August Advocacy Is Over, but We’re Just Getting Started!

Thank You NAHRO Advocates!

We did it!

NAHRO’s 2026 August Advocacy campaign is over, but NAHRO’s advocacy year is just beginning! Advocates across the nation showed the importance of a balanced advocacy approach to engage decision-makers at all levels during Congress’ annual “August Recess”. We’re crunching the numbers for our August Advocacy Report and will have that on the NAHRO website in the coming weeks so stay tuned to see how your region performed.

August Advocacy looked a little different this year as members across the country engaged Congress, with weekly letters on timely housing topics, in-district advocacy meetings, site visits, and engaging with local media to amplify the local impact PHAs are having using HUD funding. Together, those efforts helped connect federal housing policy with the people, properties, and communities directly affected by congressional decisions and actions.

Thank you to every advocate who participated. Thank you especially to advocates that submitted Advocacy Engagements to “Show Your Work!” this August.

This year’s campaign was intentionally broader. Letters are still an important part of our advocacy strategy, but they are most powerful when paired with sustained relationships and regular local engagement. Congressional offices receive thousands of messages on federal policy. A meeting with a housing authority executive director, commissioner, resident, or community partner can help put those policy decisions into context. A site visit can make that connection even stronger. Engaging with local media in op-eds, news stories, articles, interviews, etc. is also a great way to show the local impact housers are having as congressional press teams track local news alongside national news.

When lawmakers and their staff tour a property, speak directly with residents, sees a redevelopment project, or hears about the challenges of preserving affordable housing, federal programs become more than line items in an appropriations bill. They become homes, neighborhoods, jobs, partnerships, opportunities, and most importantly faces and names.

That is why Bring Housing Home Week was such an important part of August Advocacy. Members hosted and participated in meetings, property tours, roundtables, and other local engagements designed to show policymakers what federal housing and community development programs make possible every day. These conversations help build relationships that should continue long after August ends.

Congressional advocacy is not limited to Washington, D.C., Hill Day, or August Recess. Members of Congress spend significant time in their states and districts, and congressional staff are valuable year-round partners. Inviting them to see your work, providing updates on local housing needs, sharing resident success stories, and maintaining regular contact can make your organization a trusted resource when housing issues come before Congress. You are the subject matter expert on affordable housing in your community, at your PHA, and on your residents.

As NAHRO continues to advocate for strong federal housing and community development programs, so does the importance of NAHRO’s local partnerships.

August Advocacy may be over, but the relationships we build and the advocacy behind them should continue all year, starting with the FY 2027 as appropriators in Congress continue to hammer out the details ahead of the December 11 deadline for current government funding to expire. Send our FY 2027 Letter to your lawmakers to advocate for much needed programs like, HOME, CDBG, Emergency Housing Vouchers, and the HCV program!

Please continue to share your meetings, site visits, media coverage, photos, and other advocacy activities through NAHRO’s Advocacy Engagement reporting tools. Your stories help us demonstrate the reach of our network and strengthen the case for the programs our communities depend on.