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].
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About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative |
November 20, 2020
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.
About The Center for Disaster Philanthropy
The Center for Disaster Philanthropy’s mission is to leverage the power of philanthropy to mobilize a full range of resources that strengthen the ability of communities to withstand disasters and recover equitably when they occur. CDP manages domestic and international Disaster Funds on behalf of corporations, foundations and individuals through targeted, holistic and localized grantmaking. For more information, visit: disasterphilanthropy.org, call (202) 464-2018 or tweet us @funds4disaster.
New Funds Will Develop and Sustain Public Housing Authority Initiatives to Improve Postsecondary Achievement for Low-Income Households
WASHINGTON (November 25, 2019) – The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities, a housing advocacy organization and leader in efforts to improve life outcomes for low-income individuals and families, announced today that it has been awarded $300,000 from The Kresge Foundation to deepen connections between public housing authorities and their postsecondary education partners.
The three-year grant enables CLPHA to build on work that began last year, in partnership with The Kresge Foundation, to convene cross-sector housing and education partners who are collaborating to improve postsecondary achievement for students served by public housing authorities, including residents and housing insecure college students.
“Last year we showcased how these two sectors are working together to improve educational outcomes for low-income households. With generous funding from The Kresge Foundation, we will help more cross-sector partners develop and sustain their work,” said CLPHA Executive Director Sunia Zaterman. “As a national organization representing 70 of the largest public housing authorities in the country, CLPHA is well-positioned to identify promising innovations and facilitate peer-learning among those doing the work with the goal to scale successful initiatives that can be replicated nationally. We are very grateful to The Kresge Foundation for its multi-year support of our work.”
With the funds, CLPHA, through its Housing Is Initiative, will establish a leadership institute for a cohort of public housing authority staff and their partners who demonstrate the experience and capacity for postsecondary collaboration. In addition to virtual meetings aimed at institutionalizing their cross-sector work, members of the cohort will travel for in-person site visits to learn about the different projects in the field.
“By supporting stronger partnerships between housing authorities and postsecondary stakeholders, CLPHA’s leadership institute will help increase college access and success for both public housing residents who have postsecondary aspirations but need support to realize their dreams, and current college students, whose housing insecurity threatens to derail their educational progress," said Bethany Miller, program officer with the Kresge Education Program.
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.
About The Kresge Foundation
The Kresge Foundation was founded in 1924 to promote human progress. Today, Kresge fulfills that mission by building and strengthening pathways to opportunity for low-income people in America’s cities, seeking to dismantle structural and systemic barriers to equality and justice. Using a full array of grant, loan, and other investment tools, Kresge invests more than $160 million annually to foster economic and social change. For more information visit kresge.org.
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(Washington, D.C.) August 5, 2022 -- Council of Large Public Housing Authorities Executive Director Sunia Zaterman released the following statement on the Federal Communications Commission’s adoption of the Affordable Connectivity Outreach Grant Program and the Your Home, Your Internet Pilot Program:
"The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA) applauds the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) adoption of the Affordable Connectivity Outreach Grant Program and the one-year Your Home, Your Internet Pilot Program at its Open Commission Meeting today. CLPHA has worked closely with the FCC to help shape these programs through direct dialogue with members of Congress, the FCC, and submitted comments throughout the regulatory process. CLPHA has also been a long-time proponent for digital equity through working with partners, disseminating information via webinars, spotlighting promising practices at conferences, and conducting outreach on opportunities. Today is a strong step forward for serving low-income families living in assisted housing with improved access to high-quality, affordable broadband and devices.
"These initiatives will improve the Biden administration’s Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), a $14 billion long-term initiative that offers up to $30 a month for the costs of internet service for eligible households and builds on the Emergency Broadband Benefit in order to provide more permanent assistance. Public housing authorities have long understood that digital access is critical to improve life outcomes for low-income families living in assisted housing and we are excited for additional support to get more assisted households connected.
"Public housing authorities offer the most effective avenue to connect the highest number of low-income families to broadband access and accomplish the goals of the Affordable Connectivity Program. At CLPHA’s 8th Annual Housing Is Summit in May, Federal Communications Commission Commissioner Geoffrey Starks noted this point in his keynote speech, 'When I look at the data where we can reach more vulnerable households…, I consistently come back to housing. I see a clear synergy between housing and connectivity; if we are helping a family secure housing, we should be able to help them secure an internet connection as well.'
"In May 2022 Commissioner Starks also visited Nickerson Gardens, a property of the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA), a CLPHA member. With 1,000 units, Nickerson Gardens is the largest public housing community west of the Mississippi River. He reported that the ACP Pilot Program had connected 78 percent of the Nickerson Garden units to the internet.
"During today’s open meeting, Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel also named CLPHA member the Jersey City Housing Authority (JCHA) and its executive director Vivian Brady-Phillips as an exemplary PHA working on digital inclusion. CLPHA highlighted both HACLA and JCHA during this year’s Housing Is Summit.
"The Affordable Connectivity Outreach Grant Program will provide eligible governmental and non-governmental entities with funding to conduct outreach to eligible low-income households in order to increase awareness of and encourage participation in the Affordable Connectivity Program. The one-year Your Home, Your Internet Pilot Program aims to increase awareness of the Affordable Connectivity Program among recipients of federal housing assistance and facilitate enrollment in the ACP by providing targeted assistance with the ACP application.
"CLPHA will work with its members to ensure they are taking advantage of these programs to help residents access not only to affordable, high-quality broadband and devices, but also digital literacy to utilize these resources."
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About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative |
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(Washington, D.C.) March 9, 2022 -- Council of Large Public Housing Authorities Executive Director Sunia Zaterman released the following statement about the HUD budget in fiscal year 2022 spending omnibus package:
“The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities applauds the $4 billion increase in funding for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development over last year in the fiscal year (FY) 2022 omnibus appropriations bill released last night. The increase amounts to $53.7 billion for HUD in this omnibus bill. "Subcommittee Chairman David Price and the Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee recognized the critical role that public housing and Housing Choice Vouchers play with several funding increases. First, an expansion of up to 25,000 new incremental vouchers for those experiencing or at risk of homelessness, including survivors of domestic violence and veterans as part of the $200 million increase in the Tenant-Based Rental Assistance Program. Second, the Project-Based Rental Assistance budget increase of $475 million over the FY 2021 budget will continue to safely house 1.2 million very low- and low-income households.
“For public housing a $645.5 million increase over FY 2021, including $3.2 billion to meet the full annual capital accrual need in order to improve the quality and safety of public housing for more than 2 million residents. Finally, the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative received an increase of $150 million above FY 2021, which represents a 75 percent increase. While America’s housing crisis continues, these funding increases recognize that public and affordable housing programs are the most effective way to keep low-income families housed.”
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About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative |
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(Washington, D.C.) November 19, 2021 -- Council of Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA) Executive Director Sunia Zaterman released the following statement after the House passage of the Build Back Better Act today:
“The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities applauds the U.S. House of Representatives' passage of the $1.9 trillion Build Back Better Act. The $150 billion targeted to affordable housing is the single largest investment in public housing ever.
“Today represents a fundamental change in America’s approach to public and affordable housing. The Build Back Better Act is historic legislation that seeks to remedy two generations of chronic disinvestment that has left millions of public housing residents suffering and exacerbated health, safety, climate risks, and racial inequities. These long-term investments to public housing, along with significant expansion of rental and homeownership assistance, will increase housing stability, reduce poverty, provide substantial climate benefits, and spur economic activity that strengthens local communities.
“CLPHA is thankful the House continued to listen to housing advocates by re-inserting provisions that will strengthen the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit’s ability to better leverage the capital required to develop and redevelop aging public housing infrastructure.
“As the Act moves to the Senate, CLPHA will continue its work with Senators to ensure that the public and affordable housing funding levels remain intact in the Senate version.”
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About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative |
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The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette quoted CLPHA Executive Director Sunia Zaterman in an article about the government shutdown's impacts on Section 8 Voucher holders if the shutdown continues beyond March 1.
Zaterman said, “Without a guarantee from HUD that funding will be available in March, many [public housing authorities] will need to notify landlords and residents next month that delayed payments are a possibility. Anxious residents and landlords fearful of missed payments, combined with other cascading impacts due to lack of staffing at HUD, including program grants not being renewed and affordable housing development deals not being approved, amount to an unmitigated disaster for millions of low-income families.”
Today, Gray News Bureau published a comprehensive article "SNAP, WIC, Section 8: Separating fact from fiction in the government shutdown" featuring a quote about the shutdown’s effects on HUD programs from CLPHA Executive Sunia Zaterman. Gray News pulled the quote from CLPHA’s January 16 joint press release with the Campaign for Housing & Community Development Funding (CHCDF), of which CLPHA is a member of the Steering Committee.
On the shutdown's effect on housing authorities' future rental assistance payments, Zaterman said, "Without a guarantee from HUD that funding will be available in March, many Public Housing Authorities will need to notify landlords and residents next month that delayed payments are a possibility. Anxious residents and landlords fearful of missed payments, combined with other cascading impacts due to lack of staffing at HUD, including program grants not being renewed and affordable housing development deals not being approved, amount to an unmitigated disaster for millions of low-income families.”
You can read the article via Gray News Bureau TV affiliates:
CLPHA Executive Director Sunia Zaterman spoke to the Pew Charitable Trust's Stateline blog about the looming crisis facing public housing authorities (PHAs) if the shutdown continues. In today's article "Cities Scramble as Shutdown Leaves Families in Federal Housing Vulnerable," Zaterman warned that if the shutdown is still in effect by the end of February, many PHAs will not have enough funds to continue rental assistance payments for March and beyond.
“It’s definitely an all-hands-on-deck, high-urgency red alert for agencies that don’t have sufficient reserves for a sufficient amount of time,” Zaterman said. “And most don’t.”
Pacific Standard quoted CLPHA Executive Director Sunia Zaterman in today's article "The Government Shutdown Could Decimate America's Subsidized Housing Programs." Of the partial government shutdown's impact on the housing market, Zaterman said, "Owners in many cities will be faced with financial disruption, foreclosure, or bankruptcy if they're not able to pay their mortgage or meet the other costs of the property... This really is going to ripple through the whole housing market system."
Zaterman added that the shutdown is likely to negatively impact landlords' perceptions of the HCV program and other federally funded rental assistance programs, observing that in light of the shutdown landlords may be discouraged from participating in the HCV program because now "[funding] is something an owner would have to calculate as a risk now that was previously not seen as a risk."
CLPHA’ Executive Director Sunia Zaterman spoke to Multi-Housing News about the disastrous effect the shutdown will have on not only on Housing Choice Voucher funding and other rental assistance programs, but also affordable housing projects, if it continues beyond February. Zaterman added that if the shutdown continues into March, for smaller landlords and property owners especially “there is a huge concern about the ripple effect and concerns about bankruptcy and foreclosure.”
However, as Zaterman noted in a January 16, 2019, joint press release accompanying a national conference call about the effects of the partial government shutdown on low-income people and communities and the affordable housing programs that serve them, the shutdown is already a catastrophe for millions who rely on HUD funding. “Anxious residents and landlords fearful of missed payments, combined with other cascading impacts due to lack of staffing at HUD, including program grants not being renewed and affordable housing development deals not being approved, amount to an unmitigated disaster for millions of low-income families,” said Zaterman.
From The Seattle Times:
After Bilal Ali graduated from high school, he wasn’t able to think about college. His father had just died, leaving him on his own, and he was scrambling to support himself.
When he turned 21, he feared he was missing his chance to get a degree entirely and he enrolled at Highline College in Des Moines. But he still had to work overnight to afford the rent for the two-bedroom apartment in Renton he shared with six older men and he was struggling with so little sleep. Looking back, he doubts he could have finished.
Then, an innovative housing program at the community college changed everything.
Since 2020, Highline College has paired students facing homelessness with housing vouchers provided by the King County Housing Authority, covering their rent for up to four and a half years or until six months after they graduate.
There are 34 community colleges and 37 housing authorities in Washington alone, yet Highline’s is the only program of its kind in the country, experts said.
Fifty students have obtained two- or four-year degrees or certificates in the program’s first five years.
Highline staff argue the results so far show the program is worth the investment.
Community colleges — which serve a broad range of people, including high school students and single parents — can be an affordable path for many to get better jobs. But their students are more likely to struggle with housing. A recent study found 14% of Washington community college students were homeless. At Highline College, it’s 18%.
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Highline College and King County Housing Authority got the idea for the program from a similar partnership in Tacoma. The housing authority there decided to end that program in 2022, but the one at Highline kept going. It’s even expanded from 40 vouchers to 70.
Tacoma and King County have a federally designated special status that allows them to set aside Section 8 housing vouchers for students.
King County administers the rental assistance similarly to its Section 8 housing assistance program: Students find an apartment where they can use the voucher and pay up to a third of their income toward rent. The voucher covers the rest.
But unlike other government-funded housing vouchers, these are time limited and directly tied to the students’ progress in school.
Students have to go to school full time, pass their classes and meet quarterly with an adviser to make sure they’re on track to graduate — either with an associate degree or a bachelor’s of applied science.
Read The Seattle Times' full article.
From Hoodline:
Fourteen percent of Washington community college students have experienced homelessness, but at Highline College in Des Moines, a small group of them are staying in school at nearly double the typical rate thanks to a rare partnership with the King County Housing Authority. Students in the college's housing voucher program returned for a second year at an 89 percent clip during the 2024-2025 school year, compared with 45 percent for comparable students who weren't in the program. The initiative pairs homeless and housing-insecure students with Section 8-style rental vouchers tied directly to their academic progress.
The program, detailed in an investigation by The Seattle Times, covers participating students' rent for up to four and a half years, or until six months after graduation. Saido Alinur, who oversees the housing program at Highline, said the assistance encourages students to finish their degrees rather than drop out to chase stable housing. Eighteen percent of Highline students specifically have experienced homelessness, according to the same reporting, underscoring why the college built the initiative in the first place.
Students accepted into the program must attend school full time, remain on track for an associate degree or bachelor's of applied science, and pass their classes. They're also required to meet quarterly with an adviser, and if they disappear without communicating, Highline staff issue warnings before Alinur can ask the housing authority to terminate the voucher. Since launching, the program has expanded from 40 vouchers to 70, though only about one in four students offered a spot has actually secured housing — a reminder that even with a voucher in hand, finding a landlord willing to accept it in King County's tight rental market remains a real obstacle.
Takayla Lee, who enrolled at Highline at age 28, entered a shelter with her two children before joining the program. She failed her first class and took several months to secure housing, but eventually built momentum studying early childhood education; she now hopes to open her own day care and expects to stay in the program through a four-year degree. Bilal Ali also took several months to find a place before earning his associate degree in multimedia design and graduating through the program; he plans to remain enrolled as he pursues a four-year degree.
Seattle/ Community & Society
Highline College Housing Vouchers Push Student Retention to 89 Percent
By Emily Tran
Published on August 17, 2026
Source: Google Street View
Fourteen percent of Washington community college students have experienced homelessness, but at Highline College in Des Moines, a small group of them are staying in school at nearly double the typical rate thanks to a rare partnership with the King County Housing Authority. Students in the college's housing voucher program returned for a second year at an 89 percent clip during the 2024-2025 school year, compared with 45 percent for comparable students who weren't in the program. The initiative pairs homeless and housing-insecure students with Section 8-style rental vouchers tied directly to their academic progress.
How the Voucher Program Works
The program, detailed in an investigation by The Seattle Times, covers participating students' rent for up to four and a half years, or until six months after graduation. Saido Alinur, who oversees the housing program at Highline, said the assistance encourages students to finish their degrees rather than drop out to chase stable housing. Eighteen percent of Highline students specifically have experienced homelessness, according to the same reporting, underscoring why the college built the initiative in the first place.
Students accepted into the program must attend school full time, remain on track for an associate degree or bachelor's of applied science, and pass their classes. They're also required to meet quarterly with an adviser, and if they disappear without communicating, Highline staff issue warnings before Alinur can ask the housing authority to terminate the voucher. Since launching, the program has expanded from 40 vouchers to 70, though only about one in four students offered a spot has actually secured housing — a reminder that even with a voucher in hand, finding a landlord willing to accept it in King County's tight rental market remains a real obstacle.
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Highline's program can exist at all because the King County Housing Authority holds Moving to Work status from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, a federal designation that gives select public housing authorities statutory flexibility to redesign voucher allocations for local needs, according to the King County Housing Authority. That waiver, established by Congress in 1996, is the same mechanism that let Tacoma pioneer student-specific vouchers years earlier. The King County Housing Authority administers one of the region's largest voucher programs, serving more than 14,800 households in 2025, with over 4,700 vouchers dedicated to specialized populations experiencing homelessness or fleeing domestic violence.
Robin Walls, CEO of the housing authority, said Highline's time-limited, progress-tied voucher model aligns with the Trump administration's support for self-sufficiency-oriented housing assistance, per the Times reporting. The housing authority plans to continue investing in the program even as the administration has reportedly proposed significant budget cuts to housing assistance. Separately, HUD issued a proposed rule in March that would let housing authorities impose Section 8 time limits as short as two years and work requirements up to 40 hours a week, while explicitly exempting full-time college students from those work mandates, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition.
Highline got the idea for its program from a similar partnership in Tacoma, where the Tacoma Housing Authority and Tacoma Community College launched the nation's first college student voucher program, the College Housing Assistance Program, in 2014. CHAP was named one of the Harvard Kennedy School's Top 25 Innovations in American Government in 2018, but the Tacoma Housing Authority voted to end the program in 2022, shifting its funding priorities back toward the general low-income population it serves.
Sara Goldrick-Rab, who reviewed the Tacoma program before it ended, said it showed better outcomes for the students who received housing and that housing can improve students' academic performance once they're stably housed. Experts told the Times that Highline's program is now the only one of its kind operating in the country, though it has not undergone any outside evaluation. The program has so far served 50 students who went on to obtain two- or four-year degrees or certificates.
From the Columbus Dispatch:
The Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority recently approved $125 million in combined investments that will fund the acquisition, preservation or new development of 451 affordable housing units, expected to serve more than 900 central Ohioans.
The public housing agency's board of commissioners announced approval of the investment package on July 28, providing developers with access to money that can make it easier to deliver highquality housing at lower rents, according to a CMHA press release. The agency plans to invest the money into four separate projects, which together will benefit roughly 935 residents.
“Preserving and expanding affordable housing requires bold financial innovation,” Scott Scharlach, CMHA'S chief operating officer, said in the release. “By developing new funding strategies, leveraging creative partnerships, and unlocking untapped capital, we can protect existing communities while creating lasting opportunities for generations to come.”
The largest chunk of the money, almost $56 million, will be used to purchase and redevelop the former Garver YMCA site at 6767 Refugee Road in Canal Winchester, with plans to build a 216-unit, mixed-income and workforce housing community. Workforce housing refers to housing for people with incomes that are too high for traditional, subsidized affordable housing but too low to comfortably afford market-rate housing in their communities.
The new development is slated to open in 2028 and benefit an estimated 540 residents.
CMHA referred to its investments as a response to the region's affordable housing crisis, citing Affordable Housing Alliance of Central Ohio data that shows there are only 29 units available for every 100 extremely low-income households. Central Ohio also faces a deficit of between 11,000 and 14,000 new housing units every year to support a healthy housing market, according to data referenced in the release.
The other properties in which CMHA plans to invest its recently approved funds are:
Commons at Livingston, located at 3349 E. Livingston Ave., will provide 50 affordable housing apartments to Franklin County veterans with disabilities. CMHA is allocating $10.7 million to the project and will provide federally funded Project-based Vouchers for all 50 units for 15 years to ensure rents remain affordable through 2040.
The housing agency will spend $36 million to finance a complete renovation of The Meadows, located at 4855 Pintail
Creek Drive in Canal Winchester. A fullscale refurbishment of the 95-apartment home community will provide 255 residents with quality affordable housing.
Through a partnership with Lutheran Social Services and TFG Housing Resources, CMHA will also provide $27 million to renovate North Community Place and Village Place, two senior housing communities at 120 Morse Road and 1489 October Ridge Court, respectively.
"Together, the board actions approved [in July] reinforce CMHA'S dual commitment to expanding affordable housing opportunities while preserving the history and quality of neighborhoods that have shaped Columbus for generations," the release states.
From the Chicago Housing Authority's press release:
Two hundred fifteen Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) college-bound students representing 66 different schools across the country received dorm-room essentials and free laptops at the Springboard to Success (S2S)-hosted Take Flight College Send-Off Wednesday at Bridgeport Art Center.
The giant CHA trunk party was made possible thanks to S2S, CHA’s non-profit partner; the generous sponsorship support of Meijer and the Black McDonald’s Operators Association (BMOA), which provided dorm room merchandise; and Compudopt, which provided 215 laptops with two-year warranties. Additional sponsorship was provided by Molina Healthcare, Enterprise and UPS.
The schools represented Wednesday included Texas A&M, Louisiana State, American University, University of Wisconsin, and Grand Valley State. Schools with the highest number of students included Southern Illinois (26), Northern Illinois (26), Illinois State (23) and University of Illinois (21).
“We were delighted to have 215 incoming freshmen who are celebrating with us today who are getting dorm room essentials and laptops to help their studies in school,” said Amanda DeWitt, S2S Director of Development & Communications. “Often times we have students who are headed off to college for the first time and don’t think about those incidentals, the dorm room supplies they might need, the towels, the sheets, a laptop computer. We are here to fill that gap. We’re here to celebrate their journey and let them know they are not alone. This is a way to say, we’re all in this together.”
Danielle Walker picked up the essentials for her daughter, Tarriana, who left for University of Illinois on Sunday. Tarriana spent much of her time caring for her autistic sister while her mom worked long hours to provide for the family.
“There were many days my mother could not afford to take off work,” Tarriana wrote before she left for Champaign. “That’s when I would step in and stay home and take care of my sister. That challenge helped me to learn how to balance academic life and home life.”
Danielle Walker called her daughter the “backbone.”
“She’d get up in the middle of the night, make bottles, and provide the support I needed,” Danielle Walker said. “If (her sister) was sick, Tarriana just took over.”
Danielle Walker said she missed Tarriana – but she was beyond proud.
“I just want her to live her own life,” Danielle Walker said. “She’s done enough for me. I need to figure it out on my own. I want her to be happy.”
Donyae Whitehorn attended the event Wednesday and will be leaving for Louisiana State University in a few days.
“These events really help students who don’t have as much support as higher income students,” he said. “If you have to purchase supplies or other stuff, it leaves less money for you to have the necessities. So having an event like this where they give you most of the necessities, it makes it easier on the student than having to stress about other things.”
Miley Neely will be attending the University of Michigan, saying it is a big campus that will accommodate her big personality.
“I would have had to buy my own dorm supplies and computers and that would have taken a lot of money that I could have possibly used for my first semester in college.” Neely said. “That first year of college is pretty rough and I don’t have a lot of support that a lot of other people do. CHA has helped me a lot my senior year and now I’m really grateful to have this opportunity to have these supplies.”
From Fresno Housing's press release:
Fresno Housing is celebrating 85 years of service to Fresno County, marking a legacy that began in 1940 and today reaches nearly 50,000 residents through affordable housing, rental assistance and programs that support housing stability and opportunity.
Over eight decades, Fresno Housing has evolved from managing public housing to becoming one of the region’s leading affordable housing providers and developers. During 2024 and 2025 alone, the agency completed $253 million in housing developments, generating an estimated $379.5 million to $506 million in local economic impact. “For 85 years, Fresno Housing has worked to ensure that people in our community have access to safe and affordable places to live,” said Tyrone Roderick Williams, CEO of Fresno Housing. “Behind every front door we build or preserve is a person or family whose future becomes more stable and secure.”
Founded in 1940 amid the housing challenges that followed the Great Depression and Dust Bowl migration, Fresno Housing has continually evolved to meet the needs of the community. Today, its work reaches urban and rural communities throughout Fresno County and includes Housing Choice Vouchers, affordable housing development and preservation, permanent supportive housing, resident services and pathways to homeownership.
Fresno Housing's 85-year timeline reflects that evolution and decades of service, growth and transformation.
85 Years of Service. Impact That Continues Today.
Fresno Housing's 2024–2025 Community Report demonstrates how that legacy continues through investments in housing, residents and neighborhoods across Fresno County:
- 88 properties across Fresno County
- More than 50,000 residents served through Fresno Housing communities and programs
- More than 5,000 affordable housing units owned across the county
- 11,400+ households assisted annually through the Housing Choice Voucher program
- More than $140 million annually in Housing Assistance Payments to local property owners
- $253 million in housing developments completed during 2024–2025
- $379.5 million to $506 million in estimated local economic impact generated by those development investments
- 1,100+ youth supported through educational and enrichment opportunities
- 2,700+ households connected to Resident Empowerment services
“These numbers represent more than programs,” Williams said. “They represent families who have found stability, children who can focus on school, and seniors who can age with dignity in their communities.”
More about the agency's work, investments and resident outcomes is available through Fresno Housing's Community Impact page.
The Housing Choice Voucher program is Fresno Housing’s largest housing program, assisting more than 11,400 households each year. More than $140 million in Housing Assistance Payments flow annually to participating property owners, helping families afford housing throughout Fresno County while supporting the local rental housing market. For participating families, a voucher provides more than rental assistance—it provides housing stability and the ability to choose a home that meets their needs.
Fresno Housing's evolution has also expanded the ways families can pursue long-term housing stability. In addition to affordable rental housing and rental assistance, the agency creates pathways to homeownership through new construction, rehabilitation and resale, the Housing Choice Voucher Homeownership Program, homebuyer education and financial resources.
Heritage Estates, Fresno Housing's most recent subdivision of single-family homes developed specifically for mixed-income homebuyers, is one example. The Beyond Housing Foundation is also helping address barriers to homeownership through down payment assistance and financial preparation. Fresno Housing's broader work connects residents with education, workforce development, youth programs and other resources that support their goals.
That work is guided by Fresno Housing's Strategic Plan, shaped by resident, staff and community input and focused on housing insecurity, neighborhood investment, Housing Choice Voucher innovation and partnerships that support resident goals.
As Fresno Housing continues its 85th anniversary celebration, the agency will bring community and industry leaders together on September 18, 2026, for the return of the State of Affordable Housing at the Clovis Veterans Memorial District.
The event will convene local, state and federal leaders alongside housing professionals and community partners for a regional conversation about the challenges and opportunities shaping affordable housing. The gathering also reflects a lesson reinforced throughout Fresno Housing's 85-year history: addressing housing needs requires partnership.
“Eighty-five years represents generations of people who have called Fresno Housing communities home, families who have found stability through rental assistance, and partnerships that have helped us serve communities throughout Fresno County,” Williams said. “As we celebrate this milestone, we are grateful to the residents, staff, partners and community members who have been part of that history and continue to make this work possible.”
As Fresno Housing marks 85 years of service, the agency remains grounded in the people at the center of its work and its mission to create and sustain affordable housing and vibrant communities throughout Fresno County—because home is just the beginning.