Enrollee spotlight

Habitat for Humanity Clallam County 

Habitat Clallam County in Washington state purchased 10 acres within the city of Sequim over the last year. The affiliate recognized that zoning changes would be needed to make the best use of the land. So, it sought assistance from Habitat for Humanity International’s Government Relations and Advocacy team and leveraged the Cost of Home campaign’s talking points focused on optimizing land use for affordable homes. Habitat Clallam County representatives attended city council and city planning commission meetings regularly where they provided three-minute public comments advocating for the city to increase density, i.e., multifamily zoning. 

In October, Sequim city council members unanimously voted to allow multifamily zoning within the city limits that was previously for single family detached homes. With this zoning change, Habitat Clallam County will see more development than it has seen in the last 30 years and anticipates the affiliate can now build 80 workforce affordable homes, fourplex townhome units, and a few duplexes on the land it purchased in Sequim. Habitat Clallam County is celebrating this policy win, which will help the affiliate serve its service area and will further improve community development and infrastructure. 

To learn more about public policies to optimize land use for affordable homes, visit the State and Local Policy Library.

Take action

Post-elections analysis - let's begin building relationships

Though Election Day is behind us, it is even more critical now that we begin to strategize how we can leverage the results as leaders in the affordable housing sector to help those in our communities. Families across the United States depend on policymakers to address the nation’s urgent and long-term housing needs. Therefore, HFHI has provided a preliminary overview of currently known election results at all levels to gauge what these results mean for home affordability and Habitat’s policy priorities, while also celebrating successful work on ballot initiatives.

Further, you can start cultivating relationships with your elected officials at all levels of government through our congratulatory letter templates that can be a stepping stone to building a strong relationship.   

Highlights

You’re invited to National Housing Conference’s Solutions for Affordable Housing 2022  

On Dec. 6, join NHC virtually for the Solutions for Affordable Housing 2022 conference to explore policy solutions to address the nation’s most pressing housing challenges. As sponsors of the conference, the Cost of Home campaign is pleased to extend free virtual registration to Habitat network staff on a first-come, first-served basis. Use code “HABITATVIRTUAL” at checkout to attend!  

This hybrid convening brings together a diverse group of housing professionals, developers, lenders, policymakers, researchers, and advocates — including Tony Gibbons, U.S. Council Advocacy Committee Chair, as a workshop panelist — for a full day of engaging content that will inspire you to think of new ways to advance your affiliate’s mission. This year’s sessions will include a discussion of the housing investments in the Inflation Reduction Act, creative solutions to addressing the housing supply deficit, housing finance strategies, special purpose credit programs, and what’s on the policy docket for 2023.  

Missed it? Here’s a playback of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Fireside Chat with Jonathan Reckford.  

On Nov. 3, HFHI CEO Jonathan Reckford participated in a conversation with the Bipartisan Policy Center in which he discussed Habitat’s role in addressing the housing affordability crisis, advocating for the network’s policy priorities and overcoming political polarization to serve and build together. Specifically, he touched on Cost of Home’s Policy Platform that spans all levels of government, barriers for communities of opportunity, mixed-income and mixed-use neighborhood development, and the organization’s global reach and impact.   

Registration for Habitat on the Hill 2023 is open!               
We look forward to welcoming home affordability advocates to Washington, D.C., for the in-person return of our annual legislative conference on Feb. 7-9, 2023. Save $100 by registering before the early bird discount ends on Dec. 9. Habitat on the Hill 2023 will provide space for networking and knowledge sharing in addition to directly connecting with your congressional offices on Capitol Hill. We are also excited to welcome Charlie Cook, renowned political analyst and founder of the Cook Political Report, as keynote speaker of this year’s conference.  

Be sure to explore the conference registration portal to become familiar with the conference agenda, scholarships and other exciting updates. We look forward to seeing you there!   

Featured resources

Available now: Property tax toolkit 

While property taxes play a critical role in shaping communities, low-income homeowners frequently pay a greater share in property taxes in relation to their home’s value — and property taxes especially impact older adults and people of color. HFHI has produced a new policy and advocacy toolkit focused on property taxes. Property tax relief programs such as circuit-breakers and homestead exemptions have been proven to lighten the burden of rising property taxes on qualified taxpayers. This toolkit provides solutions and advocacy examples and resources that the network can use to strengthen such programs. 

Learn from your peers: The Fiscal Year 2022 State and Local Advocacy Impact Review is out     

Thanks to the network's reporting on state and local advocacy efforts through the quarterly Affiliate Statistical Report, we’re excited to announce that in fiscal year 2022, 1,752,523 people were impacted with improved home affordability across the U.S. through policy and systems change at the local and state level. Additionally, almost $3.3 billion in government funding was accessed or allocated for affordable housing through that policy change. Learn more in the Fiscal Year 2022 State and Local Advocacy Impact Review which includes descriptions of successful policy outcomes achieved by affiliates and affiliate support organizations.   

Learning opportunities

Take part in the learning: Cost of Home’s Policy and Advocacy Learning Series 

Make sure to register for the final two sessions in our 2022 Policy and Advocacy Learning Series, which highlights the current advocacy work of affiliates across the country and fosters collaboration within the network through an interactive format. 

• Understanding the impact of the 2022 elections on Nov. 16 from 2-3 p.m. EST: Affordable housing has been a top concern in many jurisdictions across the country. Following the 2022 midterm elections, this session will give an overview of the election outcomes and provide an initial analysis of what these results mean for housing policy at the federal, state, and local levels. It will also allow time for you to begin planning how to engage with newly elected officials at all levels of government. 

• Advocating for Property Tax Relief on Dec. 14 from 2-3 p.m. EST: The goal of this session is to highlight new policy tools available to the affiliated network to support advocacy efforts to enact or improve property tax relief for lower-income homeowners. It will also feature learnings from a selection of recipients of Cost of Home grants to support property tax relief advocacy. 

You asked? We answered. 

Q: How do I better maximize my organization’s capacity to mobilize and impact home affordability through the Cost of Home campaign? 

A: You can build your own Cost of Home Plan through our resource page. From setting your policy agenda, building your team and designing your strategy, there are webinars and worksheets to help you create the best local advocacy plan for your organization. We hope these tools will be useful in seeing successes in your local Cost of Home campaign! 

Questions or comments regarding this update?
Please contact Anne Myers, senior director, advocacy campaigns, at amyers@habitat.org or
202-239-4422.