CLPHA Press Room

From the Tacoma Housing Authority's press release:

THA was proud to join Mercy Housing on June 9 and celebrate the grand opening of their new 129-unit building at Aviva Crossing.

This is a major step in our effort to develop more than 500 units of affordable housing at James Center North, next to Tacoma Community College and the future light rail extension. THA and our partners are working to build a new, affordable residential community, from new buildings to utility improvements that will support hundreds of new residents.

“This building and any future buildings would not have been possible on this site if not for the partnership between THA and Mercy,” said THA project manager Annette Massari. “It would not have been possible for Mercy to complete the incredibly important infrastructure work if not for the CHIP and EPA grants that THA secured. It would not have been possible for THA alone to leverage the project management resources to build both the infrastructure and housing project amidst its other work. It would not have been possible for the funders to commit as they did, if not for the depth of affordability possible on this project achieved thanks to THA’s commitment of project-based vouchers in all 129 apartment homes, or the promise of over 300 additional future homes now possible at James Center North.”

The project includes utility improvements and other infrastructure work that will support the hundreds of new affordable housing units coming to Aviva Crossing.

“It’s thrilling to be at the grand opening of this building,” Massari said, “not only because it faced real perils in the way of funding hurdles, restricting easements, and tight timelines, but also because this project, in some ways literally, paved the way for future housing, extending the reach of this project and the impact of our mission.”

We are also providing support with project-based vouchers to help Mercy’s Aviva tenants afford the rent.

Congratulations to Mercy Housing and all our partners who are helping to bring new affordable housing to Aviva Crossing.

POLITICO, one of the most influential news sites read by Congress and the administration, published an article recently calling out the administration's attempt to eliminate the Restore-Rebuild program, which would have disastrous effects on the creation of new affordable housing and could impede the development of as many as 278,000 public housing units.

CLPHA CEO La Shelle Dozier spoke with Politico reporter Cassandra Dumay about the "hypocrisy" of removing a key tool in affordable houing development while CLPHA Board Member Lourdes Castro Ramirez of the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles and CLPHA Member Lisa Jones of the San Diego Housing Commission explained how it is a direct hit to their development "pipeline" and how it feels like the administration is setting housing authorities "up for failure."

La Shelle Dozier also spoke with CLPHA Board President Jeffery K. Patterson of the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority about what ending Restore-Rebuild would mean to public housing authorities and how CLPHA and our industry partners are opposing this detrimental action on our most recent episode of CLPHA's To The Point Podcast -- listen here.

To preserve this critical tool for affordable housing development, CLPHA has launched the Protect Restore-Rebuild Coalition on behalf of more than 3,000 PHAs, affordable housing developers, and advocates for low-income families. We are still accepting participants into the coalition. To join the Coalition and receive meeting invitations, email [email protected].   

From the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh's newsletter:

The HACP, its nonprofit affiliate, Clean Slate E3, and its community partners are committed to investing in the future of our youth. This common goal was evident during the HACP’s Citywide Tailgate Event on April 24.

The event was held at co-host ACH Clear Pathways’ headquarters in the Hill District during the pro football draft on the North Shore and Downtown. Five-hundred attendees turned out to show their mutual support of these future MVPs throughout the free, four-hour event.

Thanks to our sponsors — the Jourdan Kelli Fund of the Pittsburgh Foundation, Weatherspoon & Williams LLC, Championship Chase TV – and partners Machine Age Studios, STEM Coding Lab, Beyond Blessed Catering, Ebenezer Baptist Church, the CheatCode Gaming trailer, Mastro Gourmet Quality Ice, 412 Ice Cream, sorors of Zeta Phi Beta LLZ Chapter, and our Youth Career Forum panelists Joshua Sutherland, NFL music supervisor, Jourdan Washington, RCA/Sony Records associate director of marketing, and Ezra “Ezzy” Harris and Jaymir “Jammer” Walls, St. Benedict the Moor student-athletes and ACH Clear Pathways students for making this event a success.

Guests had the opportunity to sign a giant appreciation card for former Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin designed by ACH Clear Pathways art student 16-year-old Ta-Nyiah Benjamin, learn hands-on STEM technology and workforce development skills aboard our two CyberBus mobile units, battle each other in friendly video game play aboard the CheatCode Gaming trailer, learn about our Clean Slate E3 scholarship and outof-school-time programs, and enjoy free food from Beyond Blessed Catering and 412 Ice Cream.

Five lucky guests went home with donated PlayStation 5 video game systems.

Congratulations to the winners of our Youth Madden Football Tournament — first-place winner Nyzer McDonald and secondplace winner Caleb Hauser. Nyzer won a PlayStation 5 Pro, and Caleb won a PlayStation 5.

Three other lucky raffle winners took home the remaining donated PlayStation 5 systems — Ra’Dale Taylor, Ezzy Harris, and HACP Tenant Council representative Ms. Sandra Almond.

“I am so very thankful to receive something like this in a raffle,” Ms. Almond said during the April HACP Resident Advisory Board meeting. “I’m going to give it to my grandchildren, and they and my great-grandchildren are going to have so much fun!”

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles also donated raffle items, including a signed football by Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown.

Ty Miller of Championship Chase TV emceed our Youth Career Forum that further shined the spotlight on these future legends.

Jourdan Washington of RCA/Sony Records advised the youth in attendance to not be afraid to share their ideas.

She said as the associate director of marketing, she works closely with the management, creative, and digital teams, among others, and serves as a quarterback for the artists.

She also stressed the importance of networking with whoever you meet.

“Make sure you have conversations with people,” she said.

She and Joshua Sutherland of the NFL both grew up in musiccentric homes, and are both accomplished pianists.

As an NFL music supervisor, Mr. Sutherland has to keep track of current artists and music trends, as well as seasoned hits for older NFL fans.

He added when music is played for NFL games, they only have about 7-10 seconds to get your attention.

“We want to make sure we reach fans where they are,” he added. “We want to keep in mind where the game is being played, who is playing, and what music is trending right now.”

He said he wished he knew earlier on in his career that it was OK to make mistakes.

“I may not have put myself into situations where I would get something wrong. You can’t get everything right all the time. I didn’t put myself in situations where I would grow. By putting myself into situations where I didn’t know everything it helped me to gain more trust because people knew I wanted to grow.”

He wants the next generation to know that they can walk the path that he walks, and can have this platform. When Mr. Sutherland started in his career, there were no people of color in his field. He said he was thankful he could rely on his family and community to encourage him when he was down.

“You saw someone that looked like you hold this seat. I want you to know that you can hold this seat and so much more!” he said.

Ezzy Harris and Jammer Walls are both student-athletes who are aiming for the stars.

Ezzy plans to play baseball and basketball at Seton LaSalle High School, and aspires to study business management. He already runs his own summer snack shop at ACH during summer camp sessions, and has designed his own clothing line with a friend called Radiant Stars.

Jammer will play football at Central Catholic High School. He is aspiring to become a professional athlete.

They both say they want to be role models for fellow youth because they don’t want them to go down the wrong path in life.

“Our youth are our future,” HACP Executive Director Caster D. Binion said. “The HACP, Clean Slate, and ACH Clear Pathways have always strived to brighten the paths of our local youth, and we couldn’t think of a better time to watch them dazzle as the city shines its spotlight on the many talented young athletes hoping to be drafted into the pro football league.”

From WSOC-TV Charlotte:

Atrium Health has finalized a major land contribution that will help expand affordable housing in Charlotte.

The health system has transferred 14 acres off North Tryon Street to INLIVIAN, the city’s public housing authority, paving the way for new mixed‑income residential development.

The move comes after Atrium Health and INLIVIAN executed a land‑swap agreement this week. Under the deal, Atrium Health exchanged its 3‑acre property at 720 E. Morehead Street in Dilworth — which will also be developed for affordable housing — for a similarly valued 3‑acre parcel at Baxter Street Park in Midtown.

The Midtown property supports future expansion at The Pearl, Charlotte’s first innovation district.

With this agreement, Atrium Health has now contributed more than $51 million toward affordable housing and homelessness solutions in the Charlotte region over the past five years — one of the largest commitments made by any locally based organization.

“When families have a safe place to call home, we see it in their health and well‑being,” said Steve Smoot, EVP and president of the North Carolina and Georgia division at Advocate Health. “By partnering with INLIVIAN, we are helping create meaningful opportunities for families across Charlotte, while also supporting the continued growth of The Pearl.”

Wexford Science & Technology, a development partner at The Pearl, is also building a residential tower on about one acre of land, with 5% of units deed‑restricted for affordable housing.

The 14‑acre North Tryon property was deed‑restricted by Atrium Health in June 2024 to ensure it would be used for affordable housing. It sits between North Tryon and North Poplar streets and borders a 16‑acre INLIVIAN development already underway.

At least 25% of the units built on the site must be reserved for affordable housing, and half of those must be available to households earning 50% or less of the area median income.

Read the full article.

From the New York City Housing Authority:

On March 26, a proud and grateful gathering of NYCHA staff came together to celebrate the graduation of CMLA Cohort 3: the newest graduating class of the Authority’s Coaching and Mentoring Leadership Academy (CMLA) .

“This isn’t just a graduation,” said Yvette Andino, Vice President of Employee Engagement and founder of the CMLA program. “It’s a visible shift in the culture of our organization.”

Over the course of the 16-week program, mentees are paired with mentors who share not only practical expertise but also the perspective and working wisdom that come from years of experience: successes, mistakes, lessons learned, and the realities of leadership inside a large and complex organization.

But the CMLA’s emphasis extends beyond technical skills alone. The program encourages participants to reflect more deeply on how they lead, communicate, collaborate, and support one another.

“These mentees balanced their everyday responsibilities with something much deeper,” Ms. Andino said. “They found the time not just to manage their jobs and responsibilities — but to reflect deeply on how they do that important work.”

That spirit of mutual investment and support was echoed throughout the ceremony.

“To all of you mentees — thank you for being part of this program, because being part of this program means you are taking an active part in creating a better NYCHA,” said NYCHA CEO Lisa Bova-Hiatt. “To all of you mentors — despite all the challenges you handle every day, you chose to give your precious time to help other people learn and grow and thrive.”

“When you have somebody who makes you feel supported and heard and understood, it just makes such a difference,” Ms. Bova-Hiatt added. “And the more we pay it forward, the more we create an incredible NYCHA.”

NYCHA Chief Operating Officer Eva Trimble reflected on the important role mentorship has played in her own life and career.

“I would not be here today without my mentors,” Ms. Trimble told participants. “They absolutely shaped my life and my career.”

Participants were also encouraged to continue building connections across departments and to carry the program’s lessons into their everyday work.

“Leadership is about service,” said NYCHA Chief Administrative Officer Erin Villari. “And a key ingredient of real leadership is humility.”

“The supportive, coaching aspect of leadership should be at the forefront of everything,” Ms. Villari added. “Service in leadership; humility in leadership; humanity in leadership — what a great program!”

Dr. Tischelle George of NYCHA’s Learning & Development team praised the program’s broader impact on both mentors and mentees alike.

“The CMLA program really opens your eyes,” Dr. George said. “We serve an organization that cares about all of us, about our growth and development as professionals.”

As mentors and mentees were recognized, the sense of a growing leadership community was unmistakable. Participants reflected on increased confidence, stronger relationships, and a deeper sense of purpose in their work.

That momentum is already continuing beyond graduation. Several participants now plan to join Learning & Development’s “Learning Leaders” initiative, extending learning opportunities throughout the Authority, while new graduates were encouraged to return to the program as mentors themselves.

As certificates were presented and the ceremony drew to a close, one message emerged clearly: leadership is not a static title, but an ongoing practice grounded in reflection, connection, humility, and service.

For NYCHA’s newest CMLA graduates, that practice is already well underway.