Whether the aim is to pass or prevent passage of legislation on a particular affordable housing issue, defend against cuts to critical public programs, or educate a particular constituency about the impact of a law or regulation, Jazztown USA will be seeking to advance a workforce/affordable housing agenda for creative artists, and it must have five advocacy capacities to succeed. 

These five advocacy capacities build the foundation for a greater system of advocacy, moving ideas from opportunities to policy change with supporting capacities of leadership and evaluation.

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Grassroots organizing is one of the essential capacities we have to carry out for a successful Jazz Town USA campaign. Tapping into the power of grassroots organizing will bring an important voice to Affordable housing for Jazz & Blues musicians.  In addition, grassroots organizing builds the power needed for this project to achieve its goal. 

 

Without the power of a significant number of informed and organized creative Artist supporters, even the best pro-affordable housing policy agenda will often fail.

 

The tool includes information about both building our internal grassroots organizing capacity and building that capacity by developing strong partnership with other organizations. No matter which path Jazztown USA chooses, we hope collaborations from our friends and associates who have experience with developing and financing affordable housing projects will help us to build a strong grassroots base, thereby enhancing our ability to attack investors to invest in the campaign.

 

POLICY PRIORITIES

• Priority One: Advocate for HUD and USDA Rural Development Funding. These programs support millions of low-income families and we seek an increase in funding for beneficial regulatory and legislative changes to multifamily workforce /affordable housing and community development programs.

• Priority Two: Champion the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC). This has been a foundation for the nation’s community development and workforce / affordable housing for over three decades – annually financing over 3 million affordable homes and creating and sustaining 140,000 jobs, while spurring millions of dollars in increased community income and tax revenues. LIHTC is a powerful means to crucial funding for Mercy Housing and our partners.

• Priority Three: Pioneer workforce /affordable housing as a platform for improved health. Combining healthcare partnerships with preventative health and wellness programming reduces hospital visits, increases longevity, and improves quality of life.

•  Priority Four: Improve federal support for Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs). We advocate for more resources, participation and access, and improvements to CDFIs by partnering with CDFI Coalition and Opportunity Finance Network (OFN).

• Priority Five: Support charitable giving through philanthropy and community partnerships. We actively engage with citizens, community leaders, and grassroots organizations to join our movement.