NEW VOICES FOR AFFORDABLE HOMES

It’s with much gratitude that we share the final newsletter of the year, highlighting the critical work we have accomplished together. Over the past year, we welcomed new national partners, supported state partners, advanced housing solutions and expanded understanding of housing justice across the nation. This work cannot happen in silos. The campaign needs the support and expertise of partners across sectors to help us change the narrative, better emphasizing the necessity of affordable housing for all.

• Built a movement of multi-sector partnerships: The campaign successfully recruited 10 new national partners to join our efforts through the Roundtable. As a result, the Roundtable now includes 132 national groups representing a wide range of sectors, including education, health, seniors, animal welfare, and more.
• Supported state led multi-sector coalitions: State partnerships are critical to advancing housing solutions. When state level, multi-sector coalitions lead the movement, policymakers hear directly from their constituents about the critical need to address housing as a foundation for solving other community issues. This year, the campaign provided funding to eleven state-led coalitions in Alabama, Alaska, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and Kentucky.
• Advanced a robust housing policy agenda: We worked with partners to update the campaign’s policy agenda to reflect growing public concern about the rising cost of living, housing instability affecting families with small children, and widening economic inequalities. With an updated agenda, we prioritized opportunities to advance policies with bipartisan support. As a result, the campaign supported the advancement of the bipartisan “Renewing Opportunity in the American Dream (ROAD) to Housing Act.” This year, the “Fair Housing Improvement Act of 2025,” was reintroduced, and the campaign supported its reintroduction, endorsed the bill, and shared it with partners to encourage broader support. Through the campaign’s advocacy platform, nearly 100 letters have been sent to Congress in support of the legislation.
• Centered housing justice in narratives on housing insecurity across the nation: Partners are integral in shaping a narrative that centers housing and its impact on everything else we care about in our communities. This year, we partnered with the American Institute of Architects on a jointly produced five-part podcast series highlighting the multi-sector impacts of affordable housing and the role architects play in addressing the housing crisis. We also released three new podcast episodes with partners including New America and the National Council on Teacher Quality. In addition, the campaign worked with leading national partners in the Gender Equity, Domestic Violence Prevention, Faith, Education, Animal Welfare, Youth, and Aging sectors to host a series of cross-sector events.

Lastly, to close out the year’s events, the campaign hosted a gathering with key partners to share our achievements and outline goals for the year ahead. A recording of the event can be found here.

This year further demonstrated the collective strength of our network. Even as the campaign partners faced unprecedented challenges within their own sectors, our partners stood with us to defend affordable housing programs when it mattered most.

Thank you for your partnership this year, and onward. We wish you a restful and restorative holiday season and new year, and we look forward to continued collaboration in 2026.

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Recap of December 2 Event

May Louis-Juste, NLIHC Project Manager of Strategic Partnerships, highlighted efforts to expand the visibility of housing advocacy and engage younger audiences through initiatives such as the new “The Common Ground” podcast. Julie Walker, OSAH Campaign Project Manager, gave campaign state partner updates, spotlighting the work of Prosperity Indiana, Virginia Housing Alliance, Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio, and North Carolina Housing Coalition.

David Gonzalez Rice, NLIHC Senior Vice President of Public Policy, briefed attendees on federal policy developments and the campaign’s 2026 policy priorities. Meghan Mertyris, NLIHC Disaster Recovery Policy Analyst, presented on the work of the Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition (DHRC) and current bills that the DHRC supports addressing the intersection of disaster and housing. The event concluded with time for roundtable members to discuss priority areas and opportunities for partnership in 2026.

An audio recording of the event is available on Spotify, Apple, and Soundcloud.

State Partners in the Spotlight

Below is a brief snapshot of work accomplished by state partners this year:

• Virginia Housing Alliance (VHA) significantly increased its federal advocacy efforts since joining the state partner cohort in 2024. VHA staff met with all but one member of Virginia’s 13 congressional delegates and participated in two roundtable events – one with Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) and one with Rep. Jennifer McClellan (D-VA). VHA also created, with partners at HousingForward VA, a Federal Housing Action Tracker as a resource for advocates to stay up to date on federal actions that may impact the state. Throughout the year, VHA built on previous partnerships or started new relationships across sectors, specifically those involved with disaster relief, weatherization, domestic violence, and healthcare.
• Alaska Coalition on Housing and Homelessness (AKCH2) broadened its annual housing summit to highlight the critical role of cross-sector partnerships in addressing the housing crisis. In August 2025, they organized an in-person meeting with HUD Secretary Scott Turner and senior ranking officials, which included a tour of Alaskan Native and rural housing communities. The meeting resulted in several follow-ups with HUD staff, and a request to provide input on the impact of potential policy changes. AKCH2 also became a full participant in the Corporation for Supportive Housing Keeping Families Together (KFT) initiative which aims to increase workplan alignment among housing providers, education officials, juvenile justice, state foster care, youth with lived expertise, and other youth service providers.
• The Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio (COHHIO) serves as a steering member of the Home Matters to Ohio campaign, which launched in 2025. Over 85 organizations in the aging, early-childhood development, anti-hunger, faith-based, and economic development sectors have signed onto the campaign’s platform. In January 2025, COHHIO collaborated with the Ohio Chamber of Commerce and Habitat for Humanity on a multi-sector press conference to discuss the Home Matters to Ohio policy platform with the newly sworn in Ohio General Assembly. COHHIO staff also continued collaboration on resources, events, and legislative advocacy efforts with partners in the aging and criminal justice sectors through participation in the Senior Housing Advocacy Coalition and the Ohio Community Corrections Association.
• Prosperity Indiana (PI) successfully recruited and assembled an Engagement Team made up of five faith-based leaders who committed to participating in federal affordable housing advocacy activities throughout the year. PI staff developed formal agreements and workplans with partners that have served as templates for other members of the state partner cohort. Going forward, PI staff are working to formally add organizations serving veterans to its campaign and have already engaged several organizations around housing and other community economic development issues at the state level.
• African American Clergy Collective of Tennessee (ACCT), in partnership with Memphis Public Interest Law Center, launched the Greater Memphis Housing Justice Project, a multi-year campaign designed to conduct research, raise awareness, tell renters’ stories, and explore policy and structural changes to address the rental housing crisis in Memphis. To keep advocates engaged, the campaign sends weekly email blasts and a monthly newsletter that includes information about federal housing policy.
• Michigan Coalition Against Homelessness (MCAH) continued to work on advocacy with a vast array of partners across coalitions. MCAH joined a few new coalitions in 2025 that focus on state and federal advocacy, including ProtectMICare, Thrive, and MI Cash Table. MCAH staff also participated in several events with the MI Dept of Corrections, MI Dept of Civil Rights, and the MI Nonprofit Association that were focused on supporting low-income residents in the state.
• The North Carolina Housing Coalition (NCHC) presented over 10 times to organizations in and out of the state. Audiences included fellow advocates in the housing space, service providers, non-housing practitioners, students, and leaders in philanthropic or political spaces. NCHC staff used information from the campaign policy agenda to provide real time examples of good federal policy that intersects with issues that matter to North Carolinians throughout the state. NCHC also continued to deepen its partnership with longtime collaborator NC Child. Along with developing new joint resources and engaging in each organization’s events, NCHC and NC Child are working together to identify a new partner committed to joining them in working collaboratively on advocacy and resource development.
• South Carolina Association of Community Action Partnerships (SCACAP) participated in multiple public events in the state, including a Faith and Wellness Brunch and several Mental Health Awareness Events, to highlight the housing-health intersection. The partners that led these events included childcare partners, community partners and SCACAP coalition members. At SCACAP’s Mid-Fall Conference, a screening of the documentary No Place to Grow Old was held, followed by a discussion on the experiences of homeless and housing unstable older adults in the state.
• Low Income Housing Coalition of Alabama (LIHCA) held its annual Advocacy Day at the state capital, which ten multi-sector partners attended. The day included a rally on the Capitol lawn, a Lunch and Learn with advocates, and targeted meetings with state legislators. Conversations centered on the growing housing crisis in Alabama and the importance of sustained investment in housing solutions at both the state and federal levels. Multi-sector partners in attendance included community action agencies, financial institutions, anti-poverty groups, healthcare organizations, and social service providers.
• Maryland Center on Economic Policy (MDCEP) continued to play a central role in the fight for equitable housing policies in Maryland through direct engagement with elected officials, strategic communications to its network, and public education on the importance of affordable housing. This year, MDCEP worked quickly to inform stakeholders about proposed federal changes affecting housing. MDCEP circulated timely materials at the onset of the new administration, highlighting potential cuts to the HUD budget and its staffing capacity.

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Thank you for reading, and happy holidays!