Advocacy

Our approach to advocacy is based on decades of on-the-ground experience and policy expertise.

In addition to lifting our hammers, we must also lift our voices in support of adequate shelter.

Building is part of the solution, but less visible aspects of housing like laws, regulations, systems, and rules about land and development are critical components in eliminating barriers to safe, healthy, affordable housing. Drawing on our profound knowledge of housing’s essential role in enhancing family opportunities, we are committed to collaboratively and impartially reforming policies and laws to support our community’s housing needs.

Housing that is affordable costs no more than 30% of a family’s household income

Federal Advocacy Goals

At Knoxville Habitat for Humanity, we champion housing policies at every level, engaging in advocacy through action alerts and by participating in key events like Habitat on the Hill in Washington D.C. Here are our principal advocacy objectives at the national level:

  • HOME Investment Partnership (HOME) and Community Development Block Grant (CDBG): These vital federal resources, secured through collaboration with local communities, enable the development of new homes and enhance housing affordability for Habitat clients in Knoxville. As land and construction costs rise, coupled with wage stagnation, these programs are essential for providing access to homeownership for our working-class families.
  • AmeriCorps Involvement: AmeriCorps members have been integral to Knoxville Habitat for many years. We advocate for increased funding to recruit and support AmeriCorps members who work directly with our teams—helping to build and renovate homes, and facilitating community engagement across the Knoxville area.
  • Neighborhood Homes Investment Act (NHIA): We support this proposed federal tax credit initiative that aims to build and rehabilitate homes for low and middle-income families. Implementing the NHIA in Knoxville would allow us to finance new constructions or renovations, addressing the critical need for affordable housing solutions amid escalating housing costs.

Through these focused efforts, Knoxville Habitat for Humanity strives to ensure that more families in our community can achieve the dream of affordable homeownership, thereby fostering stronger, more stable local neighborhoods

How to Advocate

Email your legislators

Share your support for the need for affordable housing with policymakers at all levels of government.

Show Your Support

Download ready-made social media graphics and printable signs to show that you want our representatives to make housing a priority.

Sign up to get advocacy news

Receive updates and action alerts via email about Knoxville Habitat’s local, state, and national advocacy efforts.

Learn more about our advocacy initiatives

See a snapshot of the innovative ways Habitat’s network is advocating across the nation..