The Loraine Brown Resident Leader Award, named after NLIHC Board Member Loraine Brown, honors a person living in subsidized housing who has shown dedication to helping tenants, people experiencing homelessness, and their community.
Loraine Brown’s commitment to housing justice spans across a lifetime of serving and defending the most vulnerable and marginalized communities, through housing and homelessness advocacy, tenant leadership, voter engagement, organizing, and more.
Recipients of the Loraine Brown Tenant Leader Award exemplify unwavering commitment to advocating for the rights and well-being of tenants within the public and assisted housing community.
Award Criteria
- Person Living in Subsidized Housing: The Loraine Brown Resident Leader Award will honor a person living in subsidized housing who has shown dedication to helping tenants, people experiencing homelessness, and their community.
- Involvement with the National Low Income Housing Coalition: The nominee should have demonstrated involvement with NLIHC on advancing its priorities. While current members of NLIHC’s board of directors may not be considered to receive the award, past service on NLIHC’s board of directors is ample evidence of involvement with NLIHC, as is membership of NLIHC, and/or past participation in NLIHC events.
- Commitment to Residents: The nominee should have demonstrated a strong commitment to advocating for the rights and well-being of tenants within the public and assisted housing community. This should include efforts to organize and advocate for improving and expanding public and other subsidized housing, tenant protections, and/or preventing evictions and homelessness. It could also include efforts to provide education and training on Section 3 or other programs, organizing and offering direct assistance such as providing resources or referrals to community programs, and/or volunteering in the community.
- Community Involvement: The nominee should have actively engaged with the local community, fostering a sense of belonging and unity among residents. This could involve organizing community events for education, training, facilitating dialogue between residents and local authorities or leading initiatives to improve the overall quality of life in the development and/or neighborhood.
- Leadership and Initiative: The nominee should have demonstrated leadership qualities and initiative in addressing housing-related challenges and advocating for positive change. This could include taking on leadership roles within tenant associations, community organizations, local, county, state, and federal agencies, including, but not limited to, building relationships with legislators, and/or other relevant groups.
- Positive Impact and Results: The nominee should have a track record of making tangible, positive impacts within the housing community and broader neighborhood, whether through successful advocacy efforts, community projects, or innovative solutions to pressing issues.
Process for Selection
- The Resident and Tenant Leadership Committee (Resident Caucus) of the Board of Directors will create a process to invite and consider nominations for the Loraine Brown Resident Leader Award.
- Current members of the NLIHC board of directors may not be considered to receive the award.
- The Resident and Tenant Leadership Committee will create a process to consider, rank, and select the top 2-3 potential honorees to recommend to the NLIHC President and CEO.
- The Resident and Tenant Leadership Committee will make its recommendations by October of each year.
- The President and CEO will make a final determination of the honoree.