Council of Large Public Housing Authorities’ Post

Today, CLPHA President Jeffery K. Patterson joined George Guy, President of National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO), Mark Gillett, President of PHADA_USA, and other panelists at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's celebration of 50 years of the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program to share their perspectives on the HCV program's positive impact on low-income families. As President Biden said in a proclamation today, for the last 50 years HCVs have provided millions of families with rental assistance in communities of their choice. We join him in thanking PHA leaders and their local partners for administering this crucial program.

CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative is celebrating our tenth anniversary. To mark this milestone, we have released We Envision..., a comprehensive report reflecting on the Initiative's accomplishments and looking towards the future of cross-sector partnerships that improve life outcomes. Housing Is has achieved great success over the last decade in building momentum for cross-sector work at the national level and in reframing safe, stable, and affordable housing as a crucial foundation for improved life outcomes. Our groundbreaking work as a national convener supports scale and replication of successful cross-sector partnerships and has helped to change the conversation about what housing, and specifically PHAs, can do to help residents achieve their goals, work towards educational success, and live healthier lives. We Envision... shares a history of the creation and national leadership of Housing Is; elevates learnings from a decade of the Initiative’s efforts; spotlights successful PHA collaborations with health, education, digital connectivity, and other partners that serve vulnerable populations; and imagines a future where strong, sustained cross-sector partnerships help low-income individuals to attain the same education, health, economic, and digital connectivity opportunities as their more affluent peers. Read the report here: https://lnkd.in/eai7xsZG 

A recent NPR article by Jennifer Ludden spotlights the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) call for research on and establishment of potential pilot programs that would give low-income renters cash for housing rather than vouchers via a policy called direct rental assistance (“DRA”). The article discusses challenges that voucher holders often face in securing and utilizing vouchers, including long waitlists and rejection by landlords due to red tape and source of income discrimination, that could potentially be addressed by providing cash instead. Preston Prince, executive director of the Santa Clara County Housing Authority (SCCHA), is quoted in the article expressing support of this exploration. SCCHA, a CLPHA member, is also planning to participate in a DRA pilot designed by research group MDRC. Prince notes that this shift in policy could cause housers like himself to ask some tough questions about the status quo of the voucher program, telling NPR, “I've dedicated 35 years of my career to housing. Asking that question of, like, ‘Have we been doing it wrong?’ is a little scary.” At present, only PHAs with Moving to Work (MTW) authority are able to initiate direct rental assistance programs. Researchers hope to learn whether direct rental assistance could help families find housing quicker, save money for both tenants and housing authorities, prevent recidivism or returns to homelessness, and enable families to move to areas of higher opportunity. However, the article concludes with Solomon Greene, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for HUD’s Office of Policy and Research, reiterating that more data is needed from research and pilot programs, in addition to congressional authority, before HUD makes substantial changes to its current rental assistance models. https://lnkd.in/gwZXxEBF

Dr. Karen DuBois-Walton, CLPHA board member and Elm City Communities (ECC) president, has been named the next president and chief executive officer of The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven. Her last day with ECC and on CLPHA’s board will be November 1. Dr. DuBois-Walton was elected to CLPHA’s board in 2019. She has served for 16 years as president of ECC, which provides housing opportunities for more than 6,000 families and 14,000 individuals and includes the Glendower Group, LLC (the development affiliate of ECC) and 360 Management Group, Inc. (the property management affiliate). At ECC she has spearheaded initiatives to address systemic inequities in housing and community development, education and economic access and opportunity. Under Dr. DuBois-Walton's leadership ECC has pioneered numerous cross-sector partnerships with education sector organizations that together offer programming that helps ECC residents pursue educational advancement. ECC’s groundbreaking work that helps improve education outcomes for low-income New Haven residents has long supported and informed CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative, and her move to The Community Foundation underscores the importance of philanthropic organizations to cross-sector efforts to address the needs of low-income families. “CLPHA and our board have greatly benefitted not only from Karen’s intelligence and expertise, but also her warmth and compassion,” said Jeffery K. Patterson, CLPHA board president and CEO of the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority. “We are heartened to know that she will take her passion for helping low-income families find housing stability, economic opportunity, and improved health and education outcomes into her new role. We wish Karen the best of luck as she embarks on this new opportunity.” “Karen’s leadership at ECC and on the CLPHA board has always been centered on the needs of low-income families, and particularly families of color.,” said CLPHA Executive Director Sunia Zaterman. “She has shaped our thinking and practices on how to develop and sustain effective cross-sector partnerships to improve life outcomes for those we serve. She will no doubt continue to champion safe, stable, and affordable housing as foundational to improved life outcomes in her new role at The Community Foundation. While we will miss Karen in our industry, we wholeheartedly congratulate her on this new opportunity to continue her work serving the people of New Haven.” 

CLPHA is pleased to announce that our Housing Is Initiative has received funding from the Corporation Supportive Housing (CSH, the Source for Housing Solutions) to help us guide and assist public housing authorities (PHAs) in their efforts to expand and stabilize housing opportunities for some of our nation’s most vulnerable individuals. Through May 31, 2025, Housing Is will utilize these funds to: --Provide expertise on a guide on creating waiting list preferences for Admissions and Continued Occupancy Policies (ACOPs) and Administrative Plans that focus on people experiencing unsheltered homelessness --Contribute to the creation of products that support PHAs and their community partners in successfully implementing Special Purpose Vouchers (including Foster Youth to Independence, Family Unification Program, and Emergency Housing Vouchers), the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program generally, and Public Housing --Review and provide feedback on a draft of a toolkit focused on supporting the housing stability of HCV and Public Housing tenants, as well as building on a preliminary draft of a product focused on data sharing between PHAs and Continuums of Care These products will support PHAs’ abilities to increase their knowledge of, and ability to successfully implement, HUD’s various voucher and public housing programs so that special populations including people experiencing unsheltered homelessness, youth aging out of foster care, families with children at risk of separation or a delay in reunification due to lack of housing, and people who need supportive care in housing can better access stable, affordable housing. CLPHA has long partnered with CSH on efforts to align the housing, health, and child welfare sectors in order to better serve low-income families facing housing instability, including through the participation of Abra Lyons-Warren, CLPHA’s director of cross-sector initiatives, on the advisory board of One Roof, CSH’s national initiative to bring together housing and child welfare partners strengthen families. We thank CSH for their support of our work to help PHAs do what they do best: provide affordable housing opportunities for those who need them most. 

CLPHA Executive Director Sunia Zaterman told POLITICO that CLPHA strongly supports the use of federal land for housing, adding, “We want to make sure that public housing authorities are designated as eligible partners or eligible recipients of grant money.” “The federal government really does not control the housing market in the way that people think,” she added. “But I do think people are understanding that we’ve got to push that housing development and supply issue to the top of the agenda.” https://lnkd.in/e4fU-D7Z

Since its inception in the Housing Act of 1937, public housing has faced decades of chronic underfunding and disinvestment. While the last 30 years has brough renewed commitment to new policies and investments in public housing, a cohesive national strategy to recapitalize the public housing portfolio has been lacking. CLPHA is proud to convene the 10 Year Roadmap for Public Housing Sustainability to craft a national approach to preserving the public housing portfolio for the long term. Public and affordable housing leaders have agreed that now is the time to develop long term solutions for a sustainable public housing portfolio. The 10 Year Roadmap is helmed by a steering committee, led by three co-chairs: The Honorable Ritchie Torres, Member, U.S. House of Representatives  The Honorable Shaun Donovan, CEO & President, Enterprise Community Partners; Former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development La Shelle Dozier, Executive Director, Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency Steering Committee members include: Peggy Bailey, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities Diana Blackwell, National Low Income Housing Coalition Emily Cadik, Affordable Housing Tax Credit Coalition Asia Coney, Philadelphia Housing Authority Mark Gillett, PHADA_USA Ingrid Gould Ellen, NYU Furman Center Ismael Guerrero, Mercy Housing George Guy, National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) Priya Jayachandran, National Housing Trust Joy Johnson, Charlottlesville Housing Authority Andy McMahon, UnitedHealth Group Jeffery K. Patterson, Council of Large Public Housing Authorities Tracey Scott, MTW Collaborative Dennis Shea, J. Ronald Terwilliger Center for Housing Policy, Bipartisan Policy Center Sarah Rosen Wartell, Urban Institute Diane Yentel, National Low Income Housing Coalition The roadmap process will engage a wide range of stakeholders to advance the continued evolution and preservation of public housing through a 10-year reinvestment plan that establishes a sustainable, deeply affordable, and service-enriched housing platform for residents to achieve their life goals. CLPHA is proud to serve as a convenor for the Roadmap. The roadmap will marshal the necessary policies, resources, services, and political support to recapitalize the portfolio by leveraging increased and targeted public and private investments through preservation, redevelopment, mixed-used transformations, transfer of assistance, and other innovative strategies. The tools, methods, and mechanisms needed to bring leveraged public and private investments to public housing have been developed over the years. The Roadmap will focus on scaling these tools from piecemeal interventions to a unified national approach that creates expanded, sustainable affordable housing opportunities. To learn more about the 10 Year Roadmap for Public Housing Sustainability, visit 10yearroadmap.org.

Doug Guthrie, board member of CLPHA and president & CEO of the HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES, recently announced his retirement and departure from the agency, effective August 1, 2024. "On behalf of CLPHA and our board, I would like to thank Doug for his outstanding service and leadership,” said Jeffery K. Patterson, president of CLPHA’s board and CEO of the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority. “His tremendous impact on the public and affordable housing sector extends far beyond LA, reaching cities like Cleveland. We greatly appreciate his contributions to CLPHA and our industry, and we wish him all the best in his next chapter." "I’ve been honored to work closely with Doug on the issues facing California housing authorities and the low-income families we serve, as well as on CLPHA’s board to advocate on behalf of PHAs nationally,” said La Shelle Dozier, vice president of CLPHA’s board and executive director of the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency. “Our peers will miss his leadership, expertise, and vision for how PHAs can make transformative impacts in their communities. Best wishes, Doug, on your retirement.” “Doug has long been a leader in the CLPHA community and has been instrumental in shaping our goals and priorities since being elected to our board in 2013,” said Sunia Zaterman, executive director of CLPHA. His leadership on addressing homelessness and revitalizing aging public housing stock is a model for housing authorities across the country. His wisdom, experience, and passion for expanding affordable housing opportunities are unparalleled. We thank Doug for his partnership and leadership and wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors.” https://lnkd.in/gnmbYE3b

Three of CLPHA’s members—Houston Housing Authority, Miami-Dade Public Housing & Community Development Department, and Syracuse Housing Authority—were awarded HUD Choice Neighborhoods Implementation (CNI) Grants for the first time. Two of CLPHA’s members—Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority and Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority—each received an additional $2.5 million in funding for current CNI projects in this latest round of CNI awards. HUD has announced a total of $325 million in CNI grants to fifteen communities. Congratulations to our members on these prestigious awards! Learn more about their transformative projects here: https://lnkd.in/eDhkWrdi