U.S. Poverty Weekly Update July 9, 2019
Quote of the Week
“We must address the affordable housing crisis now. Too many families can’t afford to wait.”
–RESULTS St. Louis volunteer Cindy Changyit Levin in a June 27 letter to the editor in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Got Two Minutes? Collect Your Housing Letters for DC (June Action)
Thank you to everyone who has gotten housing letters to deliver in upcoming lobby meetings. Your first big opportunity to deliver them is July 16, Advocacy Day at the RESULTS International Conference. These letters make an impact on members of Congress and their staff; they show community support for our issues and give your local RESULTS group organizing credibility. If you are coming to DC, now is the time to collect your letters. If you aren’t coming but you know someone from your state who is, now is the time to get your letters to them. And there’s still time get more. If you know someone who’s willing to write letters at the last minute, use the June Action to reach out; also send them our Outreach Action Sheet on what to write.
TAKE ACTION: Take two minutes to contact all the people who have yet to give you letters to deliver on Advocacy Day at the RESULTS Conference. Coordinate how you will collect them (pick up, mail, e-mail, fax, etc.) and be sure to have them ready to go before you leave for Washington, DC. If you are not coming to DC, work to get more letters to deliver to members of Congress during the August recess. If you need help, please contact Jos Linn.
Got Ten Minutes? Confirm Your Plans for DC
It’s finally here! The RESULTS International Conference begins this weekend. We are so excited to see many of you in a few days. To those of you who cannot come, we thank you for all your support in helping your fellow volunteers get ready for their time in Washington, DC. As RESULTS Executive Director Joanne Carter said on last week’s National Webinar, the foundation for any success at the Conference is laid through your work in your local communities. So, if you cannot come (and cannot splurge on a last-minute registration), we look forward to seeing you next year (also, look for an action alert next Tuesday so you can participate in Advocacy Day at home!).
For those who are coming, let’s get ready. Go though the list below of a few important things to do this week to make sure you have a powerful experience in DC.
TAKE ACTION: Take ten minutes to ensure a great you have a great time at the RESULTS International Conference by reviewing the list below and take action on anything yet to be done:
- Confirm your lobby meetings. Follow up on outstanding requests for lobby meetings on Advocacy Day (July 16) or make requests for any meetings you have yet to make. Please don’t wait until you get to DC to secure your meetings, if possible. And please remember to log all your upcoming meetings at tinyurl.com/LobbyMeetings.
- Gather your documents for Advocacy Day. Collect and pack all the local materials you plan to take to your lobby meetings (letters to deliver, media you’ve gotten published, etc.). The worst feeling is putting in all the work to create these things and then forgetting to bring them. Note: RESULTS will provide lobby materials (leave behinds, state fact sheets) at the Conference.
- Read the Policy Briefs. RESULTS staff persons have created policy briefs and backgrounders on our issues that will help you during sessions at the Conference and on Advocacy Day. Please read them before you come to Washington, especially the briefs. You can find these resources on the 2019 Conference Resources page the “Policy Info” section. Note: if you want copies in DC, please bring them with you.
- Listen to last week’s National Webinar. To get a good overview of what’s new with the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit, please listen to last week’s U.S. Poverty National Webinar with Ellen Nissenbaum. We will discuss the EITC and CTC at the Conference and they will be one of our campaign priorities for the rest of the year.
- Read the Conference Agenda. Review all the great sessions at this year’s Conference in our Conference Agenda. Choose sessions you find most helpful to you and your local RESULTS group. If more than one person from your group is attending the Conference, perhaps split up sessions to cover as many as possible.
For a complete list of resources to help you get ready for the Conference, including our formal Conference Checklist, visit the Conference Resources page. If you have specific questions about getting ready for the Conference, please contact Jos Linn.
Got Sixty Minutes? Join Tonight’s Responding to Oppression Training (9pm ET)
As an organization committed to undoing oppression in the world, RESULTS provides training and resources to staff and volunteers on how best to recognize, acknowledge, and correct oppressive behaviors. We are providing one of those trainings tonight. Join us to review why anti-oppression work matters in our advocacy work and discuss methods of responding to oppressive behavior using the RESULTS Call-in/Call-out Guide. With hundreds of advocates from diverse backgrounds and cultures coming together at the RESULTS Conference, as well as new people joining RESULTS groups throughout the year, this training is a great opportunity to help you recognize and address the blind spots we all have when it comes to interacting with other people. Our goal is to have every volunteer participate in this training before the end of the year. Please join us.
TAKE ACTION: Take sixty minutes to join our Responding to Oppression webinar tonight, July 9 at 9:00pm ET. The webinar will be facilitated by Carly Pildis, RESULTS Senior Associate, Advocacy & Organizing. Join at https://results.zoom.us/j/837139277 or dial either (929) 436-2866 US or (669) 900-6833 US, Meeting ID: 837 139 277#. If you can, please review our Call-in/Call-out Guide beforehand.
Quick News
Follow the Conference Online. Be sure to follow RESULTS on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, where we’ll be sharing video, photos, speaker quotes from the Conference (this is where you’ll see/hear video that is available rather than any sort of livestream channel). Additionally, the #Voices4RESULTS Twitter hashtag will be a great place to follow the action. If you are attending the Conference, be sure to download the Conference app, hosted by Attendify (once you download the app, search “RESULTS Conference”).
Last Day to Submit Comment on HUD housing rule. The deadline to submit comments opposing the Trump Administration’s new HUD housing rule on “mixed status” immigrant families is TODAY. Please submit your comment opposing the rule before the deadline expires.
Vote for Grassroots Board Member. Go to the RESULTS Blog to learn more about the Grassroots Board, the current candidates, and how to vote. The deadline to vote is Sunday, July 28.
No Update Next Week. Because of the RESULTS Conference, there will be no U.S. Poverty Weekly Update next week. However, look for an action alert from RESULTS so you can participate in Advocacy Day from home.
Upcoming Events
Tuesday, July 9: RESULTS Anti-Oppression Training, 9:00 pm ET. Join at https://results.zoom.us/j/837139277 or dial either (929) 436-2866 US or (669) 900-6833 US, Meeting ID: 837 139 277#.
Saturday, July 13-Tuesday, July 16, 2019: RESULTS International Conference. You can still register today at www.resultsconference.org.
Tuesday, July 23, 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.
August Congressional Recess. House: July 29-September 6; Senate: August 5-September 6. Submit your meeting requests today.
Saturday, August 10: RESULTS Joint U.S./Global Poverty National Webinar, 2:00 pm ET. Join at: https://www.fuzemeeting.com/fuze/f2988286/30204806 or dial (201) 479-4595, meeting ID 30204806.
Find other events on the RESULTS Events Calendar.
U.S. Poverty Staff time out of the office: Meredith Dodson, August 2-18. Jos Linn, July 20-28, August 26-September 2.
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 your Grassroots Successes:
- When is your next lobby meeting?
- What happened at your last lobby meeting?
- What media have you gotten published?
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.