A preservation campaign is complex. Very few organizations have all of the capacity required to carry out the organizing, legal, and other components. Building a preservation coalition will bring the needed skills and connections together.
Resident Leaders and Associations Leaders within the buildings will do outreach to tenants, and conduct tenant informational meetings. They can form an organizing committee, as well as an official HUD resident council. HUD Resident Capacity Grants are available only to tenant groups. These groups will be central to the organizing needed for a successful coalition. The National Alliance of HUD Tenants provides peer support for groups organizing tenants.
Legal Services Legal professionals will play key roles in both consultations and research, and as a litigation team if one is necessary. Look for opportunities to leverage pro bono legal support.
Nonprofit Housing Agencies
These organizations could purchase units that might be preserved through sale. They can also provide expertise on the financial and rehab aspects of affordable housing development.
National Resource and Advocacy Organizations Groups with a national reach, like the National Housing Trust, National Housing Law Project, or National Low Income Housing Coalition, can carry out advocacy at national HUD offices. They have a wide store of information, research capacity, specialized legal resources, and existing relationships to draw on.
Local Stakeholders These can include community groups, congregations, and service agencies. They can provide pressure locally to move preservation forward.
Government Housing Agencies Government agencies can provide both funding and information to a preservation campaign.
Elected Representatives
Elected officials at federal, state, and local levels can enact policy that supports preservation, and therefore may be a target of tenant organizing. Congressional representatives can be particularly useful because the programs in question are federal programs.
