11/15/2022

Driving Change in Housing Policies with Advocacy and Organizing

Two housing justice advocates discuss different approaches to policy change

Advocacy and organizing for racially equitable housing policies is a cornerstone of building a just housing system in the United States.

Since 2017, Funders for Housing and Opportunity (FHO), a funder collaborative that believes a stable, affordable home is the foundation for health, opportunity, and justice, has directed about a third of its $17 million in grants to policy advocacy and organizing. This strand of FHO’s work has advanced 103 housing policies (with 52 enacted) and although FHO funds aren’t used for lobbying, helped to preserve and leverage more than $124 billion in public investments. 

SSIR asked asked FHO member Amy Gillman of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) to set the context for interviews with Liz Ryan Murray of the Alliance for Housing Justice (AHJ) and Mike Koprowski of Opportunity Starts at Home (OSAH) who offer insights into national and local policy advocacy and organizing efforts that are changing the housing system. Responses have been edited and combined for length and continuity.

Please select this link to read the complete article from SSIR.