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| Right 2 Survive | |
|---|---|
| Name | Right 2 Survive |
| Founded | 2010s |
| Headquarters | Chicago, Illinois |
| Focus | Urban heat resilience, public health, housing rights |
| Area served | United States |
Right 2 Survive
Right 2 Survive is a grassroots advocacy coalition focusing on heat-related public health and housing justice in urban areas. Founded in the 2010s, it brings together community organizers, tenants, labor advocates, public health professionals, and environmental justice activists to address extreme heat, tenant protections, and emergency response policies. The coalition has engaged with local and national institutions, producing campaigns that intersect with climate justice, human rights, and municipal policy reform.
Right 2 Survive emerged from coalitions of tenant unions, public health networks, and climate justice groups in the aftermath of heatwave crises. Early organizers drew on experiences from incidents like the 1995 Chicago heat wave, the 2003 European heat wave, and the 2010 Russian heat wave, collaborating with activists linked to National Nurses United, ACLU, Service Employees International Union, Amalgamated Transit Union, and local chapters of Black Lives Matter and Sunrise Movement. Founders referenced case studies from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention heat guidance, municipal responses in New York City, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and policy models influenced by World Health Organization heat action plans. The coalition built ties with civil society organizations such as Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, Greenpeace USA, and housing groups including Tenants Union chapters and Metropolitan Tenants Organization affiliates.
The stated mission centers on preventing heat-related morbidity and mortality among marginalized residents, advocating for cooling infrastructure, enforcement of housing codes, and equitable emergency services. Activities include tenant outreach with partners like National Low Income Housing Coalition, public education campaigns alongside American Public Health Association, and research collaborations with universities such as University of Chicago, Columbia University, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Right 2 Survive coordinates heat relief distribution with community health centers, shelters associated with The Salvation Army and Red Cross, and municipal agencies like Chicago Department of Public Health and New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. The group also engages with labor organizations including UNITE HERE and International Brotherhood of Teamsters to protect outdoor workers during heatwaves.
Right 2 Survive pursues legislative and regulatory change at municipal and state levels, filing complaints and participating in rulemaking processes with entities such as U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and state public utility commissions. Legal strategies have involved collaboration with law firms and legal clinics linked to ACLU Foundation, Earthjustice, Public Justice, and university-affiliated legal aid programs at University of California, Berkeley School of Law and Yale Law School. The coalition has lobbied city councils in Chicago City Council, New York City Council, and Los Angeles City Council for ordinances modeled on protective measures from Montreal, Madrid, and Melbourne heat action frameworks. They have referenced case law and statutes including the Fair Housing Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, and state tenant protection statutes.
High-profile campaigns included mobilizations during record heatwaves, coordinated cooling center operations during events mirroring responses to the 2021 Western North America heat wave and the 2018 North American heat wave. The group organized demonstrations and sit-ins aligned with actions in the tradition of Occupy Wall Street, March on Washington (1963), and labor protests like the Lowell Mill Girls strikes, targeting landlords tied to large property management firms and public utilities such as ComEd and Con Edison. Campaigns employed strategic alliances with media outlets such as The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, NPR, and advocacy coverage by Democracy Now! to amplify calls for cooling equity, emergency power restoration, and enforcement of heat-safety codes.
Supporters, including public health experts at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention affiliates and scholars at institutions like Princeton University and University of California, Los Angeles, have praised the coalition for highlighting climate-vulnerable populations and influencing municipal policy. Critics from some landlord associations and utility lobbyists, including contingents associated with National Multifamily Housing Council and trade groups interacting with American Legislative Exchange Council, have challenged regulatory proposals as burdensome. Media commentary from outlets such as Fox News, MSNBC, and The Atlantic has debated the coalition’s tactics and policy prescriptions, while policymakers at city halls in Chicago, New York City, and Los Angeles have alternately embraced and resisted the recommendations.
Right 2 Survive operates as a decentralized network with local chapters coordinating through a steering committee and partner coalitions. Funding sources reported in public filings and grant announcements have included foundations and philanthropic institutions such as Ford Foundation, Open Society Foundations, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Kresge Foundation, and smaller community foundations. The coalition has received in-kind support from unions like AFL–CIO affiliates and pro bono legal assistance from nonprofit law firms and university clinics. Volunteer mobilization often involves partnerships with student groups at University of Illinois Chicago, Northwestern University, and DePaul University.
Right 2 Survive has influenced municipal ordinances on emergency cooling centers, tenant heat protections, and utility outage responses, cited by city agencies and academic studies from MIT and Stanford University examining urban heat equity. Its legacy includes increased public awareness of heat vulnerability, stronger collaboration among tenant, health, and labor movements, and policy models adapted by municipalities across the United States and referenced in international forums such as United Nations Environment Programme briefings. The coalition’s approaches continue to inform climate adaptation strategies and grassroots advocacy linking housing justice with extreme weather preparedness.
Category:Climate justice organizations Category:Housing rights organizations Category:Public health advocacy groups