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| Council of Community Housing Organizations | |
|---|---|
| Name | Council of Community Housing Organizations |
| Formation | 1970s |
| Type | Nonprofit coalition |
| Headquarters | Seattle, Washington |
| Region served | United States |
| Leader title | Executive Director |
Council of Community Housing Organizations
The Council of Community Housing Organizations is a nonprofit coalition formed in the 1970s to coordinate public housing advocacy, tenant organizing, and development of affordable housing across the United States. It has engaged with municipal agencies such as the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, collaborated with national nonprofits like Habitat for Humanity International and Enterprise Community Partners, and influenced housing policy debates in legislatures from the United States Congress to state capitols such as the Washington State Legislature. Its network includes tenant associations, community development corporations, and legal aid groups active in cities like Seattle, New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Atlanta.
Founded amid urban activism of the 1970s, the Council emerged alongside movements represented by organizations such as the National Low Income Housing Coalition, Coalition for the Homeless (New York), and Shelter Partnership. Early campaigns referenced landmark events and laws including the Urban Renewal (United States), litigation strategies similar to those in Brown v. Board of Education (1954), and neighborhood mobilizations comparable to protests around the Attica Prison riot. During the 1980s it responded to policy shifts initiated under administrations like Ronald Reagan by coordinating with groups such as the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, National Coalition for the Homeless, and legal organizations modeled on the American Civil Liberties Union. In the 1990s and 2000s the Council expanded programs influenced by research institutions like the Urban Institute, partnerships with funders such as the Ford Foundation and MacArthur Foundation, and engagement with municipal initiatives in San Francisco and Boston. Post-2010, it addressed crises highlighted by reports from the Congressional Budget Office and rulings in courts including the Supreme Court of the United States.
The Council’s stated mission aligns with principles advanced by advocates linked to Martin Luther King Jr.’s poverty initiatives, the housing rights frameworks promoted by activists like Cesar Chavez, and policy platforms advocated by entities such as the National Alliance to End Homelessness. Objectives include increasing affordable housing production similar to models used by Mercy Housing, protecting tenants in the tradition of litigation by the Legal Services Corporation, and promoting inclusionary zoning policies influenced by cases in cities like Portland, Oregon and Minneapolis. The organization frames goals in relation to federal statutes such as the Fair Housing Act and engages with oversight by agencies like the Office of Management and Budget.
Programs mirror initiatives offered by peer organizations including Catholic Charities USA, Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, and NeighborWorks America. Services include tenant counseling reminiscent of services by Legal Aid Society (New York); community land trust development paralleling Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative; homelessness prevention similar to Pathways to Housing; and technical assistance comparable to Enterprise Community Partners and Local Initiatives Support Corporation. Training programs reference curricula used by National Housing Conference and research partnerships with universities such as Harvard University, University of Chicago, and University of California, Berkeley.
The Council is structured as a coalition board resembling governance models from National Low Income Housing Coalition and Public Advocates (San Francisco), with an executive director, regional coordinators, and committees that echo structures in United Way chapters and YWCA USA. Member composition includes representatives from community development corporations like Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now affiliates, tenant unions analogous to those in New York City Housing Authority, and legal nonprofits modeled on the Public Defender Service (Washington, D.C.).
Funding sources reflect combinations used by organizations such as Ford Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, Kresge Foundation, federal grant programs administered by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and philanthropic partnerships with entities like The Rockefeller Foundation. The Council has partnered with municipal governments in Seattle and San Francisco, collaborated with state housing finance agencies such as the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development, and worked with national coalitions including National Alliance to End Homelessness and National Low Income Housing Coalition. It has also engaged corporate partners and financial intermediaries like Wells Fargo and Bank of America in affordable housing finance initiatives.
Advocacy tactics draw from campaigns similar to those by ACLU, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and Southern Poverty Law Center. The Council has submitted policy recommendations to bodies like the United States Congress, state legislatures including the California State Legislature, and municipal councils in cities such as Los Angeles and Chicago. It has participated in coalitions influencing legislation comparable to the Affordable Care Act’s coalition-building processes, filed amicus briefs in litigation alongside organizations like National Housing Law Project, and engaged with regulatory rulemaking at agencies such as Department of Justice and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Impact includes facilitation of affordable housing projects echoing models from Habitat for Humanity International, influence on tenant protections similar to reforms in New York City, and contributions to scholarship with partners like the Brookings Institution and Urban Institute. Critics, citing perspectives akin to those from Cato Institute and business groups such as the National Association of Realtors, argue that coalition approaches can slow market-driven development and complicate public-private partnerships modeled by Public-Private Partnership projects. Debates over effectiveness have involved commentators from outlets like the New York Times, policy analysts at RAND Corporation, and local officials in cities such as Phoenix and Houston.
Category:Non-profit organizations based in Washington (state)