Advocacy for Affordable Housing: Contact Government Representatives

We do have a voice and the ability to make a difference. The people that have been elected need and want to hear our ideas. Each individual person matters. While there are organized efforts to create a large response to an issue, we should not feel that our single voice is unheard or unimportant. The housing subsidy programs and opportunities in place right now came from the ideas and needs of the community. When we recognize a housing need in our community that is not being addressed by the people we have elected to represent us, we have an obligation to notify them. When we know a bill will be voted on or a grant is up for renewal, we have a duty to voice our support for appropriate action.

Here is a link to the old educational cartoon of how a local community idea can become a law: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eeOwPoayOk&feature=player_profilepage

If we don’t voice our needs, those with opposing views will voice their views to our representatives.

 Who is My Representative?

The first step to advocating is to find out who your local representative is. Since you are a member of the representative's constituency, you have a greater voice. Ultimately, you have the ability to reelect this person and they want to be reelected. One can go to the local library and find the book called, "A Citizen's guide to State Government" or by calling Michigan State Capitol information 517-373-3400 or by going to the below search engines. These search engines require one to only know their address and zip code and are available at all hours so they are the easiest to use.

To find out who the representative in Michigan House of Representatives is go to
http://www.house.gov/ or http://house.michigan.gov/find_a_rep.asp

To find out your the representative is in Lansing's Senate go to http://senate.michigan.gov/

To find out your represents us in Washington D.C. go to: http://whoismyrepresentative.com/

Effective advocating requires one to be organized and clear about the need in the community. When we see that our community has a need it is always a great idea to ask others and to research if there are any people or grants that are available and focused on the problem. Maybe the solution is available but it just needs more attention or funding.

Some good strategies for advocating on issues affecting supportive housing are:

• Identify the problem

• Organize the stories that illustrate the problem While numbers and statistics provide weight to the issue, sometimes it is the human interest story that adds impact.

• Put to paper the need and demand (specific action needed for the solution) This is where statistics and numbers can add weight and legitimize the real issue.

• Identify the person (representative) or organizations that could help to solve the problem.

• Identify the base of people the solution will help.

• Make allies and organize the people in your community that can join your mission.

• Get the problem and demand (solution) publicized in the local newspaper. Identify the problem and communicate this to the local media outlets with solutions already outlined. Sometimes you may need to contact reporters directly to be heard. Press releases often end up dismissed. Letters to the editor are often the best way to get heard.

• Call to schedule a visit with your representative's staff at his/her local office. Often the representative alternates between their home office and their place in Lansing or Washington DC, it may be prudent to find out when they will be available locally, or when he or she personally will be home in the district or our state.

• Write a letter and fax it to their office. (Mailed letters take weeks to get to representatives these days and e-mails are filtered too much. This needs to be weighted with the impact of a hand written letter. In these days of electronics, sometimes a handwritten letter is different and may be noticed.

• Get other groups involved in the issue.

Power of Numbers

Our elected officials want re-election. When we can prove we represent a larger group of voters, we get the elected representative's undivided attention. Petitions and published articles/letters in the media provide leverage to the problem and is recognized by the elected representatives as a bigger issue. Organizing a group of people or groups of local organizations to write to their representative is another way to get the elected official's attention.

A Citizen's Guide to State Government (accessible at http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/Publications/CitizensGuide.pdf )
describes the proper way to address a letter to your elected officials here are a couple examples:

U.S. Senator State Representative

U.S. Senator

The Honorable ______ (full name)
Unites States Senator
Address

Dear Senator (last name):

State Representative

The Honorable ______ (full name)
State Representative
State Capitol
PO Box 30014
Lansing MI 48909.7514

Dear Congressman/woman (last name):

For more information on formal letter writing to elected officials, please refer to the A Citizen's Guide to State Government page 2. For more information or for a full copy of the document, you can access this booklet at http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/Publications/CitizensGuide.pdf

Finally, the affordable housing needs in our community are great, we have many types of subsidies and some, like subsidized apartments, have helped but there are not enough to address the growing need. There are also new housing needs growing in our community that have yet to be documented completely and addressed, so the need for organized, respectful, and persistent advocacy continues to grow.