The Capitol Gateway HOPE VI mixed-use, mixed-income community, Washington, D.C.
Seattle�s High Point Public housing is built around parks for children and a community garden.
Two of Cuyahoga Housing Authority's seven green roofs, LakeView Terrace, Cleveland
Tremont Pointe, a HOPE VI development and the first multi-family green project in Ohio.
Walsh Construction, the Pomegranate Center and the Salishan Community of Tacoma, Washington came together to create a courtyard and park. Photo by Eugene Shibayama.
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. More about CLPHA >
A New Conversation About Preserving Public Housing
A fundamental -- and welcome -- shift has taken place
recently in the way we talk about public housing. Instead of discussing whether
to preserve this valuable stock, the debate this legislative session has been over
how to make that happen. Instead of a
handful of industry leaders and policy makers grappling with the issue, a
growing chorus of interests has joined the effort to solve the problem.
For the first time, there is a near-universal consensus that public housing plays
an invaluable role in the affordable housing pipeline, that it must be recapitalized,
and that federal appropriations will
never be sufficient to take care of the $30 billion plus backlog.
House Approves HUD FY2011 Budget – Industry Efforts Preserve VASH/HOPE VI/ROSS Funds
The House voted at 1:10 a.m. today on the THUD budget,
approving the public housing program funding voted out of the House
Appropriations Committee last week. An
amendment was circulated Thursday to defund VASH, HOPE VI, and ROSS and to
slash other program funds. It was pulled because of an extensive stakeholder
effort – led by CLPHA and other
industry groups – to oppose it.
FY2011 HUD Funding Bill Ready for Senate Floor Action
On July 21, the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on
Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD)--followed
the next day by the Full Appropriations Committee--marked up and reported out S.
3644, their version of the FY2011 HUD funding bill, with its accompanying
Committee Report 111-230.
In this tough budgetary environment, CLPHA
is pleased that the Senate bill affirms its strong support for public housing through the funding provided.
A detailed reading of the bill language and committee report offer
further insight into the committee’s thinking on these programs.
Public Housing Reform Legislation Advances in the House
On July 27, the House Financial Services Committee passed,
by a vote of 42-27, and reported for floor action H.R. 5814, the “Public
Housing Reinvestment and Tenant Protection Act of 2010”, an omnibus public
housing preservation and reform bill comprised of four earlier legislative
proposals.
The bill joined together a modified version of the
Administration’s Choice Neighborhoods Initiative proposal; the draft “Public
Housing One-for-One Replacement and Tenant Protection Act of 2010” and the draft
“Public Housing Preservation and Rehabilitation Act of 2010”, both of which
were the subject of hearings earlier this spring at which CLPHA testified; and
H.R. 4224, the “Together We Care Act of 2009”.
Washington, D.C. – March 23, 2010 -- Public housing
authorities (PHAs) have obligated virtually 100% of the $3 billion they
received in Recovery Act formula funds, according to the U.S. Department of
Housing and Urban Development. Out of the nation’s 3,100 PHAs, only 21 were
unable to meet the deadline, returning $3 million to HUD; all CLPHA members
obligated their funds.
These Recovery Act funds will:
Generate
thousands of jobs
Bring
thousands of uninhabitable units back on line
Make
substantial capital improvements to the $145 billion asset that is public
housing
Improve
energy efficiency, resulting in tax dollar savings
Housing
authorities are leading the way in building state-of-the-art
sustainable communities. They are key partners in HUD’s greening and
sustainability initiatives and represent a critical delivery system to
improve the environment, stimulate the economy, and expand
opportunities for low income households.