CLPHA Press Room

From the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority's press release:

Today, a bipartisan group of elected officials joined representatives from CVS Health® (NYSE: CVS), Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA), Beacon 360 Management, and community leaders to announce the opening of Harriet’s Hope – a 52-unit, multifamily supportive housing community – empowering survivors of human trafficking. Named in honor of abolitionist Harriet Tubman, who helped many escape slavery, Harriet’s Hope is a first-of-its-kind development for Columbus and among the nation’s first service-enriched housing communities exclusive to human trafficking survivors. Residents will live in a community with access to robust onsite case management and social services that address the unique needs of human trafficking survivors, while also encouraging rehabilitation and self-sufficiency. With construction now complete, residents will begin moving in December.

Harriet’s Hope was made possible through expansive public-private partnerships on the state and local level. Building the $15.6 million property was made possible through CVS Health’s $10.6 million investment, facilitated through the Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing (OCCH). Additional funders include Affordable Housing Trust of Columbus and Franklin County, Ohio Housing Finance Agency, City of Columbus, Park National Bank, Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati, the Ohio Legislature, Ohio Capital Impact Corporation and Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing.

Joining forces for survivors

Vulnerable individuals of all ages and backgrounds are exploited and forced into labor and involuntary sex work, and Ohio is no exception. In recent years, Ohio has bolstered its response to combat human trafficking through infrastructure development and multisystem approaches, such as the state’s Human Trafficking Initiative led by Attorney General Yost. Now open, Harriet’s Hope will help the state carryout its mission to “end labor and sex trafficking statewide,” by providing survivors a safe space for their healing and recovery journey.

“I’m grateful for the synergy between the public and private entities we have working on this project,” Attorney General Dave Yost said. “Without such partnerships, this kind of vital assistance would not be available. Collectively, our duty is to establish the groundwork for resources like Harriet’s Hope to serve as the on-ramp to the highway to hope."

Supporting vulnerable Ohioans

Recognizing housing’s impact on community health outcomes, CVS Health invested $10.6 million to build Harriet’s Hope as the initiative’s sole equity funder. Harriet’s Hope is a further demonstration of the company’s commitment to address housing insecurities – and support Ohio human trafficking survivors.

“Whether forced into labor or sex work, human trafficking is detrimental to the health of an individual and larger community – making this both a health care and public health issue,” explains Latasha Brown, MPA, CVS Health’s anti-human trafficking administrator. “Between the supportive services we provide our Aetna-OhioRISE members who survived human trafficking to my work on Attorney General Yost’s Human Trafficking Commission, every day I see the myriad of physical and mental health challenges survivors endure. A survivor cannot improve their overall health and wellbeing without stable access to quality housing. For Harriet’s Hope residents, this haven will allow them to focus on their healing journey and position them for a bright next chapter.”

Health and healing

Complex challenges often arise when servicing the multifaceted needs of this vulnerable population. Columbus-based co-developer and nonprofit Beacon 360º Management initiated the program design and will be responsible for the management and coordination of supportive services provided at Harriet’s Hope.

“We’re grateful for the overwhelming support Harriet’s Hope has received by our local leaders, the business community, and CMHA alike,” shared Celia Kendall, CEO of Beacon 360° Management. “In alignment with Beacon 360° Management’s commitment to provide innovative ‘People First’ solutions to housing challenges, we collaborated with survivors to develop our supportive housing model and it was clear that housing and affordability were not enough to position survivors of such complex traumas for success. How fitting that Harriet’s Hope was constructed on the very site where human trafficking once took place will now be an instrumental solution to this issue."

“Harriet’s Hope is just the latest example of CMHA being laser-focused on providing housing and meeting the specific needs of our neighbors in Columbus and throughout Franklin County,” said CMHA Board Commissioner, Stephen Daley. “Our goal is to ensure CMHA remains an innovative agent for change and continues to evolve to meet the region’s housing and service needs. We're proud to be part of this collaborative effort with Beacon 360° Management to address the complicated challenges faced by survivors and vulnerable populations. Harriet’s Hope is a testament to our commitment to holistic solutions that make a meaningful impact on the lives of our community members."

Services will be tailored to the unique needs of trafficking survivors, and supports each resident’s immediate and long-term goals – in addition to job-skills training and employment opportunities. This includes comprehensive, trauma-informed case management services provided by The Salvation Army, where professionals collaborate with residents to create crisis stabilization and safety plans.

Illicit drugs are often used on vulnerable individuals in the human trafficking recruitment process, to induce compliance, create dependency, punish and incapacitate an unwilling victim, or used to cope with the trauma of being trafficked. Additionally, nonprofit human services agency Alvis, Inc. will be administering recovery-specific services as needed, including recovery counseling and planning, alcohol and drug testing, and medication oversight.

Workforce development and employment opportunities will also be available through Columbus Works, a Columbus-based nonprofit focused on eliminating poverty through work force training, job placement, and long-term barrier removing wrap-around services. Peer support will be provided by Freedom a la Cart, a Central Ohio nonprofit catering company that empowers human trafficking survivors by providing job skills to foster self-sufficiency and stability. The organization’s staff will also provide Harriet’s Hope residents peer support.

From the Chicago Housing Authority's press release:

The Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) announced the new Restore Home initiative at the Board of Commissioners meeting on Tuesday, November 21, 2023. The initiative is part of the agency’s proposed 2024 budget and capital plan, which will be considered at a special board meeting in December.

Under Restore Home, CHA will invest up to $50 million in 2024 to renovate and rehabilitate vacant buildings in the small and medium-sized apartments portfolio (commonly known as the agency’s “scattered sites.”) Approximately three dozen small and medium-sized vacant apartment buildings around the city will be targeted for renovation, with more than 175 units brought back into leasable condition over the next twelve to eighteen months.

“Since the middle of last year, CHA has been assessing vacant properties in our small and medium-sized portfolio. We’ve identified funding and created an approach. The pieces are in place for this major undertaking to begin,” said CHA CEO Tracey Scott. “Over the next twelve to eighteen months, our staff and Section 3 contractors will be laser focused on restoring these apartments and getting families into homes. This is another way we are achieving our mission of preserving and creating housing opportunities that help families unlock their economic power."

As part of Restore Home, CHA plans to renovate approximately 40 single-family homes that are part of the scattered sites portfolio and make them available for affordable homeownership opportunities. (CHA will still maintain a portfolio of approximately 145 single-family homes.) Additional information on this effort will be announced in 2024.

This effort will complement the agency’s recently announced Down Payment Assistance program, which provides another pathway for CHA residents and other low-income Chicagoans to achieve their homeownership dreams.

“CHA has heard time and time again that our residents and community members want more options to create generational wealth for their families through affordable homeownership,” Scott said. “Additionally, when CHA residents purchase homes and no longer live in subsidized housing, that creates new rental housing options for families on our waitlist to be housed."

The agency is also utilizing its Section 3 vendor pool to aggressively renovate and rehabilitate vacant public housing apartments in otherwise occupied small and medium-sized buildings. New contracts with Section 3 vendors were approved by CHA’s Board in September. Year to date, more than $16 million has been spent to bring 277 vacant scattered site units back into service, with another 188 in progress.

CHA’s overall 2024 budget as well as the agency’s 5-year capital plan will be considered at a special Board meeting in December.

From The Mercury News:

Construction is underway on a supportive housing project in San Jose to provide stable homes for more than three dozen young adults who are homeless or leaving the foster care system across the South Bay.

The former Pavilion Inn, at 1280 N. Fourth St., will be converted to 43 studio and one-bedroom apartments. It’s set to open by next summer. The site will offer residents wraparound services, including mental health care and job counseling.

“Providing these young people a lifeline to housing and services now is an investment not only in their future, but in the future health of our own community,” Laura Archuleta, executive director of project developer Jamboree Housing, said in a statement.

An estimated 764 children and young adults are homeless in Santa Clara County, according to the most recent count early this year.

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The city and Santa Clara County are putting about $17 million toward redevelopment, with the other $15 coming from the state’s Homekey homeless housing program. The county Housing Authority will also supply federal housing vouchers to cover most rent for at least 21 residents.

Read The Mercury News' article "43-unit housing project for homeless youth coming to San Jose." featuring the Santa Clara County Housing Authority.

From the Fort Worth Report:

Eula Halliburton has been waiting three years for Cowan Place to open, allowing her to return home to her Stop Six neighborhood.

Every day, she would come by the lot that would one day be the location of affordable senior housing. She wondered when she would be able to move in. On Friday, Nov. 10, she was finally able to do just that.

A grand opening for Cowan Place was held Nov. 13 although the complex welcomed its first residents two weeks ago, over two years after groundbreaking back in September 2021. Cowan Place, a 174-unit housing development for seniors aged 62 and older, is the first phase of the Stop Six Choice Neighborhood Initiative.

For Fort Worth Housing Solutions, this is the culmination of six years of work to develop the property they purchased years before receiving the $35 million grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development to implement the initiative.

“When we received our grant, it was actually about a month after COVID was announced and so it was exciting, but it was just kind of anti-climactic, and we didn’t exactly know what we were doing,” said Mary-Margaret Lemons, president of Fort Worth Housing Solutions. “It was new ground, but to see it today, this huge, beautiful building that’s serving seniors… to see the impact it makes on their lives is really amazing.”

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The project was community-driven, Lemons said, noting that many of the details were selected by the residents through quarterly meetings. That community approach will translate into the other phases of the Stop Six Choice Neighborhood Initiative too.

“There’s an African proverb that says ‘If you want to go fast, go alone, but if you go far, go together.’ And I think that has been true,” Lemons said. “When we get together, we are making a lasting and impactful change in this community, for the community, by the community.”

What has been accomplished with Cowan Place has given many hope of what’s to come to Stop Six as the development plan of the neighborhood continues to move forward with two housing projects already underway. 

“I hope it really renews a sense of trust with the community that we promised this was going to be world class and it really is and that it’s just the beginning,” said Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker. “The MLK community center, opening Hughes House — all of these projects together really do help revitalize an area that deserves it.”

Read the Fort Worth Report's article "Cowan Place welcomes home Stop Six seniors, brings hope for future of neighborhood."

From the Housing Authority of Cook County's press release:

Today, the Board of Commissioners of the Housing Authority of Cook County (HACC) announced the appointment of a new Executive Director, Danita Childers, who will lead the organization in its continued commitment to providing affordable and quality housing in suburban Cook County. As the new Executive Director, Childers will spearhead strategic initiatives to enhance the living conditions and strengthen the housing programs offered by the Housing Authority of Cook County. With an impressive background in housing management and extensive experience in community development, Childers brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to this role.

“As the newly appointed Executive Director of the Housing Authority of Cook County, I am honored and motivated to take on this crucial responsibility. With a deep commitment to providing safe, affordable, and inclusive housing opportunities, our team will work tirelessly to uplift and empower the residents of Cook County. We will build a stronger community, foster positive change, and create a brighter future for all,” said Danita Childers, Housing Authority of Cook County’s newly appointed executive director.

Danita Childers boasts a diverse and extensive professional background, spanning across various organizations. Childers recently served as the Deputy Chief of Development Operations at the Chicago Housing Authority where she managed the financial aspects of the Development Division, overseeing a $65 million budget. Prior to her work at the CHA, Childers held the position of Deputy Commissioner within the Department of Planning & Development for the City of Chicago, where she effectively managed the north planning region. Earlier in her career, at Jones Lang LaSalle, Danita excelled as an Associate Director in the Global Consulting Group, contributing to the development and implementation of strategic real estate solutions for diverse clients. Danita Childers holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, with a concentration in Accounting and Finance. Prior to obtaining her MBA, she earned her Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) from the University of Michigan.

“Danita Childers’ appointment as the new Executive Director of the Housing Authority of Cook County marks a moment of celebration for our community,” said President Preckwinkle. “Her extensive experience in housing management and community development, combined with her visionary leadership, will undoubtedly have a positive impact in the lives of our residents. We look forward to her innovative approach to enhancing our housing programs and strengthening the quality of the places and spaces our residents call home. I’m hopeful that Danita will continue her legacy as a dedicated and qualified leader, and play a vital role in fostering sustainable, inclusive communities throughout Cook County.

“We are thrilled to welcome Danita Childers as our new Executive Director,” said Wendy Walker Williams, Chair of the Housing Authority’s Board of Commissioners. “Executive Director Childers has demonstrated an unwavering dedication to improving housing conditions and advocating for social equity throughout her career. Her strategic vision and collaborative approach will empower the Housing Authority of Cook County to address the complex challenges our community faces while ensuring that residents have access to safe and affordable homes. The Housing Authority of Cook County looks forward to the positive impact that Danita’s leadership will make on the lives of countless residents and families. Her appointment marks a significant milestone in the organization’s ongoing commitment to fostering sustainable and inclusive communities.”