Residents United Network | Housing California

Organizing for People-centered Policy Change

The Residents United Network, founded in 2014 with our partner, Community Change, builds power among residents and staff of affordable housing to change laws so that every Californian has a safe, stable, and affordable home.

What brings us together is the belief that we are more powerful when we are organized, and that to end California’s housing crisis, people who live in affordable housing must be as present in the halls of the Capitol as homeowners, developers, and landlords.

We believe affordable housing residents, who have historically been excluded from conversations about affordable housing policy, should be the moral center of the statewide fight to end homelessness and increase affordable housing in California.

A photo of three women at a circular table, they are all different ages and ethnicities. The woman in the middle is looking at the camera and she is confident and happy. The group are sharing papers to read and talking to each other and the rest of their group.

RUN With Us!

To get involved, contact your Regional Organizing Coordinators (ROCs):

San Diego contact: Azalia Gomez-Camacho (agomez@housingca.org)
Los Angeles contact: Mackenzie Rutherford (mrutherford@scanph.org)
Orange County contact: Cithlalli Ramirez (cithlallir@kennedycommission.org)
Coachella Valley Contact: Ariana Rodriguez (orodriguez@lifttorise.org)
Sacramento contact: Madalynn Jagla (mikayla@mutualhousing.com)
San Joaquin Valley contact: Sara Da Silva (sdasilva@housingca.org)
Bay Area contact: Damion Scott (damion@ebho.org)

If you live elsewhere in California and you’d like info about organizing in your region, please reach out to Sara da Silva, Statewide Organizer (sdasilva@housingca.org).

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Who are the Residents in Residents United Network?

Senior man wearing a RUN shirt sitting at a table with an open folder in front of him.

RUN leaders live in San Diego, the Inland Empire, Los Angeles, Orange County, the Central Valley, Sacramento, and the Bay Area.

Close-up photo of a young black woman sitting at a table, she is in a room with many other people and listening intently to a speaker.

We are seniors, farmworkers, and immigrants; we are Black, brown, and white, disabled and LGBTQ, working and retired.

Close-up photo of an elderly white woman in a light blue t-shirt sitting at a table and talking with another Lobby Day attendee off camera. She has white hair, a big smile, and glasses perched on her head.

Some of us have lived experience with homelessness, and some of us work in affordable housing. Others of us don’t have affordable housing yet but hope to soon.

How do RUN members help advance people-centered housing and homelessness proposals?

RUN members attend regular convenings through our Community Care Calls, regional meetings like “There Ought Be a Law”, periodic trainings, or events like Lobby Days or the Regional Summit.
RUN members are asked at times to email an elected official, tweet messages to committee chairpersons, speak at a hearing, or make a call to express support for a particular bill that can transform the lives of Californians grappling with housing insecurity or homelessness.

Together, RUN members throughout the state can help move state leaders towards housing and homelessness solutions that will increase access to stable homes, transform many lives and revitalize under-served communities.

Video screenshot of a young male RUN leader with a brown chin beard and wearing a light blue RUN t-shirt, speaking to a group of people to advocate for Assembly Bill 1816.

A screenshot of a social media post that shows a Zoom conference call.

A small group of female affordable housing residents sitting together to discuss policy proposals, while a female with long brown hair stands in front of them, writing on a large easel with paper.

Get Involved

Do you live in affordable housing – or wish you did? Look for information about how to join RUN on our member page.

Do you represent or work for a nonprofit affordable home developer? We’re excited to connect, whether you’re in one of our seven regions, you’re just outside one of them, or you’re somewhere far from where we are right now. Contact sdasilva@housingca.org. for more information.