Momentum is Building: The WNN North East Regional Gathering
Last week, Executive Director Kristina Brown and board members Claudia Wack and Greg Miller all hit the road for the Northeast gathering of the Welcoming Neighbors Network (“WNN”), an annual convening of pro-homes advocates from around the region. Setting out for Boston, our team was joined by East Providence community advocate, Mélodie Pimentel, who volunteers with (East Providence in Community ("EPiC")) to organize around sustainability and equity issues (including the town’s need for more housing).
“Our first convening took place around a single seminar table,” said Claudia. “This year, we had the opportunity to compare notes with nineteen other organizations representing every state between Virginia and Maine, plus Washington, D.C.”
The gathering was energized by policy wins across the country.Representatives of the advocacy group HOME in Virginia touted the recent passage of their “Yes in God’s Backyard” legislation, which closely resembles a bill that Neighbors Welcome has backed in Rhode Island this year. “Our Faith-based Affordable Housing bill (H7445/S2268) is moving through the RI Legislature and we hope to get it over the finish line in the coming weeks,” says Kristina.
The updates and roundtable discussions that followed highlighted that lasting housing reform depends more on successful storytelling, people power, and coalition building than on the passage of any individual legislation.
“My biggest takeaway was the absolute necessity of building diverse, intersectional coalitions,” says Mélodie. “Regardless of which political party controls a state, there is pushback coming from NIMBY groups and a deep-seated ‘local control’ culture that resists change. That’s why the most successful groups aren't just policy shops. In fact, they are building active, grassroots support on the ground to counter that pressure.”
Photos provided by Mélodie Pimentel
“I was inspired by Open New York's approach to organizing; how they create different opportunities for engagement during different times of the year,” says Kristina. “I’ll be taking back strategies and tools to create a stable and sustainable framework for building Neighbors Welcome's impact in Rhode Island.”
Some of the organizations in attendance focus exclusively on municipal advocacy, a mission that has its own benefits and challenges. One such local, all-volunteer group was the Urbanist Coalition of Portland. “Uplifting the voices of residents directly impacted by the housing crisis is just as vital as statewide lobbying,” says Mélodie. “Hearing about similar political and policy challenges in both Portland and my hometown of East Providence made me feel much less isolated and lonely in my work.”
Similarly, Kristina got the chance to brainstorm with a dedicated cohort of peer Executive Directors from across the region. “As a new Executive Director, WNN’s Executive Network is an invaluable resource for sharing strategies and lessons learned.”
Not every story shared at the gathering was a tale of success: attendees also described encountering and picking themselves back up in the wake setbacks.
Yet, undeniably, the movement to build more homes in response to need continues to garner momentum. “Sharing progress and challenges strengthens our commitment to this work and increases our chances of success,” says Kristina. “The pro-homes movement is built on a network of passionate problem-solvers working towards a future where abundant housing benefits everyone.”
