Making the Case for Affordable Housing: Forum Recap

Thank you to everyone who was able to join us last week as we and MHP welcomed Dr. Tiffany Manuel to help us make the case for affordable housing here in Massachusetts and in our local communities.

We know that people are concerned about affordable housing in Massachusetts. It is almost impossible to open the news or turn on the TV without hearing another story about housing costs. Our own research at CHAPA shows that over 80% of Massachusetts voters are concerned about the cost of housing. But how do we turn that concern, anxiety and lived experience into ACTION to create more homes?

That is what Dr. Manuel is challenging us to do. She is pushing us to make a strategic case for why we are all part of this work, how there is a more engaging way to get others on board with our mission, and how we can present the need for more affordable housing as a problem we can solve!

Dr. Manuel shared a series of 5 important things to keep in mind as you do this work. Here is our summary of the key take-aways:

1. Challenges are both technical and adaptive. We need to move beyond discussions that only get into the technical aspects of the work and help people understand that this is actually an adaptive challenge. The world is changing, but cities cannot survive if we hollow out their diversity.
    
2. We need a broad set of stakeholders to be a part of this work. It can be hard to balance the various viewpoints, but this work succeeds with more people at the table bringing their diverse set of perspectives. The need for more affordable housing belongs to all of us!
    
3. Put the big rocks in first. If people don’t feel the trust, belonging, or their own stake in the work, then they will not believe in the power of working together and they will not engage. As Dr. Manuel said, “Do I belong to the group you are rocking for?” If not, people may not come to the party.
    
4. Stop reminding people of how bad things are! People know it is expensive to live here. Telling people what to fear without a sense of agency can actually backfire and make it harder to achieve the outcomes we want. Stop raising awareness only and give people something to do instead.
    
5. Master the fine art of pulling people forward. Get people to pay attention, slow them down so they give you their time, and help them to see how their “why” connects to your “why”. Help them to see themselves as part of the “we” that will be impacted if we don’t make progress and understand what they will lose if they don’t get involved in our work.

Check out www.thecasemade.com for more resources from Dr. Tiffany Manuel.

We urge all of you to keep thinking about how you can do this work locally. Please reach out to our Municipal Engagement Initiative team, Whitney Demetrius and Dana LeWinter, if you want to learn more about how we are creating local affordable housing coalitions.

If you want to bring your local advocacy to the state level, join CHAPA for Housing Day at the State House on Wednesday, March 11, hosted by Housing Committee Chairs Rep. Kevin Honan and Sen. Brendan Crighton. This is an important opportunity for housing advocates to meet with legislators to support the policies and resources needed for everyone in Massachusetts to have a safe, healthy, and affordable place to call home!

Save the Date for CHAPA’s Fair Housing Month forum, “Fair Housing Beyond the Law” on the morning of Thursday, April 9 at Acton Town Hall. Details to follow at https://www.chapa.org/events

MHP will host it's 14th annual Housing Institute on June 10 & 11 at the SpringHill Suites at Devens Common Center, 31 Andrews Parkway, Devens, MA 01434. More details to follow at https://www.mhp.net/community/events