CLPHA Press Room

From the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles' press release:

On this International Day of Clean Energy, the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) is proud to showcase its wide-ranging portfolio of clean energy projects that are redefining the role of public housing in environmental stewardship.

“At HACLA, we believe that the transition to a carbon-free future must be inclusive. We are moving beyond simple energy upgrades to create holistic, sustainable communities where every resident breathes cleaner air and lives in a more resilient home,” said HACLA President & CEO Lourdes Castro Ramirez. “By integrating 100% building electrification, solar power, and smart climate solutions, we are not just reducing the environmental footprint of our city—we are directly lowering utility costs for families and improving the indoor health and comfort of our children and seniors.”

HACLA Clean Energy Projects:

• San Fernando Gardens "Smart Climate Solutions”: HACLA recently celebrated the completion of a Resiliency Center at San Fernando Gardens featuring a dedicated backup solar energy system. The Center provides a cooled safe haven for residents during extreme heat events and grid. Additionally, HACLA installed 448 energy-efficient air conditioning units, ceiling fans, and “cool roofs” to improve indoor air quality and temperature control. See this great work here.
• The Watts Rising Transformation: Through a $33 million investment from the California Strategic Growth Council, the Watts Rising Collaborative is establishing Watts as a a global model for urban sustainability. Key highlights includes the Solar Watts project, which has equipped over 50 homes with solar power, and the successful electrification of the Watts DASH bus fleet.
• Electric Mobility: HACLA has expanded affordable, zero-emission transportation through EV car-sharing programs at Rancho San Pedro, Pico Gardens, and for Section 8 FSS residents citywide. Furthermore, low- to no-cost Electric Bicycle Lending Program at Rancho San Pedro and Nickerson Gardens reduce air pollution while providing residents with mobility.
• Infrastructure for a Sustainable Future: Major developments at Jordan Downs and One San Pedro redevelopment are setting new benchmarks for public housing. Jordan Downs is the City’s second LEED Neighborhood Development and is building to LEED Platinum while One San Pedro will meet LEED Gold requirements. Combined, these sites will feature thousands of units with 100% building electrification, solar-ready roofs and widespread EV charging infrastructure to support a permanent carbon-free lifestyle.
• Portfolio-Wide Efficiency: HACLA’s city-wide retrofit campaign has already reduced water consumption by 27% through LED lighting and high-efficiency fixtures. HACLA’s Toilet Sensor Project, which uses real-time monitoring to detect leaks and trigger maintenance alerts, recently won the Advancing Water Efficiency in Affordable Housing award at the 21st Annual Green Gala & California Green Building Awards.

Reflecting HACLA’s leadership, President Castro Ramírez was recently recognized as a 2025 Visionary of the Year by Enterprise Community Partners, a distinction that underscores the entire agency's commitment to regional decarbonization.

“When public and private sectors unite, our families win,” added Castro Ramirez. “These partnerships allow HACLA to scale the climate solutions our residents deserve, ensuring a healthy, sustainable environment for every Angeleno we serve.”

From the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles' press release:

Mayor Karen Bass joined with BRIDGE Housing – the leading nonprofit affordable housing developer on the West Coast – and the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) today to celebrate the grand opening of Cypress View, a new affordable housing community within the $1 billion redevelopment of the Jordan Downs public housing complex in Watts.

Mayor Bass attended the ceremony alongside HACLA President and CEO Lourdes Castro Ramirez and BRIDGE President and CEO Ken Lombard, along with dignitaries, service providers, financial partners, residents, and community members.

Cypress View features 119 new apartment homes ranging up to 5 bedrooms in size, including 106 units affordable for families earning 30%-80% of the Area Median Income and one manager’s unit. The remaining 12 apartments are offered at market rates. Twenty units are reserved for previous Jordan Downs residents.

“The grand opening of Cypress View represents the culmination of our work to comprehensively address issues related to housing, homelessness and the affordability crisis impacting so many across our city,” said Mayor Bass. “Since taking office, we have accelerated the building of affordable housing units, increasing the city’s housing supply and helping Angelenos stay in the communities they love, in the city they love. I want to thank HACLA CEO Lourdes Castro Ramirez, and all those involved in this project, for not only creating much needed housing — but building a community.”

The community was built in conjunction with Pearl Park, a beautiful new community green space, and represents a key milestone in the transformation of the 1940s-era Jordan Downs public housing complex into a model urban village offering mixed-income housing, open space, retail, and resident support services.

"HACLA’s strategic $9.5 million contribution to Cypress View has served as a critical catalyst, leveraging over $90 million in federal, state, and private investment to advance the holistic revitalization of Jordan Downs,” said HACLA President and CEO Lourdes Castro Ramirez. “Also, by exceeding HUD’s local hire benchmarks, we are creating a powerful economic ripple effect that extends far beyond housing to include job creation, infrastructure, and parks. This milestone reinforces our unwavering commitment to the Watts community, ensuring that legacy residents remain at the heart of a stable, sustainable, and affordable neighborhood they are proud to call home."

“The opening of Cypress View marks an exciting milestone in the decade-long revitalization of Jordan Downs that will serve families and strengthen the Watts community for generations to come,” said BRIDGE Housing President and CEO Ken Lombard. “This achievement is the result of an outstanding public-private partnership, addressing L.A.’s urgent housing crisis while providing residents with the dignity of a stable home they can afford.”

Cypress View is BRIDGE Housing’s fourth community in the sweeping Jordan Downs redevelopment, following Kalmia Rose (76 apartments), Cedar Grove (115 apartments), and Park Place (80 apartments). BRIDGE plans to develop three additional communities as part of the HACLA-led revitalization, one of the nation’s largest urban revitalization projects.

Cypress View reflects the shared vision of BRIDGE Housing and HACLA of pairing thoughtful design with meaningful community partnerships. Supportive services will be delivered by El Nido Family Centers, a trusted nonprofit that has served Angelenos since 1925. El Nido’s services include food distribution, case management, community building opportunities, and connections to resources to help residents achieve independence.

“For decades, El Nido has worked alongside families in Watts, and we’re proud to be part of the Cypress View community,” said Liz Herrera, CEO of El Nido Family Centers. “Since 2019, our partnership with BRIDGE Housing, HACLA, and the Jordan Downs community has been grounded in trust, respect, and a shared commitment to safety, stability, and access to opportunity.”

Amenities at the three-building development include community rooms, bicycle storage, in-unit and shared laundry facilities, onsite resident parking with EV chargers, and landscaped outdoor courtyards with BBQ grills. Adjacent Pearl Park offers water features, a children’s play area, shade structures, and an open lawn. The community is conveniently located within a short walk to transit at the Jordan Downs Plaza retail center, a medical clinic, pharmacy, high school, and public library. The marching band from Jordan High School provided musical entertainment at today’s festive ribbon-cutting.

“We are proud to partner in the revitalization of Jordan Downs, ensuring long-term affordability, preserving community, and delivering top notch housing and amenities to its residents,” said Hao Li, Originator, Citi Community Capital. “This project highlights the power of public-private partnerships, with Citi playing a key role in its success.”

“With the support of state investments from the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities (AHSC) and Transformative Climate Communities (TCC) programs, Watts residents are benefitting from affordable housing as well as safer streets, access to parks and transit, a new shopping center and grocery store, and a neighborhood families can take pride in," said Erin Curtis, Executive Director of the California Strategic Growth Council, which awarded $77 million to the overall Jordan Downs revitalization project and $35 million to the Watts community. “This incredible neighborhood transformation shows what happens when we invest in people, honoring their voice and building a healthier, more connected neighborhood.”

Mary Goodlow, 46, has called Jordan Downs home for most of her life. After decades of living in Jordan Down’s legacy public housing, the mother of three recently moved into a new apartment at Cypress View.

“At first, I wasn’t sure what the changes at Jordan Downs would mean for long-time residents like me. Fortunately, moving to Cypress View has been a wonderful experience,” Goodlow said, citing her outdoor porch and new appliances as some of her favorite features. “I’m excited for Jordan Downs to continue improving and providing opportunity for this community, because we deserve it.”

A significant proportion of the workforce that developed the project comprised workers and businesses who meet the HUD Section 3 Worker and Section 3 Business eligibility criteria. Over 180 new employment opportunities were created for Section 3 workers, including Jordan Downs and Watts residents. Additionally, over 50% of labor hours were performed by Section 3 Workers, exceeding HUD’s 25% labor hour benchmark goal. Section 3 Businesses received over $17 million in subcontract awards.

Young residents at Cypress View will have the opportunity to join the Building Bridges program, a summer skilled trades program created by BRIDGE Housing in partnership with Harbor Freight Tools for Schools. High school aged residents will receive a paycheck as well as hands-on experiences in welding and construction while working toward industry-recognized certifications.

Jordan Downs was built as semi-permanent housing for workers during World War II and converted into public housing the following decade. HACLA, BRIDGE Housing, and The Michaels Organization are leading the redevelopment of Jordan Downs. The ongoing redevelopment will provide 1,500 units of mixed-income housing, including one-for-one replacement of existing units, and a 115,000 square-foot retail center. The community also includes a robust job training and social services platform, a new 50,000+ square foot Community Center and nine acres of open space.

Cypress View was designed by architecture firm KTGY, and the general contractor was Portrait Construction. In addition to HACLA, BRIDGE Housing’s financial partners included U.S. Bank, Citibank, California Department of Housing and Community Development, and California Tax Credit Allocation Committee.

From Fresno Housing's press release:

Fresno Housing announced today that the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee (CTCAC) has awarded Davu Village a value of approximately $25 million in federal and state Low-Income Housing Tax Credits. Davu Village will include significant rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of the existing structures and addition of new construction to provide a total of 63 studio apartments, related common space, and amenities. This investment advances the conversion of the former emergency shelter, Golden State Triage Center, located at 1415 W. Olive Avenue in Fresno into a high-quality affordable housing development. Davu Village is an example of how public and private partnerships can deliver investment to provide permanent affordable housing for residents transitioning out of homelessness or at-risk of becoming homeless.

Davu Village marks a significant milestone in broader revitalization efforts planned for the Parkway Drive corridor lead by Fresno Housing and the City of Fresno. This development represents the third motel, formerly used as an emergency shelter, along the corridor to be reimagined and converted into a beautiful apartment community. Once known for blight, disinvestment, and unsafe conditions, this stretch of Parkway Drive is undergoing a multi-year transformation of converting distressed properties into affordable and mixed-income housing designed for families and individuals, including those previously experiencing housing insecurity.

“Parkway Drive has a long history of challenges, but today it represents one of Fresno’s most promising examples of what reinvestment and community vision can accomplish,” said Tyrone Roderick Williams, CEO of Fresno Housing. “The tax credit award for Davu Village continues the momentum of turning once-dilapidated sites into vibrant communities that offer safety, stability, and opportunity.”

When completed, Davu Village will feature:

• 63 affordable studio apartments
• Outdoor green space
• Community center for onsite services, events and resident engagement
• Laundry facilities
• Gated Community
• Onsite property management

“For five years, we’ve worked to meet people where they are—providing services, skills training, and temporary housing. Davu Village takes that work further- by bringing permanent housing to 63 people who were formerly homeless. This is another way to give them the stability they need to rebuild their lives and succeed,” said Mayor Jerry Dyer.

Davu Village’s progress has been supported by the State of California Homekey Program and local funding provided by the City of Fresno. These early investments have been foundational in preparing the site to compete successfully for state and federal tax credits.

The transformation of Parkway Drive aligns with Fresno Housing’s strategic goals to invest in neighborhoods, expand the supply of affordable housing, and ensure that all residents have access to safe, sustainable communities.

Construction on Davu Village is planned to begin in Summer 2026 following the completion of all financing due diligence.

From Shelterforce:

Back in 2006, Cambridge, Massachusetts’s aging public housing stock needed serious work. Some of the housing authority’s nearly 2,500 apartments were in 70-year-old buildings with deteriorating and outdated infrastructure, Cambridge Housing Authority officials say, and a few properties built in the 1970s had leaked for decades. Many needed upgrades to heating, ventilation, and plumbing systems.

A five-year capital assessment required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) revealed capital needs of at least $228 million. CHA officials estimated it would take 32 years to make the needed improvements based on its annual HUD funding at the time.

“Our backs were against the wall. We were going to start losing units,” says Margaret Moran, CHA’s deputy executive director for development. “Out of desperation, we began a process, both internally and with our residents, of exploring alternate ways to tackle the capital need.”

That exploration helped launch a series of improvement projects starting in 2010. Today, CHA is about 75 percent done with a portfolio-wide redevelopment, Moran says, with extensive work completed on 17 properties encompassing more than 2,345 units. Moreover, they’ve exceeded original plans, including addressing more resident comfort issues, achieving energy efficiency improvements, and adding 200 new deeply affordable housing units, with further expansion in the works.

It’s not news that federal support and funding for public housing has declined sharply since the early 1970s. Housing authorities across the U.S. have struggled to afford maintenance, repairs, and upgrades to their properties, and the number of available units is steadily declining. Against that grim backdrop, Cambridge stands out as a positive exception.

CHA’s redevelopment has been cited as an innovative model for its layering of strategies and funding sources to pay for the renovations, as well as for minimizing disruption for residents and retaining ownership or control of the properties rather than ceding them to private interests.

“It’s a great example of what can be possible,” says Susan Popkin, a fellow at the Urban Institute who co-authored a 2024 research report that profiles CHA as one of a few public housing authorities that have financed redevelopment in innovative ways.

Read Shelterforce's article. 

From the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation's website:

In Alaska the term “rural” isn't just a label, it's a lifestyle that shapes our communities and experiences in ways those from outside the state may not fully appreciate. More than 80% of our communities have fewer than 1,000 residents. More than half our land mass, which is twice the size of Texas, is only accessible by plane or boat and some villages require riding a four-wheeler or snow machine after the boat or plane lands. These communities still need access to housing but many lack the capacity to take advantage of existing housing programs and are unable to expand their inventory because there are no specialized systems or workforce locally accessible even when funding is available.

Statewide Concern 

In early 2023, Alaska Housing Finance Corporation surveyed state agencies to gather data and pinpoint specific communities struggling to recruit and retain workers due to housing shortages. A common thread was soon identified: 

• Due to a lack of housing, many positions essential to the community’s economic vitality are unfilled.

• Airport crews, public safety officers, healthcare workers, maintenance staff, judges and other critical professionals are struggling to find housing of any type, and sometimes end up sleeping on floors.
• Demand for housing is so extreme, properties are purchased sight-unseen before they even go on the market. 

This data became the springboard for the Last Frontier Housing Initiative that connects AHFC staff, systems and infrastructure with rural community partners to help build housing. 

Collaborative Solutions

A combination of federal and state funds allowed AHFC to embark on a once-in-a-generation opportunity to incentivize local governments in Western and Southeast Alaska with incentives for new housing construction.

To jumpstart housing builds, AHFC offered to be a design-build partner with local governments in five of the most remote communities in the United States – Ketchikan and Sitka, on islands in Southeast, and Bethel, Nome and Kotzebue that are off the road system in Western Alaska.

The proposal was direct. Administered through a grant process, AHFC would award roughly $24 million in construction funding on a government-to-government basis with a simple proposition: 

1. The construction funding is yours if you choose to accept it; 
2. Where overlapping jurisdictions exist, i.e., borough/city/tribe, the community decides who leads; 
3. A minimum number of units will be built: some for state workers, others meeting federal affordable definitions;
4. What is built, where and how is entirely a community call so long as minimum construction outcomes are met;
5. Community partners must match AHFCs funding by at least 15% in cash, land, in-kind, etc.;
6. AHFC staff will be available to help grant recipients navigate the programs, visit the communities and support their efforts by reviewing draft requests for proposals, helping with admin, grant tracking, etc. – anything required from start to finish.

Community Support 

The response was nearly immediate with communities bringing their own innovative ideas to the table. With basic guidelines under the proposition leading the way, support provided by AHFC was tailored to meet individual community needs. Beyond funding, AHFC’s support fell within one of two broad categories. 

1. Outreach

• AHFC staff went on-site to all five communities to meet with local elected leaders, tribal partners and community stakeholders for explanation and dialogue on the Last Frontier Housing Initiative.

2. Support

• AHFC provided support for all partners during the procurement phase.

• AHFC staff and technology supplemented the local partners' operations in several communities. 
• AHFC provided programmatic guidance and on-site training to partners who were new to the program resources, setting them up for long-term success once the properties converted to the operations phase. 

By May 2024, AHFC had visited all five communities and started signing funding agreements – with construction starting soon after. 

“Consistent with AHFC’s past practices, we listened, we followed through, and we worked with our partners to build housing they were unable to build on their own." - Bryan Butcher, CEO/Executive Director, AHFC

Real Results

The Last Frontier Housing Initiative moved fast, exceeded unit expectations, came in under budget, and the first units are online.

• New units built (63) exceeded baseline expectations by 45%;

• $9.8 million in match funding beat projections by 173%;
• $584,000 costs per door were below models by 8%.

Due to the success of the Last Frontier Housing Initiative, in 2024, the Alaska Legislature created a new $4 million program with intent for AHFC to expand its housing partnerships with four statewide agency landholders to catalyze new housing developments, and it renewed the Last Frontier Housing Initiative. Both were supported by Governor Dunleavy.

“Structuring the Last Frontier Housing Initiative as a government-to-government partnership allowed AHFC to build and execute housing plans with our community partners rather than for them," said Butcher. "This buy-in and partnership enabled each of the five communities to leverage their respective strengths with AHFC’s resources to drive housing solutions most appropriate for their needs.” 

Creating Opportunities

The success of the Last Frontier Housing Initiative is due in large part to AHFC’s diligent monitoring of allowable uses of restricted dollars, thought leadership and ingenuity, leveraging congressionally appropriated ERA-2 but expiring housing assistance with more flexible state resources. This diligence and creativity led to new resources allocated to continue work that is making a meaningful difference in housing construction statewide. The Phase I efforts including the original five communities paved the way for $22 million in additional resources to be deployed to seven new communities in Phase II of the Last Frontier Housing Initiative.

In September 2025, AHFC expanded the effort further, closing a deal with the University of Alaska to purchase land and property across the state for the purpose of future housing development. 

“Our partnerships weren’t simply staff and funding driven. We engaged with communities and stakeholders individually to maximize outcomes, which included strategic work to build awareness, generate excitement and build accountability,” said Butcher.