Advocacy & Community Engagement
Building Power for Change
Bread for the City is a social justice organization, and we strive to help our clients build power in their own communities. In 2015, we launched our Advocacy Department to provide support to client-led campaigns that aim to end the drain of affordable housing in DC. We do this by training clients and community leaders in community organizing. These leaders then organize on their own, reaching out to their own networks to connect with people that our staff could not. As a result of this approach, we are able to turn up in significant numbers when needed: at rallies, council hearings, etc.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, our community organizers have been working to advocate for a #JustRecovery, and have coordinated our efforts to support grassroots mutual aid networks across the city.
It is this type of grassroots movement that, when sustained over a period of years, leads to real change.
Bread for the City Testifies
Continued Challenges: DC Access System and Public Benefits Enrollment
Bread for the City attorney Allison Miles-Lee had the opportunity to testify at a Council roundtable hearing on the DC Access System, the platform used for public benefits and medical insurance application and processing, and the operations of DHS/DHCF. During her testimony, she highlighted several critical issues that our patients and clients at Bread have been facing. Her full written testimony can be read below.
Testimony on Public Benefits Access System by BFC Attorney Allison Miles-Lee, Bread for the City
Bread for the City attorney Allison Miles-Lee had the opportunity to testify at a Council roundtable hearing on the DC Access System, the platform used for public benefits and medical insurance application and processing, and the operations of DHS/DHCF. During her testimony, she highlighted several critical issues that our patients and clients at Bread have been facing. Her full written testimony can be read below.
The Terrance Moore Organizing Institute
The advocacy division hosts an 8-week organizing institute to introduce community members to organizing skills, direct action, and strategies for building effective grassroots campaigns. Classes discuss the affordable housing crisis, impact storytelling, race, gender, class, and other critical topics to empower individuals to act to improve the lives of DC residents. All participants receive a stipend for their time and energy.
If you are interested in participating in the Terrance Moore Organizing Institute or would like to plugged into Bread for the City’s advocacy work, please reach out to Leonard Edwards (ledwards@breadforthecity.org).
Honoring the Legacy of Terrance Moore
Terrance Moore returned to his DC community in 2012 after incarceration with a vision to make DC a better place for everyone. He began working on the Healthy Affordable Food for All Campaign.
“He was a natural advocate, and when he came home, he felt like he did not see his people advocating for themselves like they used to, and he wanted to do something about that,” says Terri Acker, Bread for the City community organizer.
“He suggested that we take what we have learned as a group and share it with our community for free, and that’s what we did.”
Unfortunately, Terrance is no longer here to see the success of the institute. He was murdered in 2015, underscoring the connection between affordable housing and safety. We continue to honor Terrance and his legacy through our organizing and community education work.