NLIHC’s affiliation with our state coalition partners is central to our advocacy efforts. Although our partners' involvement varies, they are all housing and homeless advocacy organizations engaged at the state and federal level. Many are traditional coalitions with a range of members; others are local organizations that serve more informally as NLIHC's point of contact. State partners participate in monthly conference calls, twice-yearly meetings, and frequent email discussions, exchanging information and building their advocacy capacity.
Guidelines for Being an NLIHC State Partner
1. Organization’s purpose: Advocating for housing for low income people is an important facet of the organization’s overall work.2. Organization’s structure: It is a nonprofit with a membership base. Membership may be broad (i.e. include business/industry groups), as long as there is no conflict with NLIHC policy.3. Organization’s geographic reach: It does not have to be a statewide organization if it is willing to advocate on behalf of NLIHC policy priorities by engaging networks in the state and contacting federal officials.4. Organization’s relationship with NLIHC: A. The organization should be a NLIHC member. To become a member, click here. B. The organization should accept NLIHC’s priorities and be willing to serve as a primary advocate in the state on behalf of those priorities by directly contacting federal officials and by urging its network in the state to do the same. C. The organization should participate in other NLIHC activities with other state partners (e.g., monthly conference calls, twice-yearly meetings in Washington, D.C., and distribution of Out of Reach and other resources and materials). If your organization is interested, or to suggest other organizations, contact [email protected].