Breakout Sessions on Topics Ranging from Housing Justice to Disaster Recovery

NLIHC’s Housing Policy Forum 2026 will feature an array of breakout sessions in which attendees can engage with and learn from thought leaders, policy experts, researchers, tenant advocates, affordable housing practitioners, and more! 

Breakout Session 1: An Ecosystems Approach to Housing Justice - NLIHC’s State & Local Research team identifies, uplifts, and examines the mechanisms by which stakeholders at the state and local level can ensure safe, accessible, equitable, and affordable housing for the lowest income renters. In this session, we will explore the importance of using an “ecosystems approach” to advancing housing justice at the state and local level—that is, taking into account the full landscape of tenant protections and affordable housing policies in order to maximize sustained, positive impacts for tenants. We will also share the ways in which our team is enhancing our publicly available resources and research to better support ecosystems thinking.  

• Urvi Patel, policy analyst, Housing and Income Security, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
• Noel Andrés Poyo, principal, Poyo Consulting - Affordable Housing, Community Development & Impact Finance
• Emily A. Benfer, professor of law, George Washington Law School, Milken Institute School of Public Health; senior fellow, National Housing Law Project; research collaborator, Eviction Lab at Princeton University
• Korey Johnson, Local Solutions Support Center
• Moderator: NLIHC State & Local Research Team   

(Closed to Press) Breakout Session 2: Immigrant Advocates are Housing Advocates: The State of Immigration Rights and Housing Justice - Across the nation, communities, advocates, and service providers are struggling to meet the housing needs of immigrants amid an ongoing and worsening affordable housing crisis. Immigrants face unique challenges in obtaining affordable housing, as some newcomers struggle to secure and maintain the permits needed to legally work, and many are ineligible for most federal benefits and too often met with discrimination in their new community. More recently, targeted attacks have created an increasingly hostile environment where many immigrants fear for their safety. Targeted attacks on the immigrant community also make it increasingly difficult for people to stably work, pay their rent, and fully exercise their rights as tenants. This panel will explore the ways that immigration impacts the state of affordable housing, best practices for prioritizing safety in political advocacy, messaging to counter anti-immigrant sentiments, and strategies for advocates to advance safe, accessible, and affordable housing for all.   

• Adriana Cadena, Protecting Immigrant Families 
• Sarah Krieger, National Immigration Law Center 
• Foluke Akkani, Housing Action Illinois   
• Sosseh Prom, African Communities Together 
• Opening Remarks: Chantelle Wilkinson, NLIHC 
• Opening Remarks: Victoria Morales and Lucas Schrage, Project Home 
• Moderator: Julie Walker, NLIHC   

Breakout Session 3: Higher Ground: Disaster Related Organizing at the State and Local Levels - Disasters, often driven by climate change, are increasing in frequency and severity. Simultaneously, the country’s disaster response and recovery system is decentralizing, placing more responsibility on state and local governments who often do not have the resources or the experience to effectively respond. As a result, state and local organizing that integrates and advocates for equitable disaster response and recovery programs become increasingly important. This panel will feature advocates and organizers working within their states and communities to increase equitable programs, create best practices, and—sometimes—fill in the gaps in response and recovery systems themselves. Attendees will have the opportunity to hear how they can begin organizing around disaster response and recovery in their areas to ensure every disaster survivor receives the assistance they need to fully recover.  

• Toi Jean Carter, director, Louisiana Just Recovery Network 
• Maritere Padilla Rodríguez, senior director of policy and advocacy, Hispanic Federation 
• Gamelyn Oduardo, community development and planning manager, Hispanic Federation
• Stephanie Watkins-Cruz, director of housing policy, North Carolina Inclusive Disaster Recovery Network & North Carolina Housing Coalition
• Jessica Arriens, senior program manager of climate and energy policy, Appalachian Flood Resilience Coalition & National Wildlife Federation Moderator: Gabrielle Walton, federal campaign coordinator, Chesapeake Climate Action Network   

(Closed Session) Breakout Session 4 

Breakout Session 5: From the Ground Up: Building Political Will Amid Federal Disarray - As the nation’s political climate grows more turbulent, state and local leaders are stepping up to build power and drive meaningful change. This session will highlight strategies communities are employing to strengthen local movements and create political will to advance solutions.  

• Tracy Beard, coalition coordinator, Housing For All Tennessee
• Stephanie Watkins-Cruz, director of housing policy, North Carolina Housing Coalition
• Quiana Fisher, executive director, Texas Housers 
• Moderator: Ramina Davidson, NLIHC 

(Closed to Press) Breakout Session 6: Data, Evidence-Based Policymaking, and Democracy - The Trump administration seeks to reduce and reorganize the federal government with the ultimate goal of consolidating power. Our panel seeks to understand the threats this poses to federal housing data and what implies evidence-based policymaking and democratic participation in housing policy more broadly. Through a combination of presentations and dialogue, session participants will gain a clear picture of housing data provided by the federal government and current threats to these data, as well as a deeper understanding of the implications for housing policy.  

• Kathryn Howell, director, National Center for Smart Growth Research and Education; associate professor, University of Maryland Urban Studies & Planning Program
• Matt Hauge, director of communications & community outreach, Polk County Housing Trust Fund
• Alia Fierro, senior housing policy advisor, U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs 
• Moderator: Dan Emmanuel, NLIHC 

Breakout Session 7: Wide Open Spaces: Advancing Housing Policy in Rural and Tribal Communities - Rural residents face an extreme shortage of decent, safe, and affordable housing, compounded by limited resources and geographic barriers. In the face of great obstacles, however, Tribal and rural communities have risen against extractive industries and worked to meet their own housing needs. Join this workshop to learn how Native leaders and tenant advocates are addressing the gaps left by decades of disinvestment and strengthening their communities in the process. Speakers will discuss federal policies such as “The Native American Housing and Self-Determination Act of 1996” (NAHASDA), heirs’ property in disasters, and strategies for building trust among rural renters.  

• Alicia Sebastian, California Coalition for Rural Housing executive director 
• Joey Nathan, Northern Ponca Housing Authority, UNAHA board member
• Mel Willie, senior director of Native American Partnerships & Strategy, NeighborWorks America
• Kayla Blackwell, NLIHC 
• Moderator: Kenza Idrissi Janati, NLIHC 

Breakout Session 8: What's at Stake for Housing on the Ballot and in the Supreme Court - As the nation prepares for the 2026 midterm elections, housing advocates face both tremendous opportunities and urgent challenges. From state and local ballot measures advancing affordable housing and renters’ rights to high-profile Supreme Court cases shaping the legal landscape of voting and fair representation, this session will explore the intersection of democracy and housing justice. The session will also highlight strategies to mobilize voters ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, featuring insights from NLIHC’s Our Homes, Our Votes campaign and partners working on the ground to close voter turnout gaps, ensure voter ID access, and strengthen nonpartisan housing-centered advocacy. Attendees will gain practical tools to engage residents, build partnerships with voting rights organizations, and elevate housing as a defining election issue.  

• Demetria McCain, director of policy, Legal Defense Fund 
• Kenneth Williamson, program and policy analyst, National Alliance to End Homelessness   
• Dr. Bambie Hayes-Brown, president and CEO, Georgia ACT   
• Stephanie Demmons, national partnerships manager, VoterRiders   
• Bridget Knighton, former Our Homes, Our Votes tenant fellow 
• Chantelle Wilkinson, NLIHC 
• Moderator: Tia Turner, NLIHC  

(Closed to Press) Breakout Session 9: Meeting the Moment: Strategizing to Protect and Expand Proven Housing Solutions - This workshop will provide space for attendees to collaborate and brainstorm how we will creatively advance the housing justice movement, from strengthening tenant protections and civil rights to ensuring that both existing and new housing is safe, accessible, and deeply affordable to those at the lowest incomes. All advocates and ideas (big and small) are welcome.  

• David Gonzalez Rice, NLIHC 
• Ramina Davidson, NLIHC 
• Renee Williams, NLIHC  

Breakout Session 10: Turning the Tables: How Tenants Reclaimed Their Homes and Their Future - In Minneapolis, a group of determined tenants transformed their frustration into collective action—organizing, asserting their rights, and ultimately purchasing their building to remove a neglectful landlord. What began as a fight for safe and dignified housing became a powerful example of tenant-led ownership and community control. This session will feature Chloe Jackson, one of the tenant leaders who drove this effort, sharing how they built trust, navigated legal and financial barriers, and reimagined what is possible when tenants move from surviving displacement to shaping their own housing futures. Their story offers a blueprint for tenant power, collective ownership, and lasting housing justice.  

• Chloe Jackson, Sky without Limits, United Renters for Justice  

Breakout Session 11: Power: Use it or Lose It – An Organizing Approach to Interacting with Elected Officials - There is a principle of organizing that says, “Power: use it or lose it.” Through the lens of a community organizer, this session will examine how we assert our power in meetings with elected officials to achieve our goals. In addition to discussing important considerations when planning and executing a meeting with an elected official, this session will also focus on leveraging such meetings as tools for deepening and increasing engagement among coalition members.  

• Billy Cerullo, NLIHC  

Breakout Session 12: Getting the Narrative Right: Combating Misinformation with Research and Effective Storytelling - How can we make housing justice happen through a bold, realistic vision grounded in truth? Shifting the narrative requires dispelling myths and translating complex issues into clear, compelling messages that resonate with the audience. While the housing and homelessness crisis draws media and policymakers’ attention, its causes and solutions are often misunderstood and distorted by misinformation. Discuss how to convey accurate messaging, reduce stigma, and debunk myths by leveraging current research and effective storytelling. Explore examples of strategies and campaigns that resonate with and engage new audiences, inspire advocacy, and encourage dialogue among reporters, policymakers, and leaders from other sectors.  

• Marisol Bello, Housing Narrative Lab 
• Celinda Lake, Lake Research Partners 
• Jesse Rabinowitz, National Homelessness Law Center 
• George Stallings, American Red Cross 
• Tiara Wood, NLIHC 
• Moderator: Lisa Marlow, NLIHC