Opportunity Starts at Home Joins Housing Action Illinois Webinar on Social Media and Housing Advocacy 

By Ella Izenour, NLIHC Opportunity Starts at Home Intern 

The Opportunity Starts at Home (OSAH) campaign joined the “Making Your Own Spotlight – Lessons from the Field” webinar on January 22, hosted by Housing Action Illinois, an OSAH campaign State Partner. The webinar explored how housing advocates can use digital storytelling on their own platforms to raise awareness, shift narratives, and mobilize support.   

Kristin Ginger, director of communications and development at Housing Action Illinois, opened the webinar and introduced Horacio Mendez, president and CEO, and Rob Mayo, communications associate, of the Woodstock Institute. Mendez and Mayo discussed how posting long-form content on LinkedIn helps them reach a targeted audience interested in affordable housing policy. They emphasized the value of leveraging personal connections and professional networks on LinkedIn to build credibility, deepen engagement, and spark meaningful conversations around housing justice.   

Nick Dodson, Continuum of Care housing navigator at Heartland HOUSED, shared his experiences creating short-form video content on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. Drawing from his own work in housing navigation, Dodson highlighted how authenticity, consistency, and clear, actionable messaging help him connect with viewers and mobilize social media users and community members around specific housing goals.   

Julie Walker, NLIHC Opportunity Starts at Home Project Manager, provided an overview of the Opportunity Starts at Home campaign and podcast. She outlined the campaign’s mission to build a broad housing coalition and highlighted how the podcast has been used to engage experts from multiple sectors in conversations about the intersectionality of housing. Walker discussed how the podcast helps the campaign reach new audiences, build relationships, and contribute to narrative change in housing advocacy, including through notable episodes such as the five-part OSAH podcast series with the American Institute of Architects Right to Housing Working Group.  

The webinar concluded with Dawn Broers, Founder and Executive Director of Fortitude Community Outreach, who discussed how Fortitude has used Facebook and their Blind Spot podcast series to share stories with their community. Broers emphasized the importance of intentional storytelling, visibility, and amplifying lived experiences as key components of effective advocacy.   

Listen to the Opportunity Starts at Home podcast on Spotify, Apple, and Soundcloud.