As a resident of your community, you can advocate for policies and developments that advance the pursuit of a just city where everyone has a home. 

Don’t underestimate the power you hold as a community resident, and don’t be afraid to use that power to speak up in support of justice housing.

Affect local decisions with big impact

Those of us who live in DC can easily become discouraged by our lack of congressional representatives. But, housing decisions are primarily made on the local level. The DC Council sets budgets and policies -- key influencers of housing supply and conditions. Your council member is responsible for listening to and representing your interests, so get in touch with them. Get on their mailing list, send them an email, show up at their events, or walk into their office. Tell them you care about justice housing and what that means. They work for you!

Similarly, the Advisory Neighborhood Commissions -- local, neighborhood-level elected bodies -- are designed to being the neighborhood’s interests to the city government. Show up at their meetings and share with them what you think about the community. 

Our local elected officials are highly accessible. Take advantage of that gift.

Resources to help:

You can be an effective advocate as an individual or as part of a group. If you’re interested in organized group advocacy, consider engaging with the following organizations and campaigns. Get on their mailing list and take advantage of opportunities to get involved:

Advocacy means more than just politics

To be effective advocates we need to expand our understanding of what advocacy means. When we hear the term advocacy, we often think of it only in the political sense: lobbying, speaking to members of congress, writing policy briefs. But sometimes our most effective role as an advocate involves talking to people other than elected officials. You can be an advocate with your family, your friends, and your neighbors, in your workplace, in your church, and in other networks and social groups you find yourself in.

How? Speak up and be yourself. 

To be an advocate in your community, you must get to know your neighbors. Go to community events, neighborhood association meetings, and other local gatherings. Sign up for your neighborhood listserv or newsletter. Find out what people in your community are talking about. 

Any kind of advocacy should be done in the context of relationship, so build relationships in your community. By getting engaged in your community, you’ll not only have the opportunity to speak up on behalf of justice housing, you’ll also set yourself up to follow the biblical command to love your neighbors. 

Yes in My Backyard

In DC, like many communities across the country, one of the largest barriers to justice housing development is organized neighborhood opposition. This opposition, called “Not In My Backyard” or NIMBY, is often targeted against dense development, such as an apartment building, which can add substantial and critical housing supply in high-opportunity neighborhoods. NIMBYism has often halted the development of justice housing, especially in the case of high-opportunity neighborhoods. However you, a community resident, also have a voice to speak into these situations. 

You know that NIMBYs will show up at community meetings, so you can make a powerful difference by showing up in support of justice housing. Will you be the voice saying “Yes In My Backyard” to push back against those saying “No”?

Often, NIMBYism is fueled by a misunderstanding of what affordable housing is. A stigma associated with low-income communities can drive fear into community residents and lead to exclusionary and damaging rhetoric.

You can use your voice and your relationships to fight against that stigma. Talk to your friends and neighbors about housing challenges, educate them on the magnitude of the affordability crisis, tell them why justice housing matters to you. Invite them to a Just Homes DC Housing 101 workshop to learn more.

In order to advocate, you must be informed.

How will you know what meetings to show up to? How will you know what to talk about at these meetings? In order to be an effective advocate, you need to be aware of what’s happening in your community. The following resources are great tools to stay up to date on the latest neighborhood and city-wide news, including new housing developments coming to your community:

Keeping informed is an easy, tangible step all of us can take in pursuit of justice housing.

We must speak up for the development of justice housing if we are to hope for a just city where everyone has a home.

We invite you to support our work using the button below. We thank you for your generosity!

 
 
just-homes-icon-fullcolor.png