NLIHC will honor our 2026 Housing Leadership Awards recipients: The Congressional Public Housing Caucus, Shirley Sherrod, Protecting Immigrant Families (PIF) Coalition, Kennetha Patterson, and Linda Lee Soderstrom. These exceptional leaders will be recognized at NLIHC’s 43rd Annual Housing Leadership Awards Reception, held on the second evening of the NLIHC Housing Policy Forum 2026, at the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C.
The NLIHC Housing Leadership Awards celebrate and honor individual leaders and organizations for their outstanding contributions to affordable housing for those most in need.
The Congressional Public Housing Caucus (CPHC) will receive the Edward W. Brooke Housing Leadership Award for their work to ensure that public housing remains a stable, safe, and quality option for low-income individuals and families and serves as a platform for lawmakers to collaborate on solutions that address the challenges facing public housing. The CPHC is dedicated to making public housing a national priority and ensuring that federal policies support the American families who depend on it.
Shirley Sherrod will receive the Cushing Niles Dolbeare Lifetime Service Award for her invaluable contributions as a national civil rights trailblazer, advocate, and global thought leader in agriculture policy and its impact on rural marginalized communities. In 1969, she co-founded the nation's first community land trust that served as a safe haven for Black farmers who were removed from their land.
The Protecting Immigrant Families (PIF) Coalition will receive the Sheila Crowley Housing Justice Award for their tireless fight for immigrant families’ access to quality health care, nutrition, housing, economic supports, and other public services. PIF is a nonprofit organization that bridges the gap between leading advocates for immigrant rights and health and social services.
Kennetha Patterson and Linda Lee Soderstrom will receive the 2026 Loraine Brown Resident Leader Award. Instituted in 2025, the Loraine Brown Resident Leader Award is named after NLIHC Board Member Loraine Brown and honors a person living in subsidized housing who has shown dedication to helping tenants, people experiencing homelessness, and their community.
Recognize these outstanding leaders by making a donation to NLIHC in their honor!