Residents United Network logo

Residents United Network (RUN)

Residents United Network logo

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.

RUN with us!

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

Not sure yet?

Watch a video
of Residents United Network members talking about why they RUN!

Who are the Residents in Residents United Network?

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Close-up photo of a senior man in a ball-cap and a light blue t-shirt, sitting at a circular table reading a folder with information about Residents United Network. He is looking at the camera with a slight smile, and is surrounded by lots of other people at tables too. It is Lobby Day for RUN leaders.
RUN leaders live in San Diego, the Inland Empire, Los Angeles, Orange County, the Central Valley, Sacramento, and the Bay Area.
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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.

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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.

Organizing for People-centered Policy Change

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.

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.

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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 including several RUN members speaking with State legislators. The caption is from Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, thanking Housing California and Residents United Network for their participation in discussion during Lobby Days 2021.
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 sjohnson@housingca.org. for more information.

A close-up of a light blue t-shirt with Residents United Network printed on the front.