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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The disinvestment in housing and supportive services is a disinvestment in our nation’s most vulnerable populations.
WASHINGTON (March 12, 2019) - Sunia Zaterman, Executive Director of the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities, issued the following statement today in response to President Trump’s FY 2020 Budget proposal, which would slash funding for the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development by more than 16 percent, including a $4.6 billion cut to the public housing capital and operating funds.
“This budget is a study in contradiction. While the administration is promising safer, healthier, more affordable housing, this budget proposes a 16 percent cut to HUD funding.
“While promoting HUD’s efforts to end homelessness and reduce home health and safety hazards, this budget slashes the public housing operating fund and zeroes out the capital fund.
“While rightly raising the cap on RAD conversions and requesting $100 million for the program, this budget renders the program effectively unusable with the proposed funding cuts.
“It is not possible for public housing authorities to dedicate resources to meeting capital needs when there is no capital fund, or to house the homeless without the resources to operate housing.
“The administration wants us to think beyond investing in bricks and mortar, and instead think about investing in people. This budget does neither of those things. The disinvestment in housing and supportive services is a disinvestment in our nation’s most vulnerable populations, including the 2.2 million low- and very low-income families, children, elderly, and persons with disabilities who are served by public housing.
“Congress has previously rejected draconian budgets that shred our safety net, and we call on them to do so again.”
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 insect the housing field and other areas of critical importance such as health and education.
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Statement from CLPHA Executive Director Sunia Zaterman
WASHINGTON (September 21, 2018) – In support of housing authorities and residents impacted by Hurricane Florence, Sunia Zaterman, Executive Director of the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities, issued the following statement:
“Though the storm itself is behind us, flooding and other destructive impacts of Hurricane Florence may take weeks or months to subside. As we consider the ongoing damage to Virginia and the Carolinas, our thoughts immediately turn to the most vulnerable segments of our population: low-income families and those who risk displacement from their homes.
“The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA) and its entire membership supports providing assistance in any way we can to colleagues, partners, friends, and housing residents who have been affected by the devastation caused by Hurricane Florence. We will make available to the fullest extent any vital resources and support services we have at our disposal to help cities, PHAs, and residents recover from the storm.
“Please know that our thoughts are with all those who have suffered losses from the hurricane and its aftermath. CLPHA and its entire network of affordable housing professionals stands ready to work across all sectors to extend both short-term and long-term assistance to anyone in need. As we have in the past, we will advocate for HUD and FEMA programs such as DHAP and CDBG-DR that help disaster-impacted low-income Americans establish housing stability and improve their life outcomes.”
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 26 percent of the Housing Choice Voucher program; and operate a wide array of other housing programs. Learn more at clpha.org and on Twitter @CLPHA.
For Immediate Release
Wednesday, September 19, 2018
HUD’s Rental Assistance Demonstration Program is a Proven Means of Securing the Future of the Nation’s Public Housing Stock
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson and Federal Housing Commissioner Brian Montgomery joined the Housing Authority of the City of Austin, its development partners Atlantic | Pacific Communities and Madhouse Development Services, and the Austin community to celebrate the groundbreaking of HACA’s most recent redevelopment of one of its public housing properties, Goodrich Place, which also represents the 100,000th public housing unit being converted through HUD’s Rental Assistance Demonstration program.
In recognition of this important milestone, Sunia Zaterman, Executive Director of the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities and Patrick Costigan, Strategic Advisor to the RAD Collaborative, issued the following statement:
Today we are celebrating an important milestone addressing the critical need for affordable housing by enabling housing authorities to convert public housing to more stable long-term Section 8 based contracts that will serve PHAs and residents for years to come.
Through the Rental Assistance Demonstration program, agencies across the country can leverage private financing to complete capital improvements needed to preserve and improve the public housing stock, without giving up control of the asset. RAD engenders creative local partnerships, stimulates ongoing economic activity, and leads to improved housing quality for low-income seniors and families.
As we celebrate the 100,000th RAD unit, it’s clear that we have proof of concept. To give PHAs greater certainty, HUD’s program should be permanent with unlimited opportunity for conversions to agencies meeting the requirements.
Congratulations to HUD at this significant juncture, and to HACA and the residents of Goodrich Place who will soon have access to improved units in one of Austin’s highest opportunity neighborhoods.
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 26 percent 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 the RAD Collaborative
The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA)—with the support of the National Equity Fund (NEF), HAI Group, Reno & Cavanaugh, and CF Housing Group—organized the RAD Collaborative for interested Public Housing Authorities, their partners and residents using the Rental Assistance Demonstration to preserve and revitalize public housing properties. Our focus also includes extending RAD to multifamily housing at risk of being lost from the affordable inventory--including Rent Supp, RAP, Mod Rehab and Section 202 PRAC properties. Learn more at radcollaborative.org and on Twitter @SucceedwithRAD.
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From the City of Boston's press release:
Mayor Michelle Wu announced $200,000 in funding for the SHORE-UP pilot (“Stabilizing Housing for Our Resident Elders Under Pressure”), a program designed to keep vulnerable older adults in their homes until they can access permanent homes that they can afford. As Boston’s population ages and more seniors become vulnerable to eviction and displacement, the City will use the SHORE-UP pilot to explore effective ways to enable eligible older adults from Boston to remain in their homes for long enough to access subsidized housing off existing affordable waiting lists.
“Our older residents have built Boston over their decades of leadership and neighborhood activism, and they continue to anchor our communities,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “We must continue to find every resource to support our seniors staying and thriving across Boston. This program will help keep older adults in our neighborhoods, close to their friends and families, with a pathway to long-term affordable housing.”
Many of Boston’s older adults are on extremely low fixed incomes, with 21 percent of Boston residents age 65 or older living below the poverty level. Among Boston households led by these seniors, more than a third (35 percent) are severely cost-burdened: approximately 10,000 senior households spend more than half their modest income on housing. At the same time, waiting lists for subsidized affordable housing are long, and residents are often not admitted on timelines that match their immediate housing crises. More than 11,000 seniors are currently housed across BHA housing opportunities, but approximately 10,000 seniors 65 and older are on the Boston Housing Authority (BHA) waitlist today. BHA funds roughly 7,000 units of housing designated for the elderly and disabled community, between public housing (about 3,000 units) and buildings supported by project-based vouchers (about 4,000 units).
The SHORE-UP pilot would allow eligible older adults from Boston who are facing eviction or displacement to temporarily remain in their homes, by helping to bridge the gap between their incomes and their rents, while they await approval for long-term subsidized housing. Low-income older adults participating in this bridge subsidy program would pay up to 30% of their income towards rent, mortgage, or other housing costs, with the bridge subsidy making up the difference. This approach will prevent the spiral of negative physical and mental health impacts that often accompany an older adult being plunged into homelessness even for a short period.
The City of Boston, including the Mayor’s Office of Housing, Age Strong, and the Planning Department, along with the Boston Housing Authority (BHA), will work in collaboration with Mass Senior Action Council, the Mass Coalition for the Homeless, individual Boston seniors, and other non-profit organizations to shape the pilot program. Having the voices of older residents at the table, contributing ideas and sharing lived experiences will help build a program model that best meets the needs of Boston’s older residents.
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“The most difficult part of our work is the gap between how many people on our waitlist need an affordable home and how many we can serve,” said BHA Administrator Kenzie Bok. “We are thrilled to partner with the Mayor, city departments, and advocates for our most vulnerable seniors to identify situations where a small bridge subsidy would make all the difference for older adults until we can welcome them into our homes.”
From Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority's press release:
The Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) Board of Commissioners announced today a major investment strategy that will bolster the agency’s ability to continue to address central Ohio’s “critical need” for more affordable housing.
The board approved issuing up to $64.3 million in tax-free municipal bonds that allow CMHA to invest:
- $50 million to fund new construction of The Falls, a planned 220-unit mixed-income apartment community at 3349 Refugee Road that will serve 550 new middle- to low-wage-earning residents, with CMHA as the sole developer.
- $14.3 million to acquire Demorest Townhomes, a 48-unit multifamily housing complex constructed in 2021 at 4230 Cove Court in Grove City. The purchase includes 11 acres of vacant land on the site where CMHA will build a new 104-unit affordable housing community and a clubhouse.
CMHA’s $64 million-plus multifamily housing bond plan reflects an innovative approach to expanding the region’s housing supply by leveraging capital markets in ways that maximize long-term community impact.
The bonds provide developers with access to competitive financing that can significantly reduce borrowing costs, making it possible to deliver high-quality housing at more affordable rents. This approach is key to CMHA’s strategy for strengthening the region’s housing stock and addressing Central Ohio’s shortage of attainable housing. The initiative was bolstered by CMHA’s A+ rating from S&P Global Ratings, which helps secure favorable financing terms and investor confidence.
“The multifamily housing bonds we’re issuing for The Falls and Demorest Townhomes are more than just a funding tool — they’re a catalyst for growth,” said CMHA Chief Operating Officer Scott Scharlach.
“By structuring these transactions to attract investment at competitive rates, we’re able to accelerate development timelines, keep rents within reach for working families and ensure these properties remain strong community assets for decades to come. This type of financing is a critical part of how we expand and preserve the housing options Franklin County needs.”
In addition, the CMHA Board announced today its approval to move forward with the $26 million acquisition of Rosebrook Village, a 244-unit multifamily residential apartment community at 6566 Rosebrook Lane in Reynoldsburg, owned by Columbus Housing Enterprise (CHE).
Columbus Housing Enterprise is a nonprofit organization committed to preserving affordable housing in Central Ohio through the philanthropic commitment of leaders in the private sector.
“This investment is another step forward in our strategy to combine the generosity of two successful and community-minded families with a nonprofit acting as a steward for the preservation of quality existing unsubsidized affordable housing,” said CHE Board Chair Hal Keller.
“We want to credit CMHA’s leadership and vision for working with us again because without this agreement, rents at Rosebrook Village would continue to soar as they are across central Ohio,” Keller said. “We also believe this model can and should be replicated as other multifamily property owners follow the lead of the Weiler and Kelley families.”
From Hoodline San Jose:
San Jose welcomed a new affordable housing option for young adults leaving the foster care system. The Sunrise Pavilion, with 43 pet-friendly apartments, has opened its doors to individuals aged 18 to 24. It offers permanent and transitional housing solutions targeted at Santa Clara County's transitional-age youth (TAY).
Developed by Jamboree Housing in collaboration with the Santa Clara County Housing Authority, the project aims to provide residents with a safe and stable environment. According to the California Department of Housing and Community Development, more than half of the homes at Sunrise Pavilion are assigned for permanent supportive housing. At the same time, the remaining units serve as transitional spaces that help youth acquire the necessary skills for independent living.
Sunrise Pavilion is not just about putting a roof over heads; it's a supportive community. On-site services, including career counseling and wireless internet access, are readily available. The Bill Wilson Center, alongside Community Solutions, is on deck to provide counseling and crisis management services. These, in tandem with career development programs by Housing with Heart, funded by Santa Clara County’s Office of Supportive Housing, are intended to ease the path forward for residents.
Read Hoodline San Jose's article "San Jose Unveils Sunrise Pavilion: New Affordable Housing for Former Foster Youth in Santa Clara County."
From the Chicago Housing Authority's website:
CHA’s summer 2025 youth employment opportunities have provided more than 2,300 young residents, ages 13-24, with paid summer jobs, offering early exposure to career and education pathways and opportunities that stem potential summer learning loss.
This year’s highlights include:
CHA Internship Program: CHA’s 2025 Student Intern Class is a group of 27 CHA residents who are enrolled in colleges around the country. Together, they are working across the agency’s Departments, bringing their unique academic backgrounds, professional experiences, and real-world perspectives to help the agency thrive.
Hyde Park Arts Center Mural Project: In Hyde Park, 11 CHA students are working alongside mural artist Dorian Sylvain to design and render an exterior large-scale painted mural on the Hyde Park Art Center.
Summer of Code: Through a partnership with Everyone Can Code Chicago, 16 CHA youth are spending their summer building a foundation in programming fundamentals, gaining practical experience in creating a basic iOS app from scratch.
New research from the Urban Institute explores the strong link between the availability of affordable housing and the prevalence of student homelessness across U.S. counties. Over the past 17 years, the number of homeless students in pre-K through 12th grade has surged by nearly 80%, reaching around 1.2 million. These students face significant educational barriers, such as chronic absenteeism and lower graduation rates. The study emphasizes that housing insecurity undermines psychological stability and upward mobility, making it harder for families to escape poverty. Using data from the Upward Mobility Data Dashboard, the researchers found a consistent negative correlation between the supply of affordable housing and student homelessness, especially among households with extremely low incomes.
The analysis highlights stark contrasts between counties with high and low levels of affordable housing. For instance, Roanoke County, Virginia, which has a robust supply of affordable housing for very low-income households, reports only 0.4% of students experiencing homelessness. In contrast, San Luis Obispo County, California, meets less than one-third of its housing needs for similar households and has a student homelessness rate of 8.8%. These findings underscore the importance of local housing conditions in shaping educational and social outcomes for children and youth.
To address these challenges, the report recommends several policy interventions. These include enacting tenant protections like just-cause eviction policies, expanding the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program, reforming restrictive zoning laws, and supporting manufactured housing communities.