Power Station

As Mike Koprowski, National Campaign Director of Opportunity Starts at Home  says, eyes widen on Capitol Hill when they see the logos on our letterhead. That is because policymakers are not used to seeing powerful nonprofits outside of the housing sector advocate for a housing centered policy agenda. Now, the paradigm is changing and for an important reason. The data makes the case that decent and affordable housing is foundational to the well-being and economic security of all communities. A growing understanding of the intersectionality of social and economic justice concerns has moved the nation's leading civil rights, education, health and children's organizations to join and shape the agenda of the Opportunity Starts at Home campaign. Mike and Campaign Coordinator Chantelle Wilkinson joined Power Station to talk about this dynamic coalition and about Within Reach, its just-released policy agenda. Within Reach is a comprehensive template for solving the housing crisis for lowest income Americans. It advocates for demand side, supply side and prevention solutions, including new initiatives that create resources for lowest income tenants when emergencies arise. A shift in the housing conversation is happening. Presidential nominees are making affordable housing key issues in their campaigns. National organizations with their own critical agendas are joining forces to promote federal housing investment. Hear how the National Low Income Housing Coalition, NAACP, UnidosUS, National Education Association, Children's Defense Fund and others are raising their voices and being heard.

A conversation with Daniel del Pielago, Organizing Director at Empower DC, is a good reminder that public policy change cannot be made or sustained without an organized community. And when the community seeking change is public housing residents, the barriers to becoming organized are considerable and the stakes are extremely high. Daniel tells the story of Berry Farms, a public housing complex beset by deteriorating conditions and a lack of public investment. Berry Farms is slated to be demolished and replaced by mixed-use housing, featuring market rate apartments and town homes. Many residents have been dispersed throughout the City with promises to be returned. But they are organizing and making their voices heard in City Council hearings. The DC Court of Appeals recently vacated approval of the development plan, finding that resident needs are not adequately represented. Empower DC is clearly in the fight for the long haul.

A conversation with Daniel del Pielago, Organizing Director at Empower DC, is a good reminder that public policy change cannot be made or sustained without an organized community. And when the community seeking change is public housing residents, the barriers to becoming organized are considerable and the stakes are extremely high. In this episode of Power Station, Daniel relates how Empower DC builds power, through tenant organizing and community engagement, in Washington DC's lowest income neighborhoods. He tells the ongoing story of Berry Farms, a public housing complex, beset by deteriorating conditions and a lack of public investment. It is now the focus of a Mayoral initiative. Berry Farms is slated to be demolished and to be replaced by mixed-use housing, featuring market rate apartments and town homes. Many residents have been dispersed throughout the City with promises to be returned. Others are left in place with an uncertain future. But they are organizing and making their voices heard in City Council hearings. And their organizing is paying off. The DC Court of Appeals recently vacated approval of the development plan, finding that resident needs are not adequately represented. And there's more to Empower DC's work. Executive Director Parisa Norouzi will join a future episode of Power Station to tell the story of DC's Ivy City, whose fortunes are changing, with uneven results. Grassroots organizing takes the long view. Empower DC is clearly in the fight for the long haul.

As Diane Yentel, President of the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) explains, Only 1 in 4 households that need and are eligible for housing assistance, gets it. They are the winners in what is basically a housing lottery. Lowest income Americans who need project-based housing subsidies and public housing are the focus of NLIHC's research, analysis, education and policy advocacy. They are also part of the organizational infrastructure that NLIHC has created to advocate for increased investment in affordable housing. Now, in the face of the longest government shutdown in US history, resources generated through the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and US Department of Agriculture (USDA) are at risk. Diane tells us how the Campaign for Housing and Community Development Funding (CHCDF), a collaboration of 70 high-profile organizations and industry experts, has reached out to Congress about the impact of the shutdown on their constituents. Don't miss this conversation with one of our most formidable nonprofit leaders!

As Diane Yentel, President of the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) explains on Power Station, Only 1 in 4 households that need and are eligible for housing assistance, gets it. They are the winners in what is basically a housing lottery. Lowest income Americans who need project-based housing subsidies and public housing are the focus of NLIHC's research, analysis, education and policy advocacy. They are also part of the organizational  infrastructure that NLIHC has created to advocate for increased investment in affordable housing. NLIHC not only includes voucher recipients on its Board of Directors, it prioritizes their engagement on Capital Hill, in state capitals and in the electoral process. Now, in the face of the longest government shutdown in US history, resources generated through the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and US Department of Agriculture (USDA) are at risk. Diane tells us how the Campaign for Housing and Community Development Funding (CHCDF), a collaboration of 70 high-profile organizations and industry experts, has reached out to Congress about the impact of the shutdown on their constituents. Diane points out that this movement has reached a tipping point: Congressional interest in, and understanding of America's housing needs is growing and will be a factor in our national 2020 elections. Don't miss this conversation!

New America is a think tank devoted to America's renewal in a time of unprecedented social and technological change. Under the leadership of Anne-Marie Slaughter, it is building a new field of endeavor, known as Public Interest Technology. This emerging sector convenes municipal leaders, public agencies and nonprofits to generate nuanced solutions to systemic problems, from foster care, to opioid abuse and criminal justice. It pairs policy makers with technologists, an area of expertise more closely associated with Silicon Valley than government and NGOs, to create cost-effective and transformative solutions. This effort is led by Cecilia Munoz, a beloved leader at the forefront of progressive change making. Cecilia explains how Public Interest Technology is upending entrenched ideas about the process of change making and uplifts what actually works. Redefining policy change has arrived!

New America is a think tank devoted to American Renewal in a time of unprecedented social and technological change. Under the leadership of Anne-Marie Slaughter, it is actually building a new field of endeavor. Known as Public Interest Technology, this field takes a problem-solving approach to addressing issues that affect everyday people and communities. It convenes municipal leaders with public agencies and nonprofits to fix broken systems in areas including foster care, opioid abuse and criminal justice. And it pairs them with technologists, an expertise more associated with Silicon Valley than government and NGOs, to create cost-effective and transformative solutions. 

This effort is led by Cecilia Munoz, a longtime leader at the forefront of progressive change making. At the National Council of La Raza (now UnidosUS), our nation's largest Latino civil rights organization, Cecilia mobilized 300 affiliates as a voice for policy change on Capitol Hill. As Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council under President Barack Obama, she led issue experts in developing solutions to our most pressing policy challenges. Cecilia leads Power Station through the myriad ways that Public Interest Technology is upending entrenched ideas about the process of change making and uplifting what actually works. She wants to see these solutions, and those of partners in the field, like Code for America, embedded in our best community based organizations. Redefining policy change has arrived! 

Quyen Dinh, Executive Director of Southeast Asia Resource Center (SEARAC), is deeply connected to the Vietnamese, Laotian and Cambodian communities she serves. As the daughter of Vietnamese refugees she knows first hand the challenges faced by new immigrants with limited resources. SEARAC, a national civil rights organization, is energized by a network of 40 community-based nonprofits that advocate for pro-immigrant policies at the state and federal levels. SEARAC trains young people to share their stories and policy recommendations to their elected representatives. Quyen explains the looming threat of the Trump administration's Public Charge proposal, which would penalize immigrants who access programs that aid families in need. She updates us on the latest round of deportations that are returning Vietnamese and Cambodian people to home countries that some have only fragile connections to. Quyen's trajectory in America fuels her belief in, and support for, others following her path.

Quyen Dinh, Executive Director of Southeast Asia Resource Center (SEARAC), is deeply connected to the Vietnamese, Laotian and Cambodian communities she serves. As the daughter of Vietnamese refugees she knows first hand the challenges posed by limited resources, a sense of displacement, and the need for community connections. SEARAC, a national civil rights organization, is informed by a network of 40 community-based nonprofits who set their policy agenda and advocate for just and equitable policies at the state and federal levels. In fact, SEARAC, trains young people within its networks to tell their stories and propose solutions to their elected officials. By focusing on education, health (including the ongoing problem of intergenerational trauma), aging and immigration, SEARAC creates an inclusive environment for all members of the community. Quyen explains the looming threat of the Trump administration's Public Charge proposal, which would penalize immigrants who access programs needed to build family security and reach the American Dream. And she updates us on the latest round of deportations that are returning Vietnamese and Cambodian people to home countries that some have only fragile connections to.    A natural collaborator, Quyen works with an expanding network of organizations in support of a common cause. Her own trajectory in America fuels her belief in, and support, for others following her path. 

Bob Friedman has been at the forefront of building wealth in low-income communities for decades. He founded Corporation for Enterprise Development in 1979, (recently renamed Prosperity Now) to develop, test and implement the strategies needed to move low-income people into the economic mainstream. These now fully vetted strategies are the foundation for Prosperity Now's public policy proposals at the local, state and federal levels. Bob joins Power Station to discuss his new book, A Few Thousand Dollars, which provides a template for building wealth and creating a more equitable America. Bob's hopefulness is unfaltering. He agrees with Sen. Cory Booker, who wrote the book's afterword, that we know how to address the challenge. The question is whether we have the will.