Hereās a look at some of whatās happening across the Local Progress network.
š³ļøāš Happy Pride!
This month especially, we celebrate love, joy, resilience, and the fight for collective liberation. To our LGBTQIA+ electeds (past and present) who are transforming what governing looks like in our school districts, towns, cities, & counties: We see you! We are here for you! Thank you for all you do! You are truly amazing!Ā
SCOTUS Rules Localities Can Criminalize Homelessness
Today, the U.S. Supreme Court released its decision in the caseĀ Grants Pass v. Johnson, ruling that localities can punish unhoused people for sleeping in public, even if they have nowhere else to go. As LP membersĀ explainedĀ over the past few months, putting people in jail or fining them for trying to survive outside is ignoring the failures of our society that puts people on the streets. It dehumanizes our neighbors, is ineffective at solving the root causes of homelessness, breaks trust between people and local government, and traumatizes and traps people in cycles of incarceration.Ā The only humane and effective way to address homelessness is to make sure that everyone has a place to call home.Ā Despite this ruling, we recommit to the work ahead. It is more important than ever that we fight for permanent housing to bring people out of homelessness; services to support newly rehoused people like case management and income counseling; preventative measures like rent stabilization and tenant protections to prevent people from becoming homeless; wage increases and worker protections to make sure everyone can afford a place to live; and support from state and federal governments to fully address this national crisis.Ā Read more ā
Philadelphia Eviction Protection Program Becomes PermanentĀ
This past month, the Philadelphia City Council voted to make the cityās Eviction Diversion Program permanent. TheĀ program, hailed as aĀ national modelĀ for keeping people in their homes, connects landlords and tenants to mediation and financial support before an eviction is filed in court.Ā LP Board member and Councilmember At-Large Kendra BrooksĀ andĀ Councilmember Jamie GauthierĀ launched the initiative in 2020 withĀ previous LP Board co-chair and former Councilmember Helen GymĀ (who recently authored this incredibleĀ case study). āThis program has become a national model, and by making it permanent, we are not only keeping thousands of people in their homes here in Philadelphia but also setting a standard for housing justice that other cities will follow,ā said Brooks. The program hasĀ prevented ten thousand evictions a year. Nearly half of landlord-tenant pairs are able to resolve their issues outside of court, avoiding costly legal fees and life-altering eviction filings.Ā Read more ā
Basic Income Programs in Denver and Baltimore Shows Big ResultsĀ
After a year of implementation, theĀ DenverĀ Basic Income ProjectĀ published findings showing that the program resulted in more stable housing and decreased the use of emergency services among recipients. The program, which provided no-strings-attached cash to 807 homeless adults, also saved an estimated $600,000 of public dollars by decreasing the need for shelter services, ambulance rides, emergency room and hospital visits, and/or substance use treatment centers. The project is the first-of-its-kind that looks into the impact of guaranteed income on homelessness. InĀ Baltimore, the guaranteed income pilot also released its first year findings. The bottom line? AsĀ Mayor Brandon ScottĀ pointed out: āguaranteed income works.āĀ Read more āĀ
āļø Get Your Policy Win Highlighted!
Weāre partnering with the Congressional Progressive Caucus Center to highlight policy wins on the local level! TheĀ Progressive PlaybookĀ is a comprehensive guide that shows advocates, legislators, and the public how to achieve real progressive wins. It will highlight successful legislative campaigns and policy victories to provide insights for other advocates and legislators to replicate in their states. If you have a policy campaign or win that you think would be a good addition, please reach out to LP Deputy Communications DirectorĀ Michael WhitesidesĀ and weāll help you submit a brief for inclusion! TheĀ Progressive PlaybookĀ is looking for policy ideas of all kinds but is specifically looking for policy wins related to clean energy, reproductive rights, housing, workers’ rights, taxes on the wealthy, and pushback against book bans.
š§āš« Fellowship Opportunity for Local Electeds in Southern
Southern Policymakers Advancing Representative Community (SPARC) is aĀ free fellowship programĀ for elected officials to learn about disability justice, how to engage disabled constituents, and build connections with other elected officials across the South. The fellowship is open to elected officials (at any level) who live in the following 14 Southern states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, or West Virginia. Learning about the spectrum and diversity of disabilities takes time, and everyone has to start somewhere. This fellowship will help elected officials start that learning journey and give them more tools to support disabled constituents.Ā The deadline to apply is June 30, 2024.Ā More info ā
āļø Cities & Counties for Fine and Fee Justice
This October, join the San Francisco Financial Justice Project, Fines and Fees Justice Center, and Results for America at aĀ Cities and Counties for Fine and Fee JusticeĀ event in Santa Fe, NM! Localities will receive actionable tools and resources to help them lay the groundwork to advance local fine and fee reform.Ā Apply nowĀ to receive an all-expenses paid opportunity to join other cities and counties to learn how to advance fine and fee reforms in your jurisdiction.Ā Deadline to apply is July 10.Ā More info āĀ
Ā š ICYMI: Resource on Combating Algorithmic Rental Price-FixingĀ
Rent is too high. One reason for that is that corporate actors have been colluding to set vacancy rates and hike rents up on our communities.Ā Check out this memo with American Economic Liberties Project earlier this year on how localities can fight back āĀ
šļø Social Housing Trip to Vienna & BerlinĀ
In April, LP members joinedĀ PowerSwitch ActionĀ and community organizers on a trip toĀ Vienna and BerlinĀ to learn more about social housing: what it is, what we can learn to improve housing here in the US; and how we can collectively organize towards a housing system that prioritizes people over profits. āIn Vienna, we saw that social housing was helping to bring people together. People from different income brackets live together, and itās not stigmatized as something thatās only for the poor.āĀ Read more about the trip from the perspective of those who went āĀ
The vast majority of local elected officials are part-time, unpaid, or minimally compensated. And it can be difficult to find work that can sustain leaders alongside their elected roles. Thatās why every month, weāll be sharing jobs available across the movement:
- The Youth Engagement Fund | Program Manager. Remote with preference in YEF priority states of AZ, FL, GA, and TX.Ā
- The Fund for New Jersey | Operations Manager. Princeton, NJ.Ā
- Unite Here | Communications Specialist. San Francisco, CA.
- Transform | Housing & Parking Policy Manager. Oakland, CA.
- One Fair Wage | Canvasser | Denver, CO (other locations available as well).Ā
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Additional job boards: Dino DNA | Jeremiah Program | PolicyLink | Jobs That Are Left