Radhika Singh is the chief of the civil legal services division at NLADA. She works with civil legal aid providers across the country, and represents the civil legal aid community in advocacy and education efforts with federal representatives and in national conversations focused both on civil legal aid’s substantive work and increasing resources to support this work. Radhika also leads NLADA’s Project to Advance Civil Legal Aid Collaborations, advocating for federal funding and policies to integrate civil legal aid into cross-sector collaborations that serve low-income and vulnerable populations and advance federal objectives. She previously worked in engagement and advocacy at Equal Justice Works and as a staff attorney at the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund, focusing on constitutional and civil... Read More »
A question and answer session with HUD’s Director of Recapitalization, Tom Davis. Several questions will be sent to Tom ahead of time and there will be time for audience members to ask questions. ... Read More »
The remaining 1.1 million units of public housing have a documented capital needs backlog of nearly $26 billion. Many low-income families are living in unsafe and unsanitary living conditions due to the program’s chronic underfunding by Congress. The Rental Assistance Demonstration Program (RAD) was created in 2012 to preserve and improve public housing. However, due to their size, administrative capacity, and other factors, many housing authorities cannot utilize RAD as a preservation tool. What does that mean for the remaining public housing stock? What choices do housing authorities and residents have to repair and renovate the properties or seek better living conditions? What can we, as advocates, do to preserve this valuable source of affordable housing while protecting residents from... Read More »
David Bryson distinguished himself as a tireless defender of the housing rights of the poor and as a brilliant legal professional. His work with NHLP spanned nearly 30 years and advanced his core belief in the ethical duty of the federal government to make decent and affordable housing available to all, regardless of income, race or disability. His legendary contributions to the world of housing litigation include many landmark cases that advanced tenants’ fundamental rights. Attorneys, scholars, and activists sought his sage counsel as did policymakers who found his expertise indispensable in developing critical protections that endure to this day. In his varied roles as an attorney, teacher, writer, or advisor, David’s innate decency was a hallmark of his tireless... Read More »
Don’t Get RAD-dled: Ensuring Compliance and Best Practices Training Series for Public Housing Authorities on What You Need to Know about the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) Through RAD, public housing authorities (PHAs) are applying to convert 185,000 public housing units nationwide to project-based rental assistance (PBRA) or project-based vouchers (PBV). While RAD conversions have many specific legal requirements and can raise challenging questions, they can also create important opportunities for addressing funding shortages and serving low-income community members. This training series is designed for public housing authorities to overview some of the key legal requirements of RAD and best practices to ensure the long-term preservation of affordable housing. Part 1: Overview of RAD – Component 1 and... Read More »
This advocacy guide is designed to provide legal services attorneys and tenant advocates with information, guidance, model policies, and lessons learned from RAD Component 1 conversions nationwide. This guide specifically discusses ways for advocates to ensure the long-term affordability and enforceable rights of tenants in RAD properties. The NHLP RAD Advocacy Guide (Jan. 2016) is available to download... Read More »
In response to the serious repair needs at public housing properties ($49 billion and rising), Congress enacted the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) in 2011 to preserve and improve public housing buildings and other properties in need of preservation resources. In general, the RAD program enables PHAs and owners to change the type of housing assistance provided at certain properties by converting these properties to the project-based voucher (PBV) or project-based rental assistance (PBRA) programs. Specifically, RAD gives owners of public housing and four HUD “legacy” programs (Rental Supplement (Rent Supp), Rental Assistance Payment (RAP), Section 8 Moderate Rehabilitation (Mod Rehab), and Section 202... Read More »
HUD is permanently privatizing 185,000 public housing units nationwide through the RAD program. RAD conversions have a profound impact on tenants’ everyday lives, as wells as the long-term affordability of our housing stock nationwide. Learn about how to ensure the greatest protections for RAD tenants and the affordability of affordable housing in your community. Part 1: Why and How Should I get Involved in My Local RAD Conversion? Dowload the factsheet here. Part 2: RAD 101: Component 1. Download the factsheet here. Part 3: RAD 101: Component 2 Download the factsheet here. Part 4: RAD Tenant Organizing Rights Download the factsheet here. Part 5: RAD Right to Remain,... Read More »
NHLP and the Housing Justice Network submitted comments in response to the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) joint request for public comment on how background screening may shut renters out of housing. NHLP and numerous members of the Housing Justice Network collaborated to prepare thorough responses to the request for information, detailing the way various challenges rental housing seekers face with rental application fees and screening processes, inscrutable background screening algorithms, the problematic use of eviction records and criminal history, and various forms of abuse and discrimination. Read the NHLP and Housing Justice Network comments here. Read More »
Haleigh Quinn is a Government Affairs Fellow at NHLP. Haleigh assists in NHLP’s government affairs priorities through her work on federal policy advocacy, congressional strategy, and legislative record-keeping. Prior to joining NHLP, Haleigh earned a B.A. in Public Policy with a concentration in Urban and Regional Policy and a minor in African & African American Studies from Stanford University. Upon graduating, Haleigh was awarded the prestigious John Gardner Public Service Fellowship, which provides opportunities for recent Stanford graduates to invest their talent, energy, and training in public service at a nonprofit or governmental agency of their choosing. Haleigh chose to complete her fellowship with NHLP given the organization’s exceptional record of policy advocacy in the housing space. Through... Read More »
