Shortly after Hurricane Katrina, PolicyLink drafted Ten Points to Guide Rebuilding in the Gulf Coast Region, guidelines to help ensure that equity across race and class lines remains at the core of all Gulf Coast rebuilding activities. Later, with support from Living Cities, the Ten Points were published in important media outlets of record—the New Orleans Times-Picayune, The Hill, Roll Call, and the Congress/Daily page of NationalJournal.com—and as an Open Letter urging Congress and the Bush administration use the Ten Points as a guide to equitable Gulf Coast reconstruction.
Through the involvement of the Ford Foundation in Louisiana, Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco’s office learned of the Ten Points and PolicyLink was invited to participate in the state’s recovery efforts. Living Cities provided support for much of the work done by the PolicyLink team, led by founder and CEO Angela Glover Blackwell and associate director Kalima Rose. This initial work included advising and lobbying state officials and policymakers, and reaching out to individuals and organizations at the community level. The work in Louisiana has expanded, involving nearly a dozen PolicyLink staff members, Louisiana-based consultants, intermediaries, funders, grassroots organizations, and others.