How our “Beacon Lights” illuminate the way for change and Unlock the Metro
Written by Rev. Nancy Nord Bence, Public Policy Manager
I’ve been at Beacon for a year and a half now, so I’ve learned some things. I’ve become fluent in housing acronyms like PBV, HCV, AMI, BIH, QAP, SSI, and PUD. I’ve figured out where the good notepads are kept in the office. I can even share my screen when making online presentations…sometimes successfully.
But I still don’t know what to call Beacon’s amazing volunteer advocates. Perhaps we can make a new acronym like AVAs? Sometimes I use “Beaconites”. Other times I use “Beaconians”. These feel too derivative though. Afterall, without all you AVAs, “-ites” and “-ians”, Beacon wouldn’t exist.
At the September 5th meeting of the Met Council Community Development Committee, one of our AVAs came up with the best monikers for our activists yet: “Beacon Lights”. I love that! When our collaborative shines brightest, it’s because our volunteer advocates provide the light.
And we’ve shined bright in the last few months. We’ve had a busy summer engaging with the Met Council Community Development Committee about the need for more project-based vouchers (PBVs). Beacon Lights have been there every step of the way, illuminating the problem. Here are some highlights from their recent advocacy work:
- About a dozen Beacon clergy members and other volunteers delivered over 1,000 keys with Unlock the Metro tags at the Met Council meeting on June 14th, pictured above.
- Three volunteers participated in an uncomfortable but critical meeting with Met Council leaders and staff later in June.
- Thirty volunteers attended the August 21st CDC meeting, eleven of whom read public statements they had prepared beforehand.
- Another ten volunteers submitted written statements before the August 31st cut off.
- Three volunteers got a letter to the editor about the need for project-based vouchers published in the Northeastern newspaper.
- And 20 volunteers attended the CDC meeting on September 5th to hear Metro HRA staff present their 2024 Annual Plan.
All of this activity took pace in addition to everything else Beacon Lights did for the Unlock the Metro campaign earlier this year: collecting old keys in their congregations and writing messages on the tags, sending postcards and emails to Met Council members, hosting educational forums, participating in research visits, and engaging CDC members and local leaders in serious conversations.
I wish I could report that the result of all this advocacy will be a huge victory for the Unlock the Metro campaign this year. That’s unlikely. The project-based voucher issue is so complex that our wins will probably be incremental and take years of engagement to achieve.
But here’s what I can report: Every member of the CDC is listening now, are asking the right questions, and are aware that they have a role to play in creating new solutions to the lack of affordable housing in the suburbs. Our Beacon Lights have made that happen – and the CDC members would be the fight to thank you for it. They have appreciated your dedicated advocacy.
As I write this, I hope you’ll join us (or have already joined us) at the September 18th CDC meeting, when the CDC will probably vote to approve the Metro HRA 2024 Annual Plan despite our objections. We want to fill the Council Chamber so the CDC members can see that Beacon lights keep shining even when things don’t go our way. You can learn more and register to attend the September 18th meeting by clicking here.
In Proverbs 4:18 we read: The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day.
We haven’t achieved the full light of day yet with our Unlock the Metro campaign, but a new dawn is beginning to rise. Thanks to our beautiful Beacon Lights.
Keep shining!
Rev. Nancy Nord Bence
Public Policy Manager
