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April Land & Housing Coalition Action Alerts
We often say, 'Action is the oxygen of organizing.' It keeps us moving, gives us a sense of the life beyond the pressures we're feeling, and leads us toward the horizon we've dreamed of. April is often a month of action in the Coalition, as we transition from listening to one another, our neighbors, and our land in the autumn, unveiling pressures and patterns tying those stories together in the winter, and then see what is possible to change in the spring.
This April, our lungs are full! We're inspired (literally!) to move together. Where's that oxygen coming from? Well, here are some of the issue cuts moving our collective body into action this month:
- House Bill 3482 is a piece of legislation we co-wrote with Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon after learning this year how many of our partner faith communities cannot afford to pay for pre-development costs and community engagement related to building affordable housing on our land. If this bill passes the Ways and Means Committee in May, after months of organizing our elected officials, over $10 million dollars in government grants will become available for us to plan, build, and organize across the state! Sign up to support this bill during our Advocacy Day in Salem on May 10!
- The Portland Association of Teachers are organizing with us during their 2023 collective bargaining season to have the District fund a School Community Representative at each school to actively work to remove barriers to enrollment, healthcare intervention, provide support and resources for families to access housing (read more here), as we've been hearing stories from families and students about the impact of unstable housing on their learning. If you have a story of how lack of housing has impacted learning for a student in your community, email Jules to learn how you can help!
- Many of us turned out in the pouring rain to support La Casa Comun's organizing at El Rancho Mobile Home Park in Cully to put pressure on their landlord to reverse the unfair and dangerous lack of services and evictions being forced on residents there, and to seek help from Commissioner Susheela Jayapal. This work continues!
- And our organizers in Clackamas County continue to press in on the County Commission regarding their decision not to accept $8 million in funding for motel conversions through Project Turnkey. Thank you to everyone who is fighting for housing in Clackamas!
If you want to learn more about issue cuts and action in Sacred Organizing, watch the 'Defining Issue Cuts and Moving Toward Action' teaching excerpt here from our gathering April 13th, visit the slides here, or view the Issue Cuts Worksheet we created for your own actions! Click HERE to view the entire April Land and Housing Coalition Cohort Gathering. Since action is oxygen, we hope you breathe with us this season!
In solidarity,
Your Leaven Community Land & Housing Coalition staff,
Jules, Jake, Sarah, Anna, & Alyssa
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