Tenant and Resident Leaders connect during the Tenant Leader Session Ahead of NLIHC’s Housing Policy Forum

NLIHC Collective tenant leader members led three workshops highlighting relevant topics impacting tenants across communities in the United States. Attendees engaged in powerful discussions around the current state of federal housing policy and the importance of community in the current political climate. This year’s Housing Policy Forum also provided a unique opportunity for NLIHC’s state and Tribal partners and tenant leader session attendees to participate in joint programming. This joint programming was conducted in an effort to strengthen relationships across networks at NLIHC, especially as we approach a challenging period for advocacy. Together, both groups had an opportunity to network with one another, learn more about current federal advocacy opportunities, and attend a performance by SongRise, a women’s social justice a cappella group based in DC.  

After separating from the state and Tribal partner network, the tenant leader session formally began with a welcome from NLIHC’s Project Manager for Inclusive Community Engagement, Sid Betancourt and Rebeccah Bennett, the founder and principal of Emerging Wisdom. NLIHC’s 2024-2025 Collective cohort was introduced to the attendees, which included 18 tenant leaders from across the country who have lived experience of housing insecurity and collaborate closely with NLIHC to inform policy priorities to best reflect the needs of low-income renters.  

Following the welcome was the first workshop of the tenant leader session, “Advocating for the Right to Organize.” The workshop was led by Collective member Michelle Thurston. The panel also included other Collective members including Kia Dupclay, Sucely Murillo, April Burns-Norris, and Diana Brown. The discussion covered effective organizing strategies that can be tailored to the type of housing a tenant resides in or their geographic location. The panelists also shared their personal tips for effective housing advocacy. The panel concluded by taking questions from the audience.  

The next workshop, “Housing Accessibility for Undocumented and Mixed-Status Households”, was moderated by Sucely Murillo and included Collective members Tiffany Haynes, Kay Carroll, Adalky F. Capellán, and legal expert, Marie Claire Tran-Leung. The panelists discussed the significant barriers undocumented immigrants face to housing access, highlighting concerns such as language accessibility, domestic violence, and lack of access to public benefits. They highlighted that the Trump Administration’s policies are threatening immigrant communities, causing increased fear and restricting access to subsidized housing. This session wrapped up with questions from the audience and guidance on addressing state and local immigration policies.  

The last workshop, “The Urgency of Interrogating Systems and Navigating Power Dynamics” followed a different format from the previous two panel discussions. This workshop was a grounding activity and a co-developed skit style simulation of a national town hall, where every participant had a chance to share some of their lived experience. The workshop was led by Collective member Dr. B. Malaika Rumala. This workshop also included Tiffany Haynes, Jacob Berry, Tierra Ware, Destiny Brown, Adalky F. Capellán, Suzette Shaw and Diana Brown. Dr. Rumala started off with a presentation where she shared how to reduce exploitation and challenge social systems to ensure marginalized voices are compensated for their work. She highlighted the importance of centering lived experiences in decision-making. Her presentation also included ways to address systemic barriers, including building allyship in communities and analyzing how systems effect housing, justice, education, and health while translating discussions into meaningful, grassroots-led action. After Dr. Rumala’s presentation, the rest of the group shared their lived experiences in creative skit. The audience also had a chance to engage in conversation with all panelists.  

All workshops during this year’s tenant leader session provided a space for dialogue on empowering tenants. Attendees left with a restored sense of hope in this ongoing fight for housing justice. This year’s tenant leader session would not have been possible without the hard work of the 2024-2025 Collective cohort. To learn more about this year’s Collective members, or other tenant engagement activities, please visit our tenant engagement and resources page.