Recap of Advocacy Task Force Session 1

This past Thursday, February 15th, the Coalition held its first Advocacy Task Force meeting of 2024. These sessions include opportunities to hear from and learn from others engaged in housing preservation efforts. This group also collaborates, strategizes, and exchanges ideas and information as it relates to developing and advancing the Coalition’s advocacy platform goals. 

Highlights from the first session: 

• Opened with a round of introductions, had representation from the following organizations:

  • Emory Valley Center

  • Family Housing Fund

  • Green and Healthy Homes (GHHI)

  • Habitat for Humanity International

  • Herrick Foundation

  • Housing Opportunities & Maintenance for the Elderly (H.O.M.E.)

  • Jewish Family Services of Greater Kansas City (JFSKC)

  • Lighthouse

  • Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC)

  • National Center for Healthy Housing (NCHH)

  • Renovation Alliance

  • Smart Home America

  • South King Housing and Homelessness Partners (SKHHP)

  • Teamwork Englewood 

  • Wheelpad

• Shared the key themes from the Inaugural Advocacy Summit and how that has directly informed the Coalition’s Advocacy Platform goals and objectives

• Our guest speaker, Gail Schechter shared information about the organization she leads, Housing Opportunities and Maintenance for the Elderly (H.O.M.E.) and the Fix our Homes, Illinois statewide advocacy campaign (HB 5506: Senior Home Preservation Program Act)

• Brainstormed on advocacy priorities and areas for further research development (input will undergo further analysis)

• Announced learning opportunities/webinars including CDBG 50th Anniversary and Older Americans Act

Because together, we can make a bigger impact. This is only the start of an exciting journey with our Advocacy partners from various sectors and there is much to look forward to. We also celebrate the fact that we are one step closer to putting home repair as a much needed and effective method to preserving homeownership for low-income households. 

Through the Coalition for Home Repair, nonprofits, businesses, governments, individuals, and home repair beneficiaries partner on advocacy efforts that improve lives and restore communities. We welcome any organization or individual to join as an Advocacy partner (at no cost). The benefits of joining as an Advocacy partner include:

• Learning from experts in the field, including but not limited to non-profits, government officials, research institutes, etc. 

• Co-development of a national advocacy agenda that mutually benefits your organization

• Opportunities to collaborate with others engaged in housing preservation efforts

• Data and resource sharing; sharing of best practices that members can access via a shared folder

Interested in becoming part of the Advocacy Task Force? It’s free and never too late to join!

Special thanks to everyone who attended! Your valuable time and input will lead us to gaining the needed recognition for leveraging home repair programs as a housing preservation strategy – a critical part of the solution to the housing crisis that is often left out of the conversation.