CLPHA Advocacy

CLPHA supports the nation’s largest and most innovative housing authorities by advocating for the resources and policies they need to solve local housing challenges and create communities of opportunity. We frequently champion our members' issues, needs, and successes on the Hill, at HUD, and in the media. In these arenas CLPHA also advocates for legislation and policies that help our members, and the public and affordable housing industry as a whole, strengthen neighborhoods and improve lives.

Click below for links to congressional testimonies, statements for the record, action alerts, comments to HUD and other federal agencies, and the latest information about CLPHA's multi-pronged housing advocacy.

Action Alerts

7.11.25

ACTION ALERT: Urge Your Member of Congress to Fully Fund Rental Assistance

CLPHA, Industry Partners and Over 700 National, State and Local Organizations Send Letter Asking Congress to Fully Fund Rental Assistance

CLPHA urges our members to work with your representatives in the House and Senate to fully fund rental assistance. The House of Representatives is set to unveil their Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) bill next week, despite the House not releasing their total funding request.

What’s at Stake?

Critical affordable housing programs that help millions of households afford a place to live and maintain housing stability.

How Can You Help?

Share Two Important Materials with your Members of Congress:

Joint Industry Letter: This morning, CLPHA joined industry partners and over 700 national, state, and local organizations in sending a letter to Congress advocating for full funding of the Housing Choice Voucher program, project-based rental assistance, and continued assistance for Emergency Housing Voucher households. This letter is in response to the administration’s proposal to convert several federal rental assistance programs into a State Rental Assistance Program block grant, which would greatly destabilize the voucher program and put many families at risk of losing their housing assistance.
Joint Funding Request: Earlier this week, CLPHA and industry group partners sent a joint funding request that fully funds rental assistance to the House Appropriations Committee.

Stay on Top of the Appropriations Process

The House Appropriations THUD Subcommittee will meet on Monday, July 14 at 5:00 p.m. ET to consider the legislation. The House Appropriations Full Committee will then meet on Thursday, July 17 at 10:00 a.m. ET to consider the THUD legislation. The Senate is expected to release their bill and hold their markup shortly after the House. A markup is a formal meeting scheduled for members to review and provide amendments to their version of the bill before it is sent to the full chamber for a vote.

CLPHA will continue to monitor the 2026 appropriations process as it proceeds and will update members about key developments.

For questions, contact Madeline Morris, [email protected], or Cynthia Cuestas, [email protected].

7.8.25

ACTION ALERT: Urge Your Member of Congress to Fully Fund Rental Assistance In 2026 Federal Government Budget

Share CLPHA’s Budget Request before House Appropriations Committee Meets Next Week

The House of Representatives is set to unveil their Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) bill next week, despite not releasing the total amount of funding to be requested. CLPHA and our industry group partners have generated a joint funding request that fully funds rental assistance. We urge CLPHA members to share our joint FY26 HUD budget request to their representatives in both the House and Senate as Congress moves forward with the Appropriations process.

In response to President Trump’s FY26 budget proposal released last month, CLPHA, the Public Housing Authorities Directors Association, the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials, the Local Housing Administrators Coalition, and the MTW Collaborative released our joint FY26 funding recommendations for HUD. Among other requests, we urge HUD to fully fund the Public Housing Fund, including $5 billion for the Capital Fund, $5.72 billion for the Operating Fund, and $580 million to address the Operating Fund shortfall. Furthermore, we requested $300 million for the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative, $37.487 billion for Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Renewals, $3.622 billion for HCV Administrative Fees, and $500 million for Tenant Protection Vouchers.

House Appropriations Subcommittee on THUD will meet on Monday, July 14 at 6:00 p.m. ET to consider the legislation. The full House Appropriations Committee will then meet on Thursday, July 17 at 10:00 a.m. ET. The Senate is expected to release their bill and hold their markup shortly after the House. A markup is a formal meeting scheduled for members to review and provide amendments to their version of the bill before it is sent to the full chamber for a vote. The House and Senate Appropriations Committees held their FY26 HUD budget hearings last month. The House and Senate are now working to release their own FY26 THUD appropriations bills.

CLPHA will continue to monitor the 2026 appropriations process as it proceeds and will update members about key developments.

1.28.25

URGENT: Contact Your Members of Congress to Communicate How the Pause in Federal Funding Is Impacting Your PHA

Yesterday, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) published a memorandum, which directs all federal agencies to pause all “federal financial assistance” (FFA) "to the extent permissible under applicable law." The temporary pause in funding will become effective on January 28, 2025 at 5:00 p.m. ET.

According to news reports, OMB distributed a questionnaire to federal agencies this morning asking them to provide information about whether their programs are in compliance with the Trump administration’s policy goals and executive orders. OMB’s questions for agencies concern undocumented immigration, environmental and climate justice programs, and diversity, equity, and inclusion policies and initiatives.

Capitol Hill staff, HUD staff, advocacy organizations, and other stakeholders appear uncertain about how the memo will be enforced, which programs are affected, and how long this pause will last.

Housing authorities are reporting that they are locked out of eLOCCS before the 5:00 p.m. deadline. We are investigating if this is a systemwide issue or if it is deliberate. We anticipate that PHAs will be locked out of eLOCCS after 5:00 p.m. ET today.

If you are locked out of eLOCCS, contact your member of Congress and Senators to make sure they are aware of the problem. Congress needs to hear how this pause is disrupting daily operations of public housing authorities.

When speaking with Members of Congress highlight the following points:

Highlight how the pause is affecting your daily operations, especially if you are locked out of eLOCCS. Your Member of Congress/Senator may not understand what exactly what eLOCCS is. Explain that it is the system that allows public housing authorities to access federal funds for key housing programs such as vouchers and public housing.
Highlight the breakdown of residents you serve who will be impacted by the pause: the number of seniors, children, veterans who could lose access to federal housing assistance at your PHA.
Highlight the economic impact that your public housing authority has in your community, such as jobs created, number of private landlords affected, and if the pause would halt any development deals.

Please share the outcome of your conversations with Members of Congress with CLPHA Legislative Manager Cynthia Cuestas at [email protected].

12.6.24

ACTION ALERT: Contact Your Member of Congress to Support Full Funding for Housing Choice Voucher Renewals in the FY25 Appropriations Bill

7.31.24

ACTION ALERT: TAX BILL EXPANDING HOUSING CREDIT HEADED TO SENATE FLOOR

4.15.24

ACTION ALERT: Urge the Senate to Pass the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024

In February, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 7024, The Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024, which received overwhelming bipartisan support. The bill includes two Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) provisions that would restore the 12.5% allocation increase for 2023 to 2025 and lower the 50% bond financing threshold to 30% for Private Activity Bond allocations made in 2024 to 2025. The bill also includes a $33 billion expansion of the Child Tax Credit (CTC) for the next three years. While the CTC in this bill is not as generous as the 2021 provision included in the American Rescue Plan, this expansion and continuation of the program acknowledges that the benefits provided by the CTC should be continued.

The legislation faced various roadblocks in the Senate, including opposition from Senate Finance Committee Chair Mike Crapo (R-ID) due to the CTC provisions included in the bill. However, ongoing discussions are still happening to possibly move the bill forward for a floor vote. We strongly ask that CLPHA members continue to reach out to your Senators and urge them to pass H.R. 7024, the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024.

ACTION:

When asking your Senator to support the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024, mention the importance of, and share your support for, the two LIHTC and CTC related provisions in the bill and ask that the housing provisions are retained in the Senate:

LIHTC provisions:

Restore the 12.5% allocation increase for 2023 – 2025. This allocation increase was initially enacted in 2018 but expired in 2021.
Lower the 50% bond financing threshold to 30% for Private Activity Bond (PAB) allocations made in 2024 – 2025.

CTC provisions:

“Lookback rule” allowing families to use their earnings from the prior year to calculate their credit if they exceed the family’s earnings in the current year.
Increases the maximum refundable amount per child to $1,800 in tax year 2023, $1,900 in tax year 2024, and $2,000 in tax year 2025, along with the inflation adjustment described below.
Adjust the $2,000 value of the child tax credit for inflation in tax years 2024 and 2025, rounded down to the nearest $100.

The ACTION Campaign, where CLPHA is a Steering Committee member, has prepared background and advocacy materials about the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024.

2.2.24

ACTION ALERT: Contact the Senate to Pass the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024

On February 1, 2024, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 7024, The Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024 which includes two Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) provisions that were also included in the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act (H.R. 3238/S. 1557). According to Novogradac, the provisions which would restore the 12.5 percent allocation for 2023-2025 and lower the 50 percent bond financial threshold to 30 percent for 2024-2025, would finance more than 200,000 additional affordable homes.

The bill still needs to be considered by the Senate, which faces several challenges, including a busy legislative agenda for February. Members of the Senate have also floated the idea of scheduling a potential markup of the bill which could potentially amend the legislation and further delay any vote to bring the bill on the Senate floor. The Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act may also be the last opportunity for Congress to pass any tax related provisions until 2025.

The ACTION Campaign, where CLPHA is a Steering Committee member, has prepared background and advocacy materials about the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024.

ACTION:

We strongly ask that CLPHA members reach out to your Senators and urge them to pass H.R. 7024, the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024.
When asking your Member of Congress to support H.R. 7024, mention the importance and share your support for the two LIHTC related provisions in the bill and ask that the housing provisions are retained in the Senate:
- Restore the 12.5 percent allocation increase for 2023 – 2025. This allocation increase was initially enacted in 2018 but expired in 2021.
- Lower the 50 percent bond financing threshold to 30 percent for Private Activity Bond (PAB) allocations made in 2024 – 2025.

For questions or additional information, contact Gerard Holder, CLPHA Legislative Director at [email protected]. or Cynthia Cuestas, CLPHA Legislative Assistant, at [email protected].

11.28.22

ACTION ALERT: Ask Congress to Pass a FY23 THUD Funding Bill Before the December 16 Deadline

Congress Needs To Increase Public And Affordable Housing Funding

Background:

The federal government is currently funded under a continuing resolution (CR) that expires December 16 this year. If the government does not take additional action it runs out of money and has to shut down. Given the uncertainty of what will happen in the appropriations process during the next Congress beginning in January, it is critical that the current Congress finish the work already begun and pass a full year FY23 appropriations bill. CLPHA is particularly concerned with the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) proposed legislation currently in final negotiations between the House and Senate.

CLPHA and industry partners recently sent a letter and revised joint appropriations request to the leadership of the House and Senate appropriations committees asking for specific funding levels and authorizing language be included in the final THUD appropriations bill. Among our requests, we ask Congress to increase funding for the HUD defined shortfalls in the public housing operating fund program to $345 million to accommodate all eligible housing authorities. We ask the committees to accept the Senate-proposed level of $364 million in set-aside funding for tenant protection vouchers (TPVs) since HUD recently indicated that the current demand for TPVs has exceeded its initial projections for FY23 and they again anticipate not being able to fund replacement TPVs for vacant units in calendar year 2023 without additional funding. We also ask that HUD be directed to determine the impact of recent changes to the calculation of FY23 Fair Market Rents (FMRs), because of the recent extension of regulatory waivers increasing payment standards up to 120 percent of the FMR in local housing markets affecting the need for additional housing assistance payments (HAP) set-aside funding.

ACTION:

CLPHA is calling on members to:

1) Ask your Members of Congress to support the recommendations included in the public housing industry joint funding request and joint industry letter.

2) Ask your Members of Congress to support the THUD funding bill.

3) Ask your Members of Congress to support final passage of a full-year FY23 appropriations bill.

For questions or additional information, contact Gerard Holder, CLPHA Legislative Director at [email protected].

7.12.22

ACTION ALERT: Urge Congress to Reinsert Annual Contributions Contract (ACC) Language in the FY 2023 HUD Appropriations Bill

BACKGROUND:

CLPHA and our industry partners today sent a letter (and attachments Exhibit 1 and Exhibit 2) to House and Senate Appropriations Committee members asking to include legislative language that prevents HUD from implementing unilateral changes to the ACC in the forthcoming FY23 appropriations bill. This joint industry request was made by CLPHA, the MTW Collaborative, the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) and the Public Housing Authorities Directors Association (PHADA).

CLPHA and our industry partners remain concerned that HUD’s continued attempts to revise the ACC will circumvent the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), unilaterally change the contractual relationship between HUD and public housing agencies (PHAs), and strip PHAs of their ability to challenge HUD’s breach of contract actions, which PHAs have recently successfully litigated. Without the inclusion of the legislative language mentioned in our letter, we are concerned that HUD’s ability to make problematic changes to the ACC has been renewed.

This week the full House passed six appropriations bills including its version of the FY23 HUD bill. Since the Senate has not yet taken action on their bill version, we hope to have the ACC language included in the Senate bill, and we are seeking eventual conference committee action between the House and Senate to include the ACC language and committee report language.

ACTION:

We are asking housing authorities to sign and send a similar letter asking their representatives in both the House and Senate to reinstate the legislative language regarding the ACC in the General Provisions section of the FY23 HUD appropriations legislation.

We’ve drafted a sample letter as a guide for you.

Download the Letter Template

Once you’ve downloaded the sample letter, fill out the highlighted fields and personalize the letter as appropriate.
We recommend that you email the letter(s) to your representatives.

If you have any questions, contact Gerard Holder, CLPHA Legislative Director, at [email protected].

CLPHA Recent Comments

5.20.26

House Appropriators Unveil FY27 HUD Appropriations Bill with Decrease of Nearly $6 Billion for HUD Programs

Final Numbers Can Still Change as Senate Appropriators Have Yet to Weigh In

5.1.26

CLPHA Urges HUD to Preserve Full Local Discretion While Raising Concerns about HUD’s Proposed Work Requirements and Term Limits Rule

CLPHA PHA Members Are Deeply Committed to Promoting Economic Self-Sufficiency

4.27.26

CLPHA Supports Interim Final Rule Revoking 30-Day Eviction Notice Requirement in Comments to HUD

4.21.26

CLPHA and Reno & Cavanaugh Oppose Mixed Status Proposed Rule on Legal, Policy, and Operational Grounds

Comments due by Midnight on April 21

10.6.25

CLPHA Submits Comments on FY26 Fair Market Rents

9.15.25

CLPHA and Reno & Cavanaugh Oppose HUD’s Plan to Add Personal and Citizenship Information to HUD Records as a Violation of the Privacy Act

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Latest News

6.2.26

CLPHA-led Coalition of 12 National Organizations Urges HUD to Allow PHAs to Use Tenant Protection Vouchers to Support EHV Households

5.18.26

CLPHA Supports Revised House Bipartisan Housing Package

Applauds Removal of Burdensome MTW Provisions

Washington, D.C., May 18, 2026 — La Shelle Dozier, CEO of the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA), released the following statement in support of the revised bipartisan House housing package, the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act:

"CLPHA supports passage of the revised 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act and commends Chair French Hill and Ranking Member Maxine Waters for their bipartisan work to advance meaningful housing legislation. We encourage House leadership to bring the bill to the floor promptly and urge the Senate to act swiftly to send a final package to the President.

The amended House bill reflects important improvements that directly benefit the public housing authorities (PHAs) and the low-income families our members serve. Most notably, the removal of the Senate's problematic Moving to Work provisions is a significant win. Those provisions would have imposed burdensome and infeasible reporting requirements on existing MTW agencies and proposed an expansion cohort with limited flexibilities that would have undermined agencies' abilities to respond to local housing needs. Their removal reflects the legitimate concerns CLPHA and our members raised throughout this process.

The urgency of this legislation cannot be overstated. The 10 Year Roadmap for Public Housing Sustainability recently estimated that the baseline cost to preserve the nation's public housing portfolio stands at $169.1 billion, which reflects decades of chronic federal disinvestment and an aging public housing stock that continues to deteriorate. The NEPA reforms and other provisions in this bill that reduce barriers to development and preservation are exactly the kind of solutions our members need to begin making meaningful progress against this crisis. This bill is an important step in the right direction.

We recognize that no piece of legislation is perfect. The removal of the provision to eliminate the RAD program cap is a setback, and we hope a conference process will create an opportunity to restore this important provision. We will also continue to closely monitor remaining provisions, including the HUD study on work requirements under Section 803.

Even so, this bill represents meaningful bipartisan progress toward addressing the nation's housing affordability and supply crisis. Congress should move quickly to pass this legislation and build on the momentum it creates for the communities and families that need it most."

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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 85 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.

Media Contact:

Kirsten Greenwell, CLPHA
[email protected]

(202) 638-1300

5.8.26

Housing Is and UnitedHealthcare Expand Collaborative Work to Address Community Health Needs for People Living in Public Housing

Community Collaborative Programs Work to Improve Health Outcomes for CLPHA Housing Authority Members in Durham, Louisville and Norfolk, among Others

(Washington, D.C.) May 8, 2026 – Housing Is, a non-profit organization dedicated to bridging gaps among the housing, health and education sectors to improve life outcomes for low-income individuals and families, and UnitedHealthcare announced today an expansion of their national collaboration to improve the health and wellbeing of people living in public housing. The expansion includes launching three additional Community Collaborative programs at Council of Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA) member housing authorities: Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority (Norfolk, VA), Durham Housing Authority (Durham, NC) and Louisville Metro Housing Authority (Louisville, KY). The new locations were announced at the 2026 Housing Is Summit, the preeminent event dedicated to collaboration among the housing, education and health sectors, in Washington, D.C. Together, the organizations support public housing authorities in establishing Community Collaborative programs at the local level while providing national infrastructure to support community and systems-level advancement.

The Community Collaborative programs bring together cross-sector organizations to co-develop, evaluate and sustain interventions to address community health needs. CLPHA, which founded Housing Is and operates the organization under a management agreement, and Housing Is have worked with UnitedHealthcare to foster relationships with public housing authorities (PHAs), federally qualified health centers and community-based organizations to improve the health and well-being of PHA residents and their surrounding communities. Since the collaboration between Housing Is, CLPHA, and UnitedHealthcare was established in 2020, ten PHA members of CLPHA have participated in the program, including Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority, Atlanta Housing, Housing Authority of the City of Austin, Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority, Detroit Housing Commission, Houston Housing Authority, King County Housing Authority, Memphis Housing Authority, Housing Authority of New Orleans and Seattle Housing Authority. The Community Collaborative programs in these locations have addressed a wide range of health and social needs from chronic disease and food insecurity to mental health and digital literacy.

“Helping low-income residents improve their health outcomes is central to the missions of CLPHA’s housing authority members, and the collaborative programming greatly supports our members’ efforts to address the most pressing health needs in their neighborhoods,” said La Shelle Dozier, CEO of CLPHA. “UnitedHealthcare has long been a critical partner to CLPHA and Housing Is, and the addition of three new sites in Durham, Louisville and Norfolk builds on many successful years of collaboration. We are honored to continue our groundbreaking work with UnitedHealthcare.”

This work reflects UnitedHealthcare’s broader commitment to investing in communities to help the healthcare system work better for individuals nationwide. Through its Community Collaborative program, UnitedHealthcare has established more than 40 local programs across 26 states.

“By working jointly with Housing Is, we’ve opened new channels for honest, meaningful dialogue to truly understand and address the unique needs of the communities we serve,” said Mike Cotton, CEO of UnitedHealthcare Community & State. “When UnitedHealthcare comes together with community members, government agencies, providers and nonprofits, we’re all better able to deliver the right resources and interventions to those who need them most. These types of collaborations are how we make the health system work better for everyone.”

"Housing Is has long known that data and resident input are crucial to creating, sustaining and scaling successful health interventions, and our longstanding collaboration with UnitedHealthcare helps PHAs to implement health programming in their communities that is driven by this information,” said Abra Lyons-Warren, director of Housing Is. “With this collaborative expansion into Durham, Louisville and Norfolk, we will have much more data about what health interventions low-income PHA residents in these cities need. Housing Is expresses our gratitude to UnitedHealthcare for continuing and growing this collaboration that meets low-income individuals where they live with opportunities to improve their own health outcomes.”

In September 2025, Housing Is and CLPHA released a request for applications for new Community Collaborative Programs for the first time to eligible PHAs in the CLPHA membership. UnitedHealthcare, Housing Is and CLPHA staff evaluated each proposal and selected:

Louisville Metro Housing Authority (LMHA)
Durham Housing Authority (DHA)
Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority (NRHA)

Media Contact: David Greer [email protected]

(202) 550-1381

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About UnitedHealthcare

UnitedHealthcare is dedicated to helping people live healthier lives and making the health system work better for everyone by simplifying the health care experience, meeting consumer health and wellness needs, and sustaining trusted relationships with care providers. The company offers the full spectrum of health benefit programs for individuals, employers, and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and contracts directly with physicians, care professionals, hospitals and other care facilities. UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified health care company. For more information, visit UnitedHealthcare at www.uhc.com or follow UnitedHealthcare on LinkedIn. For more information on how UnitedHealthcare is working to build healthier communities, visit uhccs.com.

About Housing Is

Housing Is 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; Housing Is 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 LinkedIn.

About CLPHA

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 85 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 LinkedIn.