Housing
Housing is an essential need. Across the country, localities are working to advance renter protections, increase affordable housing and ensure all community members have protected access to safe housing in complete and thriving neighborhoods.

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

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.

See the PDF here.

Visit the website here.

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.

See the guide here.

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:

JEREMIAH ELLISON

Minneapolis City Council Member, MN

Vanessa Fuentes' headshot

VANESSA FUENTES

Austin City Council Member, TX

JAMIE GAUTHIER

Philadelphia Councilmember , PA

JOBETH HAMON

Oklahoma City Council Member, OK

MICHELE HIRSCH

Kingston Alderwoman, NY

Mitra Jalali headshot

MITRA JALALI

St. Paul City Councilmember, MN

JAIME KINDER

Meadville Mayor, PA

ROBIN KNIECH

Former Denver City Councilmember, CO

TERESA MOSQUEDA

Seattle City Councilmember , WA

ODETTE RAMOS

Baltimore City Council Member, MD

KIM SMITH

Rochester City Councilmember, NY

Resources

Blogs And Featured News

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.
A picture of a woman in a mask holding a sign

Over 50 Local Electeds Across New York Demand Good Cause Now

This week, nearly 60 Local Progress members from across New York sent a letter to Governor Hochul, along with legislative leadership in Albany, demanding the passage of Good Cause Eviction protections (S305/A4454). New York’s housing crisis is at a tipping point, with evictions rising in 40 of the state’s 62 counties and average rents across the state ranking among the top ten in the nation.

Local Progress joins 100 tenants in DC at Homes Guarantee’s Tenant Takeover

Local Progress joined over 100 tenants at Homes Guarantee's Tenant Takeover to urge the federal government for vital tenant protections.

Two New Resources Help Electeds and Community Members Advocate for Strong Rent Stabilization Policies

A new rent stabilization toolkit in partnership with Power Switch Action and a messaging guide to support local elected officials developing their own ordinances.