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Once you have developed a communications strategy, you will need to develop materials that make the case for the trust fund to share with potential coalition members, community leaders, and government officials to help make your case.  These materials should feature your key messages and highlight your strongest arguments. Listed below are documents that campaigns typically use to educate and persuade people to support their campaigns:

A summary of your housing trust fund proposal.  The most important document you will prepare is a one to two-page description of all the essential components of your housing trust fund proposal.  This is the piece you give to everyone to communicate a basic understanding of your proposal.  Overall, it should reflect the frame of your campaign.  It might contain a brief statement describing the community’s housing needs and the reasons for your proposal.  The summary should include highlights of the key components of the proposal and should make clear what can be expected from the housing trust fund once it is put into place.
Click here for examples.

The complete housing trust fund proposal. 
 The complete proposal contains all the details you’ve worked through.  This document will be the basis for drafting the law enacting the housing trust fund.  This is a comprehensive document and should include all items on which you have reached consensus, even those that may not surface until the regulations are developed.
Click here for examples.

A question and answer sheet.  Another useful tool is a question-and-answer sheet that addresses the proposal’s key issues, particularly those that are controversial.  This sheet will help advocates as well as those who are merely curious about, or even critical of, the proposal.  The sheet can be built on questions you’ve been asked or on specific issues you want to call to people’s attention.  Questions might include:

  • Who will the housing trust fund serve?
  • What kind of housing will it fund?
  • Who supports the housing trust fund proposal?
  • Where will the revenue come from?
  • How will the funds be spent?
  • Who will make decisions about the trust fund?

Click here for examples.

Reports and briefs that connect housing to other issues.   Clear, concise reports or facts sheets that demonstrate the relationship between housing and other issues are a good tool for expanding your coalition and building broader support. We’ve discussed this in detail in the powerful arguments section of this website.

Evidence of affordable housing needs.  Every campaign needs to have this statement as ready evidence should the question arise.  We’ve discussed this in detail in the identifying the need section of this website.

Public attitudes about affordable housing.
  Some campaigns publicize the results of public opinion surveys because they reinforce the case for creating a housing trust fund or support a specific aspect of their proposal.
Example:
Housing Colorado:  Colorado Voters Support the Concept of a Housing Investment Fund.