RESULTS advocates for policies that increase access to affordable rental housing, support homeownership, and tackle the racial wealth divide in the U.S.
In 2021, RESULTS advocates won major victories against poverty in the emergency response to the pandemic. Now as the world continues to grapple with COVID and all its fallout, we’re pushing not just for an emergency response, but a structural response.
Michael Santos, U.S. Poverty Senior Policy Associate, shares an excerpt of his remarks at a recent vigil on Capitol Hill for Build Back Better, reflecting on his time as a housing legal aid attorney representing low-income renters in San Francisco eviction court, and how the housing investments in the recovery package would help those who are struggling to access and afford a safe, stable, and secure home.
This fall Senator Sinema has been in the national headlines almost daily as Congress debates the essential recovery package. Her office is getting inundated with calls from lobbyists and activists and journalists from every part of the country. So the first time I met with her staff, I was incredibly nervous, wondering how I was even qualified.
Congress is in the midst of negotiating the size and scope of the recovery package. The historic bill may not include housing investments, which would be devastating for many struggling households who have been impacted by the growing housing affordability, eviction, and homelessness crises. Now is the time to take action, while there is a brief window of opportunity to tell Congress why including housing investments in the recovery package is critical.
The first time I met with a congressional office, I was sitting in my car in the parking lot outside a busy coffee shop and feeling nervous. A few members of my RESULTS group and I were meeting virtually with our senator’s staff, and it was a little overwhelming not knowing what to expect.
Guest Speaker: Zach Tilly, Children’s Defense Fund; Alex Palacios, Global Partnership for Education
May 2021 Webinar Recording
May 2021 National Webinar Slides (PDF version) (PPT version)
May 2021 Captioning Transcript
Drawing on his experience as an attorney helping tenants in San Francisco, RESULTS’ Senior Policy Associate Michael Santos discusses evictions and their impact on American renters, overviews plans to address the affordable housing crisis, and outlines ways to make the case for affordable housing to your members of Congress. View the recording and slides from the webinar.
Guest Speaker: Diane Yentel, National Low-Income Housing Coalition; Keifer Buckingham, Open Society Foundations
April 2021 Webinar Recording
April 2021 National Webinar Slides (PDF version) (PPT version)
April 2021 Captioning Transcript
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