Deborah Thorpe of the San Francisco-based National Housing Law Project agrees that RAD is one of the best shots that public housing funding has at the moment, but cautions that too much is happening too soon before any data is in. The National Housing Law Project was actually involved in the conception of the RAD language and Thorpe is proud of the tenant protections woven throughout the program. “RAD is really great on paper, in part because our organization and others were able to bring tenants themselves to the table along with other stakeholders — that’s a key piece of this. There’s a lot of tenant protections and long-term affordability in the authorizing statute that’s important,” she says. 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 »

Proposal from HUD to Effectively Eliminate Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Rule Weakens Enforcement of Fair Housing Laws, Reinforces Decades of Discriminatory Practices Leaders of The National Fair Housing Alliance, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, National Low Income Housing Coalition, National Housing Law Project, and Alliance for Housing Justice held a media conference call today to express opposition to the Trump administration’s latest attack against a critical Fair Housing Act tool for fighting housing discrimination. You can listen to a recording of the full press call here. The proposed rule released by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) just days before Martin Luther King, Jr. Day would effectively eliminate the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) mandate... Read More »

The National Housing Law Project (NHLP) is currently accepting applications from law students for summer 2020 clerkships. NHLP is committed to training law students who are making a commitment to careers in the public interest. NHLP truly values the contributions of its law clerks and aims to ensure that each law clerk has a meaningful and rewarding experience. Several NHLP summer law clerks have returned to our organization as post-graduate fellows. NHLP’s Summer Law Clerk Program Working at NHLP provides a great opportunity for law students to become engaged in local, state and national housing rights issues that are central to broader social justice efforts. NHLP provides a unique perspective on housing issues in that we support direct legal services... Read More »