By Julie Walker, NLIHC Project Manager, Opportunity Starts at Home
In 2025, the national Opportunity Starts at Home (OSAH) campaign supported 31 state partners in their multi-sector coalition-building and advocacy efforts. Throughout the year, members of the OSAH state partner cohort work to broaden and diversify their state’s housing coalition to other sectors and leverage these multi-sector partnerships to engage national policymakers and elected officials who represent their state to advocate for more robust and equitable federal housing priorities. When state level, multi-sector coalitions lead the movement; national policymakers hear directly from their constituents about the need to address housing as a foundation for solving other vital community issues. The critical work OSAH state partners do throughout the year includes keeping partners updated on federal changes and advocacy opportunities, inviting new partners to participate in housing advocacy, deepening involvement in other intersectional initiatives, and collaborating on multi-sector resources. The following memo provides a brief snapshot of work accomplished by ten OSAH state partners this year.
- Virginia Housing Alliance (VHA) significantly increased its federal advocacy efforts since joining the OSAH state partner cohort in 2024. VHA staff met with all but one member of Virginia’s 13 congressional delegates and participated in two roundtable events—one with Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) and one with Rep. Jennifer McClellan (D-VA). VHA also created, with partners at HousingForward VA, a Federal Housing Action Tracker as a resource for advocates to stay up-to-date on federal actions that may impact the state. Throughout the year, VHA built on previous partnerships or started new relationships across sectors, specifically those involved with disaster relief, weatherization, domestic violence, and healthcare.
- Alaska Coalition on Housing and Homelessness (AKCH2) broadened its annual housing summit to highlight the critical role of cross-sector partnerships in addressing the housing crisis. In August 2025, they organized an in-person meeting with HUD Secretary Scott Turner and senior ranking officials, which included a tour of Alaskan Native and rural housing communities. The meeting resulted in several follow-ups with HUD staff, and a request to provide input on the impact of potential policy changes. AKCH2 also became a full participant in the Corporation for Supportive Housing Keeping Families Together (KFT) initiative which aims to increase workplan alignment among housing providers, education officials, juvenile justice, state foster care, youth with lived expertise, and other youth service providers.
- The Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio (COHHIO) serves as a steering member of the Home Matters to Ohio campaign, which launched in 2025. Over 85 organizations in the aging, early-childhood development, anti-hunger, faith-based, and economic development sectors have signed onto the campaign’s platform. In January 2025, COHHIO collaborated with the Ohio Chamber of Commerce and Habitat for Humanity on a multi-sector press conference to discuss the Home Matters to Ohio policy platform with the newly sworn in Ohio General Assembly. COHHIO staff also continued collaboration on resources, events, and legislative advocacy efforts with partners in the aging and criminal justice sectors through participation in the Senior Housing Advocacy Coalition and the Ohio Community Corrections Association.
- Prosperity Indiana (PI) successfully recruited and assembled an Engagement Team made up of five faith-based leaders who committed to participating in federal affordable housing advocacy activities throughout the year. PI staff developed formal agreements and workplans with partners that have served as templates for other members of the OSAH cohort. Going forward, PI staff are working to formally add organizations serving veterans to its OSAH campaign and have already engaged several organizations around housing and other community economic development issues at the state level.
- African American Clergy Collective of Tennessee (ACCT), in partnership with Memphis Public Interest Law Center, launched the Greater Memphis Housing Justice Project, a multi-year campaign designed to conduct research, raise awareness, tell renters’ stories, and explore policy and structural changes to address the rental housing crisis in Memphis. To keep advocates engaged, the campaign sends weekly email blasts and a monthly newsletter that includes information about federal housing policy.
- Michigan Coalition Against Homelessness (MCAH) continued to work on advocacy with a vast array of partners across coalitions that staff facilitate or participate in. MCAH joined a few new coalitions in 2025 that focus on state and federal advocacy, including ProtectMICare, Thrive, and MI Cash Table. MCAH staff also participated in several events with the MI Dept of Corrections, MI Dept of Civil Rights, and the MI Nonprofit Association that were focused on supporting low-income residents in the state.
- The North Carolina Housing Coalition (NCHC) presented over ten times to organizations in and outside of the state. Audiences included fellow advocates in the housing space, service providers, non-housing practitioners, students, and leaders in philanthropic or political spaces. NCHC staff used information from the OSAH policy agenda to provide real-time examples of good federal policy that intersects with issues that matter to North Carolinians throughout the state. NCHC also continued to deepen its partnership with longtime collaborator NC Child. Along with developing new joint resources and engaging in each organization’s events, NCHC and NC Child are working together to identify a new partner committed to joining them in working collaboratively on advocacy and resource development.
- South Carolina Association of Community Action Partnerships (SCACAP) participated in multiple public events in the state, including a Faith and Wellness Brunch and several Mental Health Awareness Events, to highlight the housing-health intersection. The partners who led these events included childcare partners, community partners, and SCACAP coalition members. At SCACAP’s mid-fall conference, a screening of the documentary No Place to Grow Old was held, followed by a discussion on the experiences of homeless and housing unstable older adults in the state.
- Low Income Housing Coalition of Alabama held its annual Advocacy Day at the state capital, which twelve multi-sector partners attended. The day included a rally on the Capitol lawn, a “Lunch and Learn” with advocates, and targeted meetings with state legislators. Conversations centered on the growing housing crisis in Alabama and the importance of sustained investment in housing solutions at both the state and federal levels. Multi-sector partners in attendance included community action agencies, financial institutions, anti-poverty groups, healthcare organizations, and social service providers.
- Maryland Center on Economic Policy (MDCEP) continued to play a central role in the fight for equitable housing policies in Maryland through direct engagement with elected officials, strategic communications to its network, and public education on the importance of affordable housing. This year, MDCEP worked quickly to inform stakeholders about proposed federal changes affecting housing. MDCEP circulated timely materials at the onset of the new administration, highlighting potential cuts to the HUD budget and its staffing capacity. This helped to ensure that advocates and partners were prepared to respond to policy shifts that could negatively impact residents with low incomes in the state.
Learn more about OSAH State Partners here.