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.
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David Greer
Director of Communications
(202) 550-1381 or dgreer@clpha.org.
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(202) 550-1381
For Immediate Release
February 27, 2021 |
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(Washington, D.C.) February 27, 2021 – Sunia Zaterman, executive director of the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities, released the following statement upon tonight’s passage of the American Rescue Plan Act in the U.S. House of Representatives:
“The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities applauds the House of Representatives' bipartisan passage of the American Rescue Plan Act, which includes $35 billion in emergency rental and utility assistance and a significant extension of the eviction moratorium.
“This legislation is critical to address the rental crisis facing the nation. The situation has only grown worse since the Biden Administration announced the American Rescue Plan in mid-January. Renters have continued to accrue past-due rent at an alarmingly high rate. While the eviction moratorium has provided important protections for renters financially impacted by the pandemic, the moratorium has meant that millions of renters have accumulated significant arrears. Economists estimate that unpaid rent at the end of January 2021 totals $52 billion, which amounts to $5,600 for the average renter. With the March 31 moratorium on evictions rapidly approaching, additional rent assistance is urgently needed to help renters stay in their homes by addressing back rent. The Senate must act swiftly to provide emergency rental assistance and prevent a wave of evictions that will tragically disrupt the lives of millions of Americans.”
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About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative |
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February 2, 2021
(Washington, D.C.) February 2, 2021 – Sunia Zaterman, executive director of the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities, released the following statement upon President Biden's signing of an executive order regarding the public charge rule:
“The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities applauds the Biden administration’s action today to begin unwinding the Trump administration’s patently unlawful Public Charge Rule that included housing assistance receipt against immigrants and their families when applying for an adjustment of residency status. Federal housing assistance exists to keep families together and to lift them up, not to be weaponized to tear them apart. The cruelty of the rule was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic as it caused families to opt out of many critical safety net programs, including federal housing assistance.
"CLPHA looks forward to working with the Biden administration to ensure the equitable and compassionate treatment of immigrants and their families when seeking federal housing assistance.”
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About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative |
(202) 550-1381
For Immediate Release
January 28, 2021 |
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(Washington, D.C.) January 28, 2021 – Sunia Zaterman, executive director of the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities, released the following statement upon the conclusion of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs’ nomination hearing for The Honorable Marcia L. Fudge, of Ohio, to be Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development: “The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities applauds HUD Secretary-designate Marcia Fudge’s forceful call for expanding emergency rental assistance at her Senate nomination hearing today for individuals who are facing housing instability due to lost income or are experiencing unemployment because of COVID-19, many of whom are people of color. She understands that the $25 billion allocated to emergency rental assistance in the most recent stimulus was not enough and only a down payment.
“Right now, in back rent alone, 10 million low-income renters have accrued an average of $5,600 in rental arrears, which totals $56.3 billion. The current stimulus package will help approximately 3.5 million renters pay back rent by February. The remaining 7 million renters who are unable to pay back rent will face eviction, compounding the strain on our nation’s economy and compromising our nation’s moral responsibility to address racial inequities among our most vulnerable individuals.
CLPHA calls for Congress to immediately pass President Biden’s American Rescue Plan which contains $50 billion in emergency rental assistance, and for the Senate to swiftly confirm Secretary-designate Fudge so that she can begin her imperative work.”
About the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
About CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative |
The District of Columbia Housing Authority (DCHA) and partners cut the ribbon on the Residences at Hayes Street, a 150-unit affordable housing community constructed with help from a $2 million DCHA loan. DCHA will also provide nearly $241,000 annually in rent subsidies to residents.
The Charlotte Housing Authority has opened The Oaks at Cherry, an 81-unit affordable housing community with resident amenities such a playground, cyber café, and fitness center in Charlotte’s historic Cherry neighborhood. You can watch a video about The Oaks at Cherry community here.
Of the complex’s 68 units, 34 are funded by Section 8 project-based vouchers, and 15 of those apartments are set aside for individuals with disabilities. The construction of Key’s Pointe Residences is part of HABC’s massive revitalization plan for Baltimore’s O’Donnell Heights neighborhood.
At the CLPHA Fall Meeting earlier this month, Bruce Katz, former Centennial Scholar at the Brookings Institution and founding Director of the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program,discussed how housing authorities, cities, and other stakeholders can seize the opportunity of the new Opportunity Zone tax incentives. Below is additional information and resources for CLPHA members on Opportunity Zones, including a CLPHA analysis of public housing developments in Opportunity Zones for members and a policy prospectus from Katz on how to best leverage these new tax incentives.
Background
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 established the new tax incentive, which will
“Allow any taxpayer to defer paying tax on capital gains from the sale of property if those gains are timely invested in Qualified Opportunity Funds, which in turn must invest 90% of its assets in businesses located or property used in a low-income community. If investors invest for ten years, they also pay no capital gains tax on the appreciation on that investment.”
Following the establishment of the tax incentives, U.S. governors designated more than 8,700 “Opportunity Zones” in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico; many overlap with locations where CLPHA members have public housing communities. Opportunity Zone incentives are unique because they rely on individual investment decisions instead of government distributions, can be utilized for all manner of projects (residential, commercial, industrial, or infrastructure), are not contingent upon pre-specified outcomes or metrics for success, and there is no cap to the amount of benefits investors can receive.
Current Status
The U.S. Department of the Treasury has released a notice of proposed rulemaking and notice of a public hearing on Investing in Qualified Opportunity Zones. There are two provisions related to housing in the proposed rule: a working capital safe harbor for the acquisition, construction, and rehabilitation of property for up to 31 months and also a provision stating that the basis attributable to land will not be taken into account when determining whether the building has been substantially improved. According to the rule, excluding the basis of land will help facilitate the repurposing of vacant buildings in Qualified Opportunity Zones.
CLPHA will be reviewing the proposed rule to understand how PHAs can take advantage of Opportunity Zones to further local housing goals. Comments on the notice are due December 28 and the public hearing will be held on January 10, 2019.
Resources for Members
CLPHA Analysis of Members in Opportunity Zones: Using the list of designated Qualified Opportunity Zones and HUD data on public housing buildings, CLPHA performed a comparison analysis to determine which public housing buildings are located in designated Opportunity Zones. We found that 57 CLPHA members had at least one public housing building in a qualified Opportunity Zone. In the attached spreadsheet, you can find a full list of properties, including census tract and geographic data, located in Opportunity Zones, as well as a quick-glance table that lists the housing authority and property development name. Click here to download CLPHA’s Analysis from our Dropbox.
Policy Brief – From Transactions to Transformation: How Cities Can Maximize Opportunities –Bruce Katz and Evan Weiss: This brief details a vision for the potential economic and social outcomes of the Opportunity Zone tax incentives and offers ten steps for cities to leverage local resources in order to take advantage of them. Download the brief from Drexel’s website.
Additional Resources:
Opportunity Fund Directory: The National Council of State Housing Agencies (NCSHA) has released this new online resource that provides descriptions and contact information for publicly-announced Opportunity Funds. View the Directory on NCSHA’s website.
Opportunity Zone Explorer: Enterprise Community Partners has created this mapping tool to help those interested in opportunity zones determine which tracts in their regions have been designated and how they related to other federal programs. Use the Opportunity Zone Explorer on the Enterprise website.
The Tacoma Housing Authority (THA) and Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) were recognized for their work in addressing homelessness among community college students and other barriers to higher education in a recent article for Inside Higher Ed. THA’s College Housing Assistance Program began in 2014 in response to rising rents in Tacoma and Pierce Counties. High rates of homelessness among Tacoma Community College students created opportunities for partnership between the College and THA, which now serves 150 students — many of whom have children of their own — who are homeless and near homeless. With the help of a housing voucher and additional financial aid, students are able to continue pursuing their degrees.
CHA is taking a slightly different approach to a similar problem. In working with City Colleges of Chicago through a program known as Partners in Education, the housing authority covers tuition and other fees for residents. Over 600 CHA residents are currently enrolled in Chicago’s community colleges, and while many receive federal and state financial aid, additional assistance from the housing authority ensures continued enrollment. As Moving to Work (MTW) agencies, both THA and CHA are able to engage in postsecondary partnerships as a result of program flexibility.
THA and CHA will further discuss these partnerships with the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles, Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority, and Louisville Metro Housing Authority at a postsecondary convening co-sponsored by CLPHA, Housing Is, and Kresge next month. CLPHA looks forward to discussing how initiatives like these can be replicated and brought to scale across the country.
From Opportunity Home San Antonio's press release:
The United States Congress approved two Community Project Funding (CPF) requests submitted by Opportunity Home San Antonio as part of its final Fiscal Year 2024 budget, which will help preserve the income-based housing stock in San Antonio.
The organization received $850,000, secured by Congressman Joaquin Castro, for the Critical Needs Infrastructure for Affordable/Workforce Housing Communities. Opportunity Home also received $850,000, secured by Congressman Greg Casar’s office, for the Alazán Expansion project.
“We are deeply appreciative of the federal funding made possible by Congressmen Castro and Casar,” said Opportunity Home President and CEO Ed Hinjosa, Jr. “With the profound income-based housing shortage in the city and across the nation, these funds provide critical support in preserving housing for some of our communities in need of it the most.”
Castro’s Critical Needs Infrastructure for Affordable/Workforce Housing Communities funding is for maintenance, renovations and critical repairs, identified through conducting a physical needs assessment, at Towering Oaks Apartments and Courtland Heights Apartments. Both properties are owned by Opportunities Home.
In March, Castro announced that his office secured $10.6 million through the Fiscal Year 2024 federal appropriations process to support thirteen community projects, including affordable housing. The funding is included in HR 4366, the Consolidated Appropriations Act.
“For decades, Opportunity Home San Antonio has built and maintained affordable housing for tens of thousands of San Antonians,” said Castro. “Every year, it’s a privilege for me to secure well-deserved federal funding for organizations across San Antonio to continue their great work, and I was glad to work with Opportunity Home to get $850,000 to go towards improvements at two of their housing properties that will preserve the affordable housing stock in our city. Access to stable housing ensures that our community can participate in and contribute to a growing economy, and this funding will help more families be able to pursue their goals and dreams.”
Casar’s office secured a total of $15 million through the Fiscal Year 2024 federal appropriations process to support 14 community projects, including affordable housing on the West Side of San Antonio.
The $850,000 federal grant secured by Casar will be used for the rehabilitation of the Alazán-Apache Courts as part of Opportunity Home’s Alazán Expansion project. Alazán-Apache Courts is the oldest public housing community in San Antonio. These funds will ensure Opportunity Home can continue serving the families on the West Side of San Antonio. The project will help to revitalize the neighborhood with new affordable housing and investment and contribute to economic development, and will serve families that are primarily 0-15% of area median income, offering the deepest affordability.
“Congress must help with rising rents and costs in San Antonio, which is why we are bringing dollars to rehabilitate Alazán-Apache Courts. Alazán-Apache Courts was the first public housing ever built in San Antonio, and one of the first public housing projects in the U.S.,” said Congressman Casar (D-Texas). “Opportunity Home San Antonio has helped San Antonians with housing assistance for decades. With this $850,000 investment toward Alazán-Apache Courts, we will make sure working families can still afford to live on the West Side in good housing with community services.”
From the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles' website:
On Monday, March 18th, the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) joined Rep. Nanette Barragán (CA-44) and Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI) to celebrate $235,000 in federal funding secured by the Congresswoman, which will allow HACLA to expand an existing electric car share program for residents of Rancho San Pedro public housing. These newly acquired funds will go towards the purchase of new electric vehicles and improving the infrastructure at the charging site. Resident Advisory Council (RAC) Leader, Yolanda Rodarte, also provided remarks on the positive impact of these electric vehicles to her community!
From the Tacoma Housing Authority's press release:
Tacoma Housing Authority (THA) and Tacoma Public Schools (TPS) have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to establish and collaborate on the creation of a local waitlist preference that prioritizes families of TPS students who are experiencing homelessness or housing instability for housing assistance. Through this partnership, THA and TPS seek to expand access to housing programs for vulnerable, low-income local households who are experiencing multiple barriers and the greatest marginalization in the community.
“Tacoma School District has the largest number of students experiencing homelessness in Washington State,” said Tacoma Housing Authority Associate Director of Rental Assistance Fernando Ruiz. “With this newly established local waitlist preference, these students and their families in dire need of stable and affordable housing will be able to get assistance when they need it most.”
TPS will identify and refer eligible applicants to THA’s local preference waitlist who meet THA eligibility criteria, as provided, and who are receiving supportive services through the District.
“We know that a lack of stable housing has a direct impact on student learning and well-being,” said Tacoma Public Schools Director Taj Jensen, who oversees support for students qualifying for McKinney-Vento services. “For students to succeed in the classroom and after graduation, their basic needs must first be met. We are grateful for the continued partnership with THA to remove this critical barrier.”
Eligible applicants will be placed in THA’s local preference waitlist and will be offered the first available THA housing resource. THA’s commitment to provide housing resources outlined in the MOU is conditioned on the continued availability of funds from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and THA’s voucher utilization needs.
From WKYC 3 Studios:
A new apartment community boasting 120 affordable homes opened Thursday in Cleveland's Buckeye-Woodhill neighborhood.
Officials from the City of Cleveland and Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) attended the grand opening of Woodhill Station West. The building, once an empty lot across from the RTA Woodhill-Buckeye train station, features 42 one-bedroom, 62 two-bedroom and 16 three-bedroom apartments as well as 4,520 square feet of community space.
“The Woodhill community has experienced years of neglect and abandonment," Cleveland City Council President Blaine A. Griffin said in a news release. "With phase one completed, it’s the first concrete step of a project that will transform a neighborhood, a community. The impact on the neighborhood and the legacy residents cannot be overstated. Something special is happening here in the Woodhill community.”
The apartment building is the result of a partnership between the city, the CMHA and nonprofit The Community Builders. It is part of the first phase of the Buckeye-Woodhill Choice Neighborhoods Implementation, a government program funded in part by grants from the Department Housing and Urban Development.
READ WKYC 3 Studios' article "New affordable apartment building opens in Cleveland's Buckeye-Woodhill neighborhood."
We are pleased to announce that Greenwich Communities, Selma Housing Authority, and Spokane Housing Authority have become members of CLPHA!
- Greenwich Communities houses over 1,300 families in Greenwich, Connecticut. Anthony L. Johnson serves as the housing authority's CEO/Executive Director. Learn more at greenwichcommunity.org.
- Selma Housing Authority provides safe, decent, and affordable housing to over 1,600 families in Selma, Alabama. Kennard Randolph serves as the housing authority's President/CEO. Learn more at selmahousing.com.
- Spokane Housing Authority has over 5,800 households that call their communities home in Spokane, Washington. Pamela Parr serves as the housing authority's Executive Director. Learn more at spokanehousing.org.
Please join us in welcoming our new members to CLPHA – we look forward to working together to improve life outcomes for families served by PHAs!