A note from our Chief Executive Officer, Tony Bernal: The road ahead will be harder but we can still make progress. A lesson from Florynce Kennedy, the lawyer and activist, who taught us "Don’t agonize, organize." Let’s go to work.
I’m going to say a few words about the election and its impact on our work, and then I will offer a lesson. Tuesday’s election results have profound implications for the work of housing justice. The agenda that prevailed at the federal level threatens to cut housing budgets, criminalize homelessness, and target the people that we serve. In the coming months, everything will be harder. There will be less help from the federal government for the people who need it the most. You likely already knew this. The lesson that I offer you comes from Florynce Kennedy, the lawyer and activist, who taught: Don’t agonize, organize. The road ahead will be harder but we can still make progress. There are groups in your community today advancing housing justice. Make a donation to them and volunteer. My favorite is my own Transition Projects, but there are so many good choices. Don’t agonize, organize. Sign up for emails and advocacy alerts from the National Low Income Housing Coalition. They will tell you when to call your elected officials to support legislation. Sign up for the advocacy alerts and emails from the National Alliance to End Homelessness too. Don’t agonize, organize. Support candidates for office who support a housing agenda. Despite the grim news with the federal elections, we made some good progress locally in the Portland metro region with new elected officials who support housing as a solution. We do not have the luxury of despair. Let’s go to work.