Dear SHPA Members and Friends:
 
SHPA encourages members and friends to commit to creating a written plan for your organization to build and maintain relationships with policymakers in 2006.


Why Create a Plan to Build/Maintain Relationships with Policymakers?

• Basically, because policymakers have the power to help us as individual organizations, and as the Supportive Housing Providers Association, get the resources and the policies we need to provide supportive housing to people who need it.

Why Is It Important for my Organization to Do a Plan? Can't We Just be Part of the Whole SHPA Effort When Needed?

• It's wonderful for you to be part of the whole SHPA effort when that is needed, but the better your relationships are with your policymakers, the more effective you can be when you contact them as part of a larger campaign.
   
• Also, it will help your organization to have your own plan. If your policymakers know your organization, the work your organization is doing, are up-to-date on your latest projects, have relationships with you and some of your residents, and think highly of your organization, your organization will benefit.

But we do this already, why do we need a plan?

• Many of you have good and close relationships with your policymakers--which is wonderful.  The rest of us have a lot to learn from you, and we hope you will be willing to share how you have developed these relationships.
   

• Because we are all so busy and so pulled in so many different directions, written plans that tie in with all of the rest of what we are doing can be very helpful.  For example, part of this plan could be to look at each major event you will have over the next twelve months and consider which policymakers you wish to involve in each event and how you might do that.

What elements could such a plan contain?

     Some of the elements could be:

• Visits to state and federal legislators, your mayor, your county officials, or key state agency staff.
   
• Tours of your programs, your supportive housing by these same individuals
   
• Forums, asking policymakers to participate in forums where community members, supportive housing residents ask them about specific issues. Participating in forums where policymakers are present.
   
• Inviting policymakers to events—to attend, to speak, or to be honored.
   
• Written updates to policymakers, newsletters, etc.
   
• Calls, faxes, emails, and letters—to update, to thank, to follow-up, or as part of a campaign to accomplish specific goals.

   

   

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