Diego: the City of San Diego Affordable Housing Fund and federal HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) funds from the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The development is also part of the City’s Homes for All of Us Initiative to create housing for San Diegans of all income levels and includes a $4 million loan from the City of San Diego’s Bridge to Home program.
The development of the former library site, which sat vacant for 20 years, was also made possible by a 65-year land lease from the City of San Diego to the developer, Community HousingWorks (CHW).
“We are transforming this former library from one community asset to a different type of community asset in terms of providing affordable housing for folks most in need,” CHW President & CEO Sean Spear said. “And then we’re also transforming lives—the notion of being able to support residents, some of whom may be formerly homeless, and giving them not only a chance to really live comfortably in a well-built home, but also truly to thrive with the layering of services that we're going to be providing for them for free.”
The VA will provide on-site services to veteran households, such as health and case management services, connections to health and food resources.
CHW will also provide on-site services for all residents of the community at no cost, which may include financial success training, multigenerational success and health and wellness programs and services.
The development, which is expected to open in fall of 2027, will include 56 one-bedroom units, three two-bedroom units, and one unrestricted two-bedroom manager’s unit.
The development will consist of a five-story building, including a 22-space parking garage on the first floor, along with a 1,012-square-foot community room space, a computer lab, laundry facilities. The second floor will have a 2,765-square-foot courtyard.
The Serra Mesa library closed in 2006, upon the opening of the Serra Mesa-Kearny Mesa Branch Library on Aero Drive less than a mile away.
Nearby amenities include options for retail, transit, and parks as well as public schools, and the Kearny Mesa Veterans Affairs outpatient center, which is less than a quarter mile to the north on Aero Drive.
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.”