Neighbor

How can you get involved as a neighbor?  

Communicate with your elected officials:

Our research shows 1 in 4 households in the Greater Omaha Metro are housing cost-burdened. Your elected officials need to hear from you about the specific situation in your community. Advocate for zoning policies responsive to your community’s needs and more funding for housing initiatives. You can communicate with your elected official – individually – letting them know what action you are requesting from them. Here is a sample template (to locate the email address of your City Councilmember, visit the Omaha City Council website): 

I, a resident of your district, would encourage you to ___________. Affordable housing is important for our city because __________. This is important to me personally because _____________.

Support the work of affordable housing advocates by:

• attending City Council meetings in support of more homes in your community, making room for affordability. Encourage your neighbors to be vocal about the need for affordable housing and funding. Let your support be known to your elected officials. 
• hosting a discussion group within your community, place of faith, neighborhood associations, workplace, etc. 
• inviting someone from our team (or someone from another organization like OneOmaha, Spark, etc.) to present about housing by emailing FrontPorch@OmahaFoundation.org. The more you know, the easier it will be to:
  • identify steps you can take collectively to benefit the community, and 
  • collaborate with other communities to learn how you can help and to maximize the impact of your efforts.  

Improve housing stability in your community by:

... helping to prevent eviction. If you are a lawyer or know someone who is, volunteers are always needed with the Volunteer Tenant Assistance Project (TAP), contact volunteerlawyersproject@nevlp.org for more information.

Watch this interview

... between Jenny Schuetz (author of Fixer Upper) and Catherine Bracy, CEO and Co-Founder of TechEquity: Fixer Upper, a discussion with the author

Ready to take more action?