Our Vision and Work
Housing is an essential need that provides the foundation for people to build their lives, find work, raise the next generation, and age in place.
Our access to housing and the community resources near our homes have been shaped by policies and practices that have harmed and excluded people of color. These inequities continue today while our communities across the country grapple with an affordable housing shortage, weak tenant protections, and increasing corporate consolidation that contribute to displacement and persistent poor housing quality.
Local governments have a critical role in protecting tenants, ensuring their policies and programs preserve and develop housing so that it is accessible for all residents, is resilient and responsive to our changing environment, and contributes to the well-being of our communities and residents throughout its design, construction, and maintenance.
Featured Resources
Toolkit: Stable Rents, Rooted Communities
Rent stabilization policies are essential, common sense solutions to help address the housing crisis and keep people in their homes. This toolkit, developed by Local Progress Impact Lab in partnership with Power Switch Action, breaks down the key components of a rent stabilization policy so you can build a policy that best meets the needs of your community.
Messaging Guide: From House to Home
Local Progress’s new messaging guide provides a framework for how to discuss housing justice issues and rent stabilization based on polling, research, and messaging best practices from local electeds in our network. This introductory level guide provides sample messaging and talking points that can be used with constituents, media, and colleagues on renters rights and rent stabilization policies.
Report: Housing For the People
In this report – titled Housing for the People: How Local Governments are Building Social Housing Solutions for Public Good – the Local Progress Impact Lab, Power Switch Action & PolicyLink have outlined how building and managing housing in the public interest can guide us out of our housing crisis. The report shares this work and offers guidance for how to think about social housing policy for your community.
Housing Steering committee
As a membership organization, we believe our work is most impactful when it is informed and guided by members. Bringing a diverse range of expertise and local experience, our Housing Steering Committee advises and shapes our work in this area:
JOBETH HAMON
Oklahoma City Council Member, OK
LP Housing Steering Committee Co-Chair
JAMIE GAUTHIER
Philadelphia Councilmember , PA
LP Housing Steering Committee Co-Chair
CARROLL FIFE
Oakland City Councilmember , CA
JESSIE FUENTES
Chicago City Alderperson, IL
JEREMIAH ELLISON
Minneapolis City Council Member, MN
ROBIN KNIECH
Former Denver City Councilmember, CO
SANDY NURSE
New York City Council Member, NY
JIVAN SOBRINHO-WHEELER
Cambridge City Council Member, MA
ALISHA SONNIER
St. Louis City Alderwoman, MO
KIM SMITH
Rochester City Councilmember, NY
Resources
Report
Housing For the People: How Local Governments are Building Social Housing Solutions for Public Good
Blogs And Featured News
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How Corporate Landlords are Colluding to Hike up Rents – And How Localities Can Fight Back
Across the country, landlords are turning to a new tool to raise rents and further exacerbate the housing crisis: software algorithms. Third party service providers like RealPage offer recommendations to landlords that promise to boost their profits while driving up housing costs. Our new memo explains what rent-setting software algorithms are and how local electeds can take action to protect their communities.
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Portland City Council weighs ban on using algorithms to set rents
Portland, Oregon could soon be the next city to ban rental price fixing!
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Social Housing Emerging in Cities Needs Local Govt Support
Local Progress founding board chair Nick Licata makes the case for local governments to support social housing.
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New Report Shows How Local Governments Can Build Social Housing Solutions for Public Good
In a new report from the Local Progress Impact Lab, Power Switch Action & PolicyLiny outlines how building and managing housing in the public interest can guide us out of our housing crisis.
