It’s been quite a year! We’ve seen changes in housing and homelessness policy on the local, state, and federal levels. OHI’s volunteer-led Policy and Advocacy Committee is in the process of assessing our advocacy goals for the coming year. You can take a look at this web page to learn more about the committee and the advocacy work we do.

As we begin the process of setting OHI’s policy priorities for 2026, we’re looking for input on where to focus our policy advocacy efforts! We’re hoping to gather as much input as we can by January 3. Here’s how you can help:

Send us your thoughts

Share your input with the Policy and Advocacy Committee by sending an email to info@openheartsinitiative.org.

If you’ve experienced homelessness, we’d like to hear from you:

• What challenges related to your housing situation are you facing right now?

• If someone in a position of power (like the Mayor or Governor) could do one thing to improve your housing situation, what would that be?

• What policy changes do you want to see to…

• help prevent homelessness?

• make life better and easier for people experiencing homelessness?

• help people exit homelessness?

And if you haven’t experienced homelessness but have thoughts on these questions based on previous conversations or other advocacy you’re a part of, reach out to us, too, and let us know! We’re in the information-gathering stage, so all ideas are welcome; we’ll be evaluating and selecting priorities later.

Help us gather input

As you talk with neighbors experiencing homelessness (at OHI events, in your day-to-day lives, etc.), share this flyer with folks to encourage them to weigh in!