CCEH Legislative Lead Program Description and Registration

CCEH’s Legislative Lead program is based on the notion that to end homelessness we must build and maintain an active local base of housing advocates across the state. Each CCEH Member organization is asked to identify individual(s) to take advocacy action at strategic times and engage in the work to educate policy makers on the importance of investing in housing and the resources needed to end homelessness.

Working closely with CCEH, legislative leads can strengthen their legislative and advocacy skills while building community and developing stronger relationships with lawmakers. CCEH will track and share strategic opportunities for you to take action and provide you with talking points to make you an effective advocate.

We are seeking Legislative Leads from across Connecticut and are encouraging our coalition partners to prioritize people for the program who have historically been left out of policy and legislative conversations, including people of color (particularly Black and Indigenous POC), people with disabilities, LGBTQ+ individuals, people with direct experience of homelessness, or people who are historically marginalized in other ways. This does not mean you will be automatically turned away if you do not fit these descriptors. The most important thing is that you have a working commitment to racial equity that is in alignment with the equity commitment made by CT CAN End Homelessness.

Legislative Lead Key Roles:

• Email, call, and/or meet with state lawmakers to urge action on legislation;
• Build relationships with lawmakers and serve as a trusted source of information;
• Share advocacy opportunities with your organization, colleagues, and partners to help them become confident advocates and elevate affordable homes and ending homelessness as constituent priorities;
• Use your voice to testify and submit in support of resources to end homelessness;
• Support and advance the CCEH legislative agenda and strategic message locally, using talking points and other written materials provided by the Policy & Advocacy Committee.

What are requirements and expectations for being an Legislative Lead

• Time commitments will vary depending on the time of year and on how active your district is. We estimate 5 hours per month for calls, lawmaker meetings, and other organizing activities, with intermittent communications.
• Legislative Lead Participation is restricted to CCEH Members.
• We ask that you commit to the Legislative Lead role through the end of the next legislative session (mid-Spring).
• Our goal is to have a legislative lead from every coalition member.

We are asking for people to register for the Legislative Lead Program by December 21, 2022. Our First Legislative Lead Training is scheduled for Thursday, December 29^th from 3:00 p.m.-4:30 p.m.

Please feel free to email Bobbi Riddick with any questions regarding the program at Briddick@cceh.org.