In western New York, neighbors blockaded a home to prevent a woman’s eviction. In the Midwest, tenants packed a budget hearing and won concessions. In the South, demonstrators temporarily shut down an eviction court and city hall. Across the country, actions like these show tenant organizations playing an increasingly important role as a source of local political power in economically and racially marginalized communities, according to new research co-authored by Jamila Michener, associate professor of government in the College of Arts and Sciences and in the Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy, where she serves as associate dean of public engagement. Such groups have gained visibility as housing insecurity worsened. While these examples are extreme, the combined power of renters can be utilized for better efficiency. https://lnkd.in/gg_J9VHG
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Far too many people struggle to find and stay in decent, affordable homes. Evictions destabilize families. Unsafe conditions disrupt people’s lives and health. Tenants struggle to assert their rights. These harms disproportionately impact women of color and their children, the product of racial injustice in housing policy. Often compounding these historical injustices is the power imbalance between landlords and tenants in housing court. In our housing resource hubs, we help residents get the crucial public benefits, and services, and information on their rights that they need and guide them through the process of navigating the housing court system. Learn more about our housing work here: https://lnkd.in/etiscCdv
"Knowledge is power": Housing at the Center for Justice Innovation
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After weeks of changing results, dozens of legal opinions, and a cost-benefit analysis of re-examining the results (13 votes between us and a runoff), I’ve decided to lay down the pursuit of a recount and bring a close to my mayoral campaign. I’m turning my attention to what’s in best interest of the constituents of Austin right now. The goal was always to get us more accountable and community-driven leadership. I was fortified by community to step up to become Austin's first Latina mayor, first woman in 40 years, and to return to a more people-centered government. After this tumultuous election, entering a period of uncertainty and volatility, it's more important than ever to conserve energy and invest in loving our communities into collaboration and ingenuity. We must find zones of alignment in the context of divergent perspectives, and we must be well to do it. I knew challenging the biggest career politician in Austin's Democratic party was no small undertaking. I'd never have entered this race without a groundswell of community, who supported me and said that I must do this, so we could change the conversation. And we did. We sliced apart the myth that tearing down affordable apartments and homes to build expensive, commercial midrises and short-term rentals is good policy for anyone but a few wealthy investors and the politicians they fund. We brought nuance to what it means to feel safe in Austin and address homelessness with root-cause solutions that reduce harm. We lifted up frontline workers and first responders who make this city work for everyone. We educated people about the right to a city that responsibly stewards resources for transportation and infrastructure. We revealed that a lack of transparency is expensive to all of us, and that across incredibly diverse perspectives, there is a hunger to co-create better policy that improves the quality of life for all of Austin. And most importantly, we proved that we can run a grassroots operation that not only breaks records with volunteer power, but creates a space for inclusion, connection, and community base-building. We built a campaign with the power to heal toxic dynamics and build a long-term vision that includes the voices of everyone in Austin's rich culture. I am incredibly proud of us. I’m endlessly grateful to the volunteers, staff, dozens of mentors, the other candidates, and the enthusiastic voters who made this Austin story one to watch. I’ll never know how much people chipped in or be able to thank everyone. This is not the end; it's the first crest of a wave to build, re-build, and transform a political movement from a place of love and integrity. I'll be spending time with family and loved ones and enjoying this gorgeous weather as I get ready to enter my fifth decade of life. And I'll be right back to organizing, my life's work. I'm excited to do it with thousands of new connections, knowledge of issues, and reasons to be grateful to call this place home.
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Ahead of today’s release of Embrace Boston's 2024 Harm Report, Boston Globe Media's Tiana W. spoke with our clients - including Embrace Boston's Imari Paris Jeffries, East Boston Neighborhood Health Center's Greg Wilmot, and Children's Services of Roxbury, Inc.'s Sandra McCroom - to learn more. The report, which provides an overview of the city and state policies and practices that have historically disadvantaged Black residents of Boston and Massachusetts, serves as an ever-important reminder that while strides have been made, there is still much work to be done to create a Boston that is full of love and inclusivity. “This report hopefully puts blame not on people, but instead on processes,” Imari Paris Jeffries, President and CEO of Embrace Boston, told Tiana Woodard. “If we’ve created these processes, we can uncreate them.” Read more in The Boston Globe: https://lnkd.in/dX-34DEr
In building a case for local reparations, Embrace Boston report aims to connect past to present - The Boston Globe
bostonglobe.com
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#GranteeSpotlight: Connecticut Public is developing a documentary that investigates how generations of housing insecurity, inequality and discrimination allow racial segregation to thrive in Connecticut -- and its downstream effects on educational inequities. It will be broadcast on TV, radio and digital platforms, and used as a community engagement tool. Separate and Unequal: How Housing Policy Keeps Schools Segregated will examine policies driving segregation in the state of Connecticut and how they relate to a broader national crisis in housing stability and affordability. Learn more at https://lnkd.in/gZzKNycD
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This webinar series will train housing advocates, tenant leaders, and direct service providers to register, educate, and mobilize voters in their communities.
Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Our Homes, Our Votes: 2024 Webinar Series. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.
us02web.zoom.us
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Post election, I’ve been thinking a lot about community, what it means and the importance of it for some of us as we move forward. It’s a really good subject to use as an example to help figure out if you can marry the old with the new to create a community that works for most people. I grew up in a large, close-knit family that has changed over the years as many of our elders and anchors have passed away. And as much as I felt held by the community, I’ve also felt stifled by it. Community can also feel suffocating, if the practices, values and beliefs don’t evolve, so that everyone feels like they belong. I’ve lived in NYC for over 20 years, and it’s sort of like the Island of Misfit Toys. Not only do people come here for opportunities, but they come here because they didn’t belong, outgrew where they came from, or couldn’t find their people where they grew up. And this city, as grueling as it can be, is a place where you can find your people, community. But New York is also full of transactional relationships, I didn’t even really know what that was until I moved here. And as a result, you might have lots of friends who you can talk to, hang out with and share beliefs and values with, but you call your family from back home when you’re really hurting or sick. And to be fair to my own family, lots of our old ideas, beliefs and ways of doing things have evolved, even if it’s because we had no choice, if we were going to stay connected. So how do we take some of the old components of community that have kept folks together, like community care and support and blend them with more acceptance and individuality? Can we have communities where the whole still functions, even if we don’t share the same religion or lifestyle? (I’m purposely leaving out politics here, because I think that is a deal breaker in these times). Is it possible for community to evolve?
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A new report from Housing Justice for All, a tenant advocacy group, reveals that from 2019 to 2023, the real estate lobby in New York spent $13.6 million on campaigning and lobbying, targeting state lawmakers 6,000 times. This effort involved six major real estate organizations, focusing on contentious issues like the "good cause" eviction policy. This policy, which garnered substantial lobbying attention, aims to protect tenants by restricting evictions and capping rent increases. Despite the real estate lobby's substantial spending on campaigns and advertising, public support for "good cause" eviction remains strong, indicating a desire for tenant stability and fairness. The report details how real estate lobbyists frequently interacted with key political figures and committees, with specific lawmakers being primary targets due to their stances on tenant protections. The lobbying activities, criticized by some for potentially swaying political opinions, were met with varied responses from lawmakers, with some advocating for a balanced approach to housing issues. Critics argue that the "good cause" eviction could negatively impact small landlords and hinder housing development, while supporters view it as essential for tenant protection and community stability. Governor Hochul and other political leaders have engaged with various stakeholders to address New York's housing crisis, indicating a willingness to explore diverse solutions. The ongoing debate reflects a broader struggle between different interest groups, with housing advocates determined to continue their push for reform against the backdrop of significant lobbying efforts by the real estate industry. #HousingJustice #TenantRights #RealEstateLobbying #GoodCauseEviction #NYHousingCrisis #PoliticalLobbying #CommunityStability #HousingAdvocacy #TenantProtection #NewYorkStatePolitics https://lnkd.in/e86bGFPQ
Who are real estate lobbyists talking to in New York?
cityandstateny.com
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New Yorkers are divided on City of Yes, a new legislation in the process of being made into law. Fans of it are advocating as being the best legislation mayor Eric Adams has developed to make NYC able to be more agile and supportive of building what's needed sooner (and to be fair, that is the intent or at least from how it has been explained). Near lifetime and Native New Yorkers alike fear the legislation (if passed as written currently) would drive the vast majority of us to be homeless as property developers looking for a piece of New York real estate and those who made fortunes buying property and flipping it. You can't blame them when you look at areas like Downtown Brooklyn and Long Island city where middle class individuals can no longer to afford to live there. In fact, a number of the homeless we find across the city were once New Yorkers who had homes, jobs and families. We have now come to properly realize, once you don't have to home to sleep in, maintaining everything else is very difficult. Look at Greenwich village who battles with NYU over what little they have left or Harlem's battle with Columbia as the two schools stealthily gobble the neighborhoods around them (and they are supposed to be not for profits?) I give credit to the city agency leaders such as Perris Straughter who have to deal with the fear and anxiety of community residents and still trying to convey the will of mayoral leaders. Behavioral science professionals like Suzanne Kirkendall, MPH, MCLC, and OD practitioners like Estee Hana Kim, Kathy Zamora, and Elizabeth MacKay, how can we help our city and leaders really address the housing crisis? Hopefully we can co-create a solution that is not at the expense of exterminating the last bits of housing individuals on the lower spectrum of income can access (because affordable housing in NYC isn't affordable to most people of NYC).
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Housing is a fundamental determinant of health. Black renters are evicted at five times the rate of white renters, and families with children are disproportionately impacted. This injustice is a public health crisis. The Health Justice Framework offers community-driven solutions, such as eviction diversion programs, increasing filing fees, and providing legal representation for tenants. Read more about how these strategies can create lasting change: https://heyor.ca/OLDi2i
HOUSING IS HEALTH: PRIORITIZING HEALTH JUSTICE & EQUITY IN THE US EVICTION SYSTEM – Partnership for Strong Communities
https://pschousing.org
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The National Urban League is actively opposing the Dismantle DEI Act, which threatens vital diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in our communities. This legislation could reverse decades of progress, jeopardizing the livelihoods of public servants and undermining community development. Join us in advocating for policies that promote equity and inclusion. #DEI #CivilRights #CommunityEmpowerment #SocialJustice #Advocacy https://conta.cc/3VqLF2c
Dismantling DEI is a Plot to Resegregate and Divide America One Bill at a Time By National Urban League
web-extract.constantcontact.com
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