Brighter Days

We can’t just hope for a brighter day, we have to work for a brighter day.

Dolly Parton

Housers, we all know that hope and hard work go hand in hand. Hope is our grand vision — what we want to see in the world: thriving communities with affordable homes for all. And work is how we turn that hope into reality: person by person, home by home, community by community.

In the past month, I’ve been privileged to see the work and care that so many of you put into your residents and communities. Because of you, millions of children, families, seniors, veterans and persons with disabilities wake up to brighter days in stable, affordable homes across the nation. Having the privilege to witness community impact through thoughtful high-density development in Santa Barbara or life changing VASH communities in Oklahoma City leaves me inspired and hopeful for the future of this industry and this country. From Alabama to West Virginia, Pacific Southwest to the Mountain Plains, thank you for sharing your challenges, innovations and successes, and for being generous with your experience and wisdom. I’ve learned a lot from you already, and I’ll keep on learning.

And don’t forget to tell stories about the work you do! We housers can be a humble bunch, but lifting up your successes doesn’t mean you’re vain. Communicating our impact and value is a vital part of building support. We must share the successes of our staff and our residents with anyone who’ll listen, and even those who won’t. Tell your elected officials, members of the media and neighbors that your agency provides homes, hires local workers, buys products and services from local businesses, and is vital economic engines for your community. NAHRO can help show your agency’s impact — head to the Housing Data page on the NAHRO website for state/territory housing data flyers and an economic impact calculator.

NAHRO is right beside you, helping you work towards those brighter days. Our association is fighting for us in the nation’s capital, building coalitions to expand our impact, and giving us the training, information and professional networking we need to work smarter and better. There’s a lot going on in Washington D.C. right now, and NAHRO’s making sure to keep us informed. In this issue of the Monitor, you can read about the OMB proposed rule, the COC NOFO, and many other topics that are relevant to our work. And we need to help them help us — keep an eye out for advocacy alerts, write your comment letters, and let the NAHRO staff know how else they can assist.

Finally, I am excited that this year’s Summer Symposium is happening in Music City: Nashville, Tennessee, home of the Grand Ol’ Opry, Ryman Auditorium, Dolly Parton’s Life of Many Colors Museum, and many other iconic venues. Dolly Parton rose to fame there, and is herself is a fantastic storyteller, so it’s a fitting place for us to gather together and learn how to tell our stories more successfully. Hope to see you there. Both music and storytelling are close to my heart, and I’m looking forward to sharing stories and successes with you all there.