U.S. Poverty Weekly Update April 9, 2019

Quote of the Week

“Access to affordable housing is a serious and growing problem nationally and in the state.”

–  RESULTS Tri-Cities, WA volunteer Stan Moon an April 7 letter to the editor in the Tri-City Herald

Got Two Minutes? Be Affordable Housing Advocate during the April Recess (April Action)

Safe, stable housing is critical to every American and programs that help people find a home are essential. RESULTS Kentucky volunteer Maureen Bowling’s story on the RESULTS Blog is an important reminder that members of Congress must not be content with preserving programs as is – we need to expand access to housing assistance so that the millions of families struggling to put a roof over their head can get help doing so. Congressional leaders are right now negotiating spending cap levels and which programs should get priority. Meet with them during the recess so you can tell them directly to prioritize funding for housing assistance programs.

TAKE ACTION: Take two minutes to contact your House and Senate schedulers this week about meetings during the April recess. Request meetings with all the offices you have not met with recently, or the offices you have yet to get a face-to-face meeting (sample requests: online or Word doc). If you have requests in, follow up on them this week to see if you can get time with them during the recess. The March and April U.S. Poverty Actions and our lobbying page have resources to help you. If you need help with your requests, please contact Jos Linn ASAP. Once you get a meeting, please contact Meredith Dodson for lobby coaching.

Got Ten Minutes? Thank Aides on Housing Letters and Invite them to Housing Briefing

Thank you to everyone who reached out to housing aides to get signers for the House and Senate “Dear Colleague” letters asking appropriators for more funding for housing assistance. All told, we got 118 House signers and 39 Senate signers. If your representative or senator signed onto a letter, send a message to the housing aide thanking the members for joining the letters. And while you have the aide’s attention, invite them to a Washington, DC briefing this week on new polling data showing strong support for bold action on affordable housing. The briefing, sponsored by Opportunity Starts at Home, is this Thursday, April 11 at 1:00 pm ET at the Capitol Visitors Center.

TAKE ACTION: Take ten minutes to contact House and Senate aides thanking their bosses for joining the housing “Dear Colleague” letters (if they did not sign on, remind them of our housing request) and to invite them to the Opportunity Starts at Home briefing on Thursday afternoon. Use the sample messages below to help you (please personalize them for the recipient):

For members who joined the housing letters: Please thank Sen./Rep. ____________ for joining Rep. Nadler’s/ Sen. Merkley’s letter calling for more funding for housing assistance. I urge him/her to continue to speak to leadership and appropriators about raising the budget caps and allocating a $5 billion increase for the Housing Choice Voucher program in any new budget deal. Action on housing has broad public support. In fact, Opportunity Starts at Home is hosting a briefing on April 11 on new polling data showing that people are ready for bold action on America’s housing crisis. You can RSVP for this free event here. Would you or someone from your office be able to attend?

For members who did not join the housing letters: I am writing to once again urge Sen./Rep. ____________ to speak to leadership and appropriators about raising the budget caps and allocating a $5 billion increase for the Housing Choice Voucher program in any new budget deal. Action on housing has broad public support. In fact, Opportunity Starts at Home is hosting a briefing on April 11 on new polling data showing that people are ready for bold action on America’s housing crisis. You can RSVP for this free event here. Would you or someone from your office be able to attend?

Got Twenty Minutes? Check In on your 2019 Goals

We are fast approaching the end of our Set the Agenda campaign (end of April). This coincides with the end of first round of group planning for the year. Back in January, we asked you to set goals for the first four months of the year. With only three weeks left in that planning period, this is great time to check in your progress. Since most of you set goals for lobby meetings, this month is the perfect – and last – opportunity for you to meet with them before our Set the Agenda campaign ends. Here again are the campaign goals:

• Meet with each congressional office you or your group covers
• Have at least one of those meetings be a face-to-face meeting with your senator or representative
• Invite at least one new person to attend a meeting with you

How close are you to meeting this goal? If there is an office you have not met with, or an office with whom you’ve not requested a face-to-face meeting, now is the time to do it. What other goals did you set and have yet to achieve? You still have three weeks left. Let’s make the most of them.

TAKE ACTION: Take twenty minutes to review your 2019 group plans to see how you are doing with your goals. If your group has not met this month, include a goal review in your agenda. If you have already met, get a conversation started online or via conference call to talk about any outstanding goals you need to complete by the end of the month. Your incomplete Set the Agenda lobby meetings should be at the top of the list. If you need a copy of your group plan or help with meeting your goals, please contact Jos Linn. Stay tuned for details on our next round of planning!

Quick News

SNAP Rule Comment Period Extended. If you have not submitted your public comment opposing their proposal to take SNAP benefits from 755,000 childless adults, please submit your comment today. The comment period has been extended through April 10.

The RESULTS Conference Starts in Three Months! The 2019 RESULTS International Conference starts three months from this Saturday. Check out the emerging schedule and this brief video and see why you’ll want to be there. Register now while the Early Bird rates are still in effect (Early Bird ends on May 15). You can also find additional resources to help with expenses on the 2019 IC Resources page.

Join Call In, Call Out Training Next Week. What should you do when you hear racist language? How should you respond to sexism? How can you be a good ally to traditionally marginalized groups? Join RESULTS’ Carly Pildis for a new “Call In, Call Out” training on how to respond to oppressive behavior in a way that strengthens our community. This interactive webinar is Tuesday, April 16 at 8:30pm ET. To join, login at: https://results.zoom.us/j/934667610 or dial either (929) 436-2866 or (669) 900-6833, Meeting ID: 934 667 610.

Freedom and REAL Change. Watch REAL Change Fellow Freedom Richardson share why he loves RESULTS. Applications for the 2019-20 REAL Change Class are now being accepted.

Bob Dickerson Award Nominations.  Bob Dickerson of RESULTS Seattle was an inspiring grassroots volunteer leader – tireless in his advocacy, encouragement, and support of our work. To honor his legacy, RESULTS has created an award recognizing grassroots leaders who are following in his footsteps. Nominate a fellow advocate for this year’s Bob Dickerson Award. The deadline to nominate is June 22.

Upcoming Events

RESULTS New Advocate Orientation, Tuesday, April 9 (12:00 pm ET); Wednesday, April 17 (8:30pm ET). Get started at: https://results.salsalabs.org/volunteer/index.html.

Monday, April 15-Friday, April 26: Congressional Recess. Submit your meeting requests today.

Tuesday, April 16, U.S. Poverty Free Agents Calls, 1:00 pm and 8:00 pm ET. Join at: https://results.zoom.us/j/324294681 or dial by phone at (929) 436-2866 or (669) 900-6833, Meeting ID: 324 294 681.

Tuesday, April 16, Call In, Call Out Training, 8:30 pm ET. To join, login at: https://results.zoom.us/j/934667610 or dial either (929) 436-2866 or (669) 900-6833, Meeting ID: 934 667 610.

Thursday, April 18: Quiet Leadership Book Club, 9:00 pm ET. To join, go to https://results.zoom.us/j/482992263. You can also join by phone at (929) 436-2866 or (669) 900-6833, meeting ID 482 992 263.

Tuesday, May 7: RESULTS U.S. Poverty National Webinar, 8:00 pm ET. Join at: https://results.zoom.us/j/873308801 or dial (929) 436-2866 or (669) 900-6833, Meeting ID: 873 308 801. Find recordings and slides from previous webinars on the National Webinars page.

Tuesday, June 4: RESULTS National Webinar with Hahrie Han, 8:00 pm ET. Join at: https://results.zoom.us/j/873308801 or dial (929) 436-2866 or (669) 900-6833, Meeting ID: 873 308 801. Find recordings and slides from previous webinars on the National Webinars page.

Saturday, July 13-Tuesday, July 16, 2019: RESULTS International Conference. Register today at www.resultsconference.org!

Find other events on the RESULTS Events Calendar.

U.S. Poverty Staff time out of the office: Meredith Dodson, April 15, 18, and 19.

Other Resources

Learn more about the RESULTS Experts on Poverty.

Do you have a new person in your RESULTS group or info to update? Use our Volunteer Information Form to add them.

Report lobby meetings in our Lobby Report Form and report any published media in our Grassroots Media Form.

If you have a question, comment, or suggestion for the RESULTS/REF Board, please e-mail Steven McGee at [email protected]. View Board minutes and Annual Reports.

RESULTS Staff directory.