NLIHC’s Opportunity Starts at Home (OSAH) campaign has released three updated fact sheets highlighting the impacts of affordable housing on economic productivity, criminal justice, and veteran well-being. While the national shortage of affordable and available housing impacts people with the lowest incomes from all backgrounds, research shows that veterans and people with criminal records face unique challenges when it comes to accessing and maintaining stable housing; that rental assistance is essential to reducing homelessness among veterans; and that investments in affordable housing benefit not only those residents receiving assistance but their surrounding communities by increasing employment, fueling economic activity, and generating government revenue. The new fact sheets, which were developed in collaboration with key partners including the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (a member of OSAH’s Steering Committee), draw on this research to highlight the intersections between affordable housing and each of these policy areas. Read the new fact sheets here.
In total, the OSAH campaign has posted 16 multi-sector fact sheets to its website. Each fact sheet compiles landmark research to help policymakers, opinion leaders, and the public understand the deep connections between housing and other national priorities, from healthcare to education and economic growth. Advocates are encouraged to download the fact sheets to strengthen their efforts to reach out to potential allies in other fields and make the case for cross-sector collaboration. To broaden the movement for housing justice, housing advocates must ensure that allies in other sectors fully appreciate the extent to which housing influences their own priorities and goals.
Find the full list of fact sheets here.