Building on PolicyLink’s Housing Justice on the Ballot webinar series, this guide is for tenant organizers, housing advocates, legal advocates, and anyone interested in bringing housing justice to life by advancing renter protections on the ballot. Whether groups are in the beginning stages of exploring a ballot initiative campaign for their jurisdiction and want to prepare themselves for the journey, or they are inviting partner organizations to join an existing campaign and want them to know what to expect for the path ahead — this guide is meant to support campaigns from policy idea to implementation. Most importantly, this guide is filled with advice and tips from campaign leaders across the country who have successfully led ballot initiative campaigns for housing justice or are currently running one. Their stories are captured in case studies spread throughout the guide, and their wisdom — the foundation on which this guide is based — is an invaluable resource for housing justice campaigns to come.

For decades, our government’s policies excluded many by design. But throughout our nation’s history, we have joined across races and places to solve big problems and build democracy to serve generations to come. 

A critical part of this generation’s work is to build new infrastructure –– accessible transportation, clean energy, climate-resilient cities and towns, broadband access, good jobs –– that serve all of our communities. To guide government leaders at all levels in this undertaking, PolicyLink and partners developed a set of Infrastructure Standards, precipitated by the unprecedented influx of government funds with the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

Most of the funds distributed through the IIJA and IRA will use the established mechanisms for dispersing government funds –– from block grants to formula funding –– which entrenched many inequities over decades. However, still, federal, state, local, and tribal government officials have considerable ability to act in support of equity, and we urge them to adhere to these standards as they administer these funds. 

Together, we can implement new standards for governing so that nothing stands in the way of everyone providing a great life for their families.  

Download the following related brief:  Building for the All! A Guide for Local, State, and Tribal Governments in the Infrastructure Moment