NLIHC State and Tribal Partners Convene in Washington, D.C. Ahead of NLIHC Housing Policy Forum

NLIHC convened with state and Tribal partners in Washington, D.C. just before the 2025 Housing Policy Forum. More than 60 people representing 36 of NLIHC’s partner organizations, along with many NLIHC staff and board members, gathered for a day of networking, strategizing advocacy initiatives, and deepening connections with tenant leaders and others with lived experience of housing injustice. A feature of this year’s convening was dedicated time uniting NLIHC’s state and Tribal partners with attendees in the Tenant Leader Session. Through joint programming, networking activities, and a powerful performance by SongRise, a women’s social justice a cappella group, NLIHC’s closest advocacy partners were encouraged to strengthen relationships with other advocates to build trust, accountability, and generate power for the hard work ahead. 

In addition to joint programming with tenant and community leaders, the state and Tribal partner convening agenda included peer-led break-out discussions about successful state-level advocacy for land use and zoning reforms to expand affordable housing, emergency rental assistance programs, tenant protections, and other policies. A panel discussion on “Federal Threats to Housing Justice” included partners from SAGE, the Protecting Immigrant Families (PIF) Coalition, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, as well as the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. Panelists shared about their work responding to recent federal threats against immigrant households, the LGBTQ+ community, diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, as well as to housing benefits and funding. Following this, panelists led break-out discussions to support partners in strategizing how to educate and mobilize their own networks to be effective allies. 

NLIHC state and Tribal partners are member organizations with which NLIHC works most closely in each state or region of the country. Partners include housing and homelessness advocacy organizations that serve Tribal communities, whole states, or regions within a state, are engaged in state and/or federal housing advocacy, and have their own networks to mobilize in pursuit of NLIHC’s policy priorities. Currently, NLIHC has 68 state partners operating in 46 states and the District of Columbia, as well as one Tribal partner operating in the Northern Plains. NLIHC is always seeking to add new state and Tribal partners, particularly in geographic regions without an existing partner. This includes most Tribal communities, along with the states of Montana, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Wyoming. Partners must be NLIHC members and go through a board approval process. For more information about becoming an NLIHC state or Tribal partner, please read through the qualifications, benefits, and expectations or contact [email protected].