As NLIHC founder Cushing Dolbeare once said, “Housing is too important to be left to housers alone.” The Opportunity Starts at Home campaign’s mission is to build a national multi-sector movement that generates widespread support for federal policies that protect and expand affordable housing for the lowest income people. To be successful, we need to broaden the movement to other sectors committed to fulfilling that mission.
Our nation needs more educators to stand up and say that good affordable housing helps their students thrive; more doctors to stand up and say that good affordable housing “vaccinates” their patients against illnesses; more economists to stand up and say that good affordable housing stimulates growth and helps people climb out of poverty; and more criminal justice reformers to stand up and say that good affordable housing enables solid transitions and prevents recidivism. The broader the movement, the better our chances in achieving policy change at the scale required.
Regardless of the sector, the importance of decent, affordable housing is simply unavoidable. The research is clear that housing is inextricably linked to nearly every measure of a quality life. Help us bring other sectors within your networks into this campaign by spreading the word. You can start by visiting the campaign’s Recruit New Voices webpage. Tell colleagues, partners, and friends in other sectors (i.e., education, health, civil rights, anti-poverty, criminal justice, veterans, etc.) that this campaign is moving forward and we need them to get engaged.
Visit the Opportunity Starts at Home campaign at: https://www.opportunityhome.org