Our Model

A collective impact strategy bringing together residents, data, policy, and local leaders to create more affordable housing in our region

Lift to Rise, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is a backbone organization, which means our job is to keep the movement focused and coordinated. Our coalition counts on us to guide strategy, manage initiatives, track data, advance policy, tell our region’s story, and keep things on track. Think of us like the hub of a wheel, keeping the rest of the spokes connected to a central goal.

Approach

The thinking behind our strategy

Progress doesn’t happen in a silo. That’s why we use a model that gets as many people as possible around a shared vision, turning big goals into practical strategies that make it easier to fund, build, and track the affordable homes our communities need. See the steps we take to bring all of that to life.

Step 1

Create a plan

Keeping a countywide coalition moving in the same direction takes more than a shared calendar. Every two years we create a new Action Plan together to keep us focused and accountable. The plan lays out the shared goals that guide our work and how we’ll measure success—informed by local research, conversations with the community, and participation from our partners.

Action Plan

See what our coalition is working towards across the county.

Check out the Action Plan

Step 2

Bring people in

We rally residents, local leaders, developers, funders, and more around a shared vision for the future.

From community listening sessions where we get input from our neighbors to high-level strategy sessions between government officials and housing experts, we give people from all backgrounds the chance to organize, lead, and weigh in on issues that matter most to them.

Resident Leadership Table (RLT)

Join local nonprofits working together to do more for their communities and champion affordable housing.

Check out the Resident Leadership Table

Committees By Cities (CBC)

Get hands-on leadership experience through workshops and grassroots advocacy.

Check out Committees By Cities

Step 3

Shape policy

Based on our Action Plan and what we hear during our community listening sessions, we push for pro-housing policy, programs, and funding at the local, state, and the federal levels—helping electeds champion solutions backed by data and rooted in what people really need.

At the same time, we help resident leaders advocate for their communities—speaking with government officials, giving public comments at council meetings, turning out voters, and mobilizing their neighbors.

Housing Collaborative Action Network (CAN)

Set regional housing goals, policy priorities, and big-picture strategy alongside local leaders and housing experts.

Check out the Housing Collaborative Action Network

Step 4

Fund housing

On top of promoting affordable housing at a big-picture level, we back housing at a project level, too—with flexible loans designed to unlock stalled housing projects across the county.

Through the We Lift Catalyst Fund, we raise public and private money and work directly with local developers to close funding gaps and tackle roadblocks that hold up construction on the housing our communities need.

Community Advisory Committee (CAC)

See how the CAC empowers local residents to help decide which affordable housing projects get support from the We Lift Catalyst Fund.

Check out the Community Advisory Committee

We Lift Catalyst Fund

Take a look at how the We Lift Catalyst Fund accelerates affordable housing production across the region.

Check out the Fund

Step 5

Track progress

We track progress and areas of opportunity year-round through the regional affordable housing pipeline, where we see what’s being built and where homes are still needed. Our resident advisors track the pipeline too, so they can weigh in on which housing projects we should support next.