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David Greer
Director of Communications
(202) 550-1381 or dgreer@clpha.org.
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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.
Congresswoman Donna Shalala (D-FL) To Discuss Importance of Cross-Sector Collaboration
(Washington, D.C.) June 2, 2020 -- The COVID-19 global pandemic has laid bare the systemic inequities in our fractured social safety net, which creates barriers for low-income individuals and families. The CLPHA 2020 Housing Is Virtual Summit on June 4 and 5 spotlights how critical collaboration at the intersection of housing, education, and health is the most effective community response to the pandemic.
Congresswoman Donna Shalala (D-FL), who also served as Secretary of Health and Human Services from 1993-2001, will bring her deep knowledge from a career in leadership positions in housing, health and education to her keynote session. “Improving health outcomes has been my life’s work. This won’t happen without a holistic approach including integrating housing and education with health. This why I am honored to be the keynote speaker at the 2020 Housing Is Virtual Summit,” said Congresswoman Shalala.
Spanning two days and featuring over 20 online sessions, CLPHA's 2020 Housing Is Summit is the nation’s pre-eminent cross-sector gathering sharing lessons learned in cross-sector collaboration, including deep dives into systems change, embedding equity practices, and the evolving impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our work and lives.
What CLPHA 2020 Housing Is Virtual Summit
When: June 4 (12:00 PM ET Start) and 5 (11:00 AM ET Start)
Where: Virtual. Register: bit.ly/HousingIs2020registration
RSVP: David Greer, dgreer@clpha.org
(Media, please RSVP and register so CLPHA can help set up interviews with conference speakers.)
About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities is a national non-profit organization that works to preserve and improve public and affordable housing through advocacy, research, policy analysis and public education. CLPHA’s 70 members represent virtually every major metropolitan area in the country. Together they manage 40 percent of the nation’s public housing program; administer more than a quarter of the Housing Choice Voucher program; and operate a wide array of other housing programs. Learn more at clpha.org and on Twitter @CLPHA and follow @housing_is for news on CLPHA’s work to better intersect the housing field and other areas of critical importance such as health and education.
(Washington, D.C.) February 25, 2022 -- Council of Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA) Executive Director Sunia Zaterman released the following statement about President Joe Biden’s nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court: “The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities applauds President Biden’s historic nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court. If confirmed, Judge Jackson will be the first Black woman on the Supreme Court after more than two centuries of the Court’s existence, and she will bring near gender parity with four women serving on the Court. Judge Jackson will bring experience as a public defender to the Court for the first time since Justice Thurgood Marshall retired in 1991. “President Biden campaigned on the promise to be intentional with his first Supreme Court pick. Intentionality is at the heart of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion movement to bring greater racial equity to our nation’s workplaces. President’s Biden choice of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson for a seat on the nation’s highest court represents an important step forward for racial justice in our country.” |
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About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative |
Honored to Be Only Housing Organization to Sign Commitment Letter (Washington, D.C.) December 7, 2021 — The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA) applauds the Biden-Harris Administration’s Maternal Health Call to Action announced today, and CLPHA was honored to be the only housing organization to sign the letter of commitment to the action. This recognition speaks to CLPHA’s leadership in health equity and long-standing dedication to improving maternal health among residents of CLPHA’s member public housing authorities (PHAs). CLPHA launched its commitment to maternal health and many other health-related issues with the creation of the pioneering Housing Is Initiative in 2015. Housing Is helps broaden and launch efforts to align housing, education, and health organizations to produce positive long-term outcomes for those experiencing poverty. Collaboration across systems and sectors—through shared goals, focused resources, and coordinated efforts—strengthens our collective ability to serve the needs of low-income individuals and families effectively and efficiently, and our work’s focus includes young mothers who are disproportionally impacted by housing insecurity. “The Biden-Harris Administration’s decision to lift maternal health to a White House initiative reflects their continuing commitment to address issues impacting low-income families,” said Sunia Zaterman, executive director of the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities. “From the American Rescue Plan Act that contained an expansion of emergency rental assistance and the child tax credit to the Build Back Better Act that expands housing opportunities for low-income families, the Biden-Harris Administration is proposing a transformational investment in America’s low-income women and families." Maternal health is an issue embedded with racial, health, and housing disparities. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that Black women are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related causes than white women. With the majority of PHA residents being Black, indigenous, or people of color, PHAs understand they play a critical role in addressing racial inequities through increased focus on maternal health. CLPHA’s members have been at the forefront of developing programs around maternal health for their residents. The Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority and CelebrateOne partnered to create Healthy Beginnings at Home, an initiative to reduce infant mortality through a housing intervention. The Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority has partnered with the Full Term First Birthday Initiative to replicate the Healthy Beginnings at Home program. The Boston Housing Authority and Boston Public Health Commission created the Healthy Start in Housing Program that provides housing for homeless men and women with very small children with medical issues, as well as pregnant women experiencing homelessness. CLPHA looks forward to supporting the Biden-Harris Administration’s Maternal Health Call to Action with its own activities, including a Martin Luther King Jr. Day virtual event on January 18, 2022 that will discuss how racial discrimination has jointly impacted housing inequities and maternal health outcomes and the interaction of these two disparities. During the 2022 Housing Is Summit on May 18-19, 2022, will also hold a leadership panel to discuss how different sectors can come together to create innovative solutions for the maternal health crisis in this country. ###
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About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative |
(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 |
In an interview with radio program Marketplace for its November 4 story "Apple pledges $2.5 billion to ease California’s housing crisis," CLPHA Executive Director Sunia Zaterman told reporter Jack Stewart that Apple's recent $2.5 billion Bay Area affordable housing pledge is an important starting point in addressing the nation's affordable housing shortage, but also noted that much more money is needed to help public housing authorities provide affordable housing for low-income individuals and families. Zaterman told Stewart that public housing needs an injection of $50 to 70 billion to address its massive capital needs backlog.
“The giving back here [by Apple] should be seen as necessary and required,” said Zaterman, “because these corporations are benefiting from the workforce, from the transportation systems, health systems, that are already in their communities.”
Read or listen to Marketplace's story.
In a new op-ed for The Hill, a prominent political newspaper widely read by policymakers, CLPHA Executive Director Sunia Zaterman underscores the role of public housing authorities (PHAs) as essential partners in local efforts to house those who are particularly vulnerable to housing insecurity, including unsheltered families, veterans, people with disabilities, youth aging out of foster care, victims of domestic violence, and returning citizens. Programs like the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority’s Stable Homes Stable Schools and the Oakland Housing Authority’s Building Bridges are examples of how PHAs are leveraging their limited resources and local partnerships to create more opportunities for housing stability.
Yet, the President’s proposed FY2020 HUD budget would reduce the agency’s funding by more than 16 percent and slash the public housing operating and capital funds by $4.6 billion, which would seriously impede PHAs’ and their communities’ abilities to address the housing needs of low-income and housing-insecure people.
Though House and Senate appropriators propose modest funding increases in their FY20 spending bills, Zaterman argues that level funding is not enough to meet the growing and urgent demand for housing that is safe and affordable. “We can address the crisis of homelessness in America, and public housing authorities are prepared to help solve it with appropriate resources.”
Part two of Affordable Housing Finance’s special report “Turning Point for Public Housing,” explores tools such as the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program and Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) that public housing authorities can use to recapitalize and redevelop properties for their residents and communities. In the face of unsustainable federal funding levels, CLPHA Executive Director Sunia Zaterman tells the magazine that public housing is at a crossroads, but with the right tools, “we could have the portfolio totally recapitalized in 10 years.”
Zaterman was also featured in part one of the series to discuss the impact of the federal disinvestment in public housing. “We have lost about 10,000 units a year from underfunding,” she said. But, “the number of public housing units lost may have slowed to about 8,000 a year, thanks to RAD, in the last couple of years.”
Read the series, which includes interviews with housing advocates, policy experts, and policymakers, online here.
On May 21, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Dr. Ben Carson, testified before the House Financial Services Committee at a hearing entitled “Housing in America: Oversight of the U.S. Department of Housing and Development” where he received pointed questions from the committee Democrats on recent HUD proposals such as rent reform, the non-citizen rule, and HUD’s FY20 budget request which would slash funding for public housing.
After the hearing, CLPHA Executive Director Sunia Zaterman was asked by USA TODAY reporter Nicholas Wu about the accuracy of Carson’s justification of the non-citizen rule – that, based on Section 214, the Secretary may not support housing for people who are not here legally. Zaterman told Wu that the law “explicitly authorizes both those with eligible and ineligible immigration status to occupy units in ‘covered housing programs.’”
“This is a punitive act,” she said. “Even HUD’s justification laid out the negative impacts of doing this on the households themselves which often include children that are eligible and parents and heads of household who are not.” Read the USA TODAY article.
NPR’s May 16 story, which also aired May 22 on NPR’s Morning Edition, “Trump Administration Wants To Cut Funding For Public Housing Repairs,” featuring District of Columbia Housing Authority Executive Director Tyrone Garrett and CLPHA Executive Director Sunia Zaterman, underscores the need to reinvest in public housing with funding for the capital needs backlog and more tools for recapitalization and redevelopment.
Of the Trump Administration’s proposal to slash funding for public housing, Garrett says, “Other housing authorities throughout the country are in the same boat. We're looking for opportunities to be able to improve the lives of our families, and it's becoming increasingly difficult with the funding cuts."
From NBC 15 News Mobile:
On Thursday, May 2, the City of Mobile will join Aletheia House and the Morrow Companies to break ground on a $19.8 million affordable housing community for local seniors.
Announced in 2023, Live Oak Trace will be located on Overlook Rd. and will create 56 new affordable housing units dedicated to residents 55 and older. The $19.8 million housing community is being financed through a public private partnership with the City of Mobile, Regions Bank, theAlabama Housing Finance Authority and Hope Credit Union and is scheduled to open next spring. The Mobile Housing Authority will also be providing rental assistance for some of the future residents.
Read NBC 15 News Mobile's article "Mobile Breaking Ground on New Senior Apartment Homes."
From the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles' press release:
On March 28, 2024, the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) closed on the acquisition of a 120-unit market-rate apartment building at 349 S. La Fayette Park Place in central Los Angeles. HACLA will restrict 90 of the units in the property to occupancy by families with incomes not exceeding 80% of the median income in Los Angeles – equivalent to $70,640 per year for a single person household – over the long term. The affordability will be achieved over time as units naturally turn over. No existing residents will be required to move as a result of the purchase, and residents with qualifying incomes will be eligible to receive rent reductions.
The $43.4 million acquisition was accomplished with $19.5 million of federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding awarded by the City of Los Angeles through its Community Investment for Families Department (CIFD).
“CIFD is proud to serve as the administrator of the Consolidated Plan, which includes the oversight of the Community Development Block Grants (CDBG). CDBG plays a crucial role in supporting housing acquisition initiatives aimed at providing affordable housing. By investing CDBG resources in projects such as Lafayette, we are helping communities secure assets that will promote economic growth and foster housing stability for hundreds of Angelenos,” said Abigail R. Marquez, CIFD General Manager.
HACLA also borrowed $23.4 million from its line of credit with City National Bank to close on the purchase.
“HACLA is committed to using every available tool to the greatest extent possible to increase the supply of affordable housing in the City of Los Angeles,” said Doug Guthrie, HACLA’s President and CEO. “We are thrilled that this property, with access to jobs, schools, transit, parks and shopping, will provide a welcoming and affordable home for hundreds of Angelenos for decades to come.”
“HACLA is deeply gratified for the unwavering support and dedication of our partners at the City of Los Angeles, including Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez (D-CD1), the Community Investment for Families Department, and the leadership of Mayor Karen Bass,” said Cielo Castro, Chair of the HACLA Board of Commissioners.
“Los Angeles is in dire need of more affordable and dignified housing to confront our housing and homelessness crisis,” said Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez. “This acquisition moves us closer to that goal and I am grateful for the steadfast support of HACLA, CIFD, and all our partners who work tirelessly to increase the supply of affordable housing in the City of Los Angeles.”
“The Mayor’s declaration of emergency on homelessness created a renewed urgency to bring unhoused Angelenos and connect them to homes they can afford. And we are making steady progress,” said Chief Housing and Homelessness Officer, Lourdes Castro Ramirez. “With today's announcement, HACLA is delivering the kind of vision we need to meet this housing and homelessness crisis head on, creating new covenanted affordable homes that will support Angeleno families for decades. Kudos to Doug Guthrie and the HACLA team for this success!”
Since 2020, HACLA has purchased more than 2,000 units to provide affordable housing for families in Los Angeles, totaling nearly $900 million of acquisitions. HACLA is the largest owner of affordable housing in the City of Los Angeles, with a portfolio of more than 11,000 units of housing restricted to or targeted for occupancy by lower-income families and people who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
For more information about HACLA and its initiatives, please visit www.hacla.org.
From News on 6 Oklahoma City:
Oklahoma City council members have chosen to partner with the Oklahoma City Housing Authority for the MAPS 4 project to combat homelessness.
The $10 million project would provide hundreds of new homes and repair nearly 1,500 assisted-housing units.
From LoHud.com:
A mural dedicated to singer Mary J. Blige, who grew up in Yonkers, and designed by artist Robin Alcantara, was unveiled where she lived in public housing at Palisade Towers on Schroeder Street, April 25, 2024. The Yonkers Housing Authority and Yonkers Arts unveiled the new mural titled "Together" as a tribute to the singer and songwriter. Blige, a local legend and international phenomenon was recently tapped to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
From My Edmonds News:
The Housing Authority of Snohomish County on Thursday announced that is has acquired 4.4 acres of land in Edmonds’ Five Corners neighborhood for future development of affordable housing.
The six parcels of land, called “Hadley’s Acres,” is located near the intersection of 80th Avenue West and 220th Street Southwest, south of Edmonds-Woodway High School. Housing Authority of Snohomish County (HASCO) Communications Manager Pam Townsend confirmed that the housing authority had made an offer on the same property last year, but it was rejected.
While HASCO’s latest offer was accepted, the dollar amount was not disclosed. At the owner’s request, the transaction is not expected to close until August, a news release announcing the acquisition said.
“HASCO looks forward to working with the City of Edmonds and its citizens on bringing more affordable housing to the community,” the announcement said. “Providing affordable housing solutions for the most vulnerable in Snohomish County is our highest priority.”
Read My Edmonds News' article "Housing Authority of Snohomish County Acquires 4.4 Acres in Edmonds for Future Affordable Housing."