Advocates in 28 states and the District of Columbia hosted more than 60 local “Our Homes, Our Voices” Week of Action events during the week of July 22-29, uniting in a collective call for increased investments in affordable homes and drawing the attention of elected officials and media nationwide. Affordable housing supporters sent letters, made calls to Congress, hosted rallies, conducted tours of developments, and educated their communities and elected officials about the importance of federal funding for decent, accessible, and affordable homes. Thousands participated in a “#OurHomesOurVoices” twitterstorm on July 27, causing the campaign to trend on Twitter nationally, and made calls for the National Call-In Day on July 28. On July 29, the campaign launched “Our Homes, Our Votes,” a nonpartisan campaign to increase voter registration, education, and mobilization among low income renters and affordable housing advocates around the country.
The “Our Homes, Our Voices” Week of Action featured advocates engaging their local communities in the national effort to preserve and expand federal funding to make homes affordable and communities strong. Advocates in Albuquerque, Austin, Baltimore, Hartford, Lansing, Memphis, Miami, New Orleans, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC hosted rallies and press conferences, drawing hundreds of advocates and dozens of media outlets to their events. In other communities, groups hosted tours and site visits of rental homes and community centers built with funding from federal programs. In a number of communities, organizations hosted letter-writing campaigns and delivered the letters in person to Congressional members’ local offices. Other groups organized call-in days, social media campaigns, sleep-outs, teach-ins, and movie screenings, among other activities. Today, the Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association of Massachusetts will host the final “Our Homes, Our Voices” event, drawing hundreds to a rally in downtown Boston with the mayor and other elected officials. “Our Homes, Our Voices” events and activities have been diverse in type, but all united in calling for increased federal investments in affordable homes and strong communities. See the full event list, recent news coverage, and event photos online.
Mobilizing thousands across the country, the National Week of Action built upon the week’s collective energy and momentum with the launch of an “Our Homes, Our Votes” campaign, a nonpartisan voter registration, education, and mobilization effort with advocates and low income residents throughout the country. As former U.S. Representative Walter H. Judd (R-MN) once said, "People often say that, in a democracy, decisions are made by a majority of the people. Of course, that is not true. Decisions are made by a majority of those who make themselves heard and who vote - a very different thing."
All who care about ending housing poverty and homelessness in America are urged to join the “Our Homes, Our Votes” campaign. Find resources on the campaign webpage and plan your voter registration drive today!