Denise Thomas-Brown

Hosted by Virginia Poverty Law Center
Sponsored by Housing Justice Program
Service location Virginia
Issue area Housing - Affordable Housing/Microfinance, Housing/Eviction, Housing/Homelessness
Fellowship class year 2022
Program Housing Justice Program

The Project

Denise (she/her) coordinated education and advocacy efforts of tenant groups throughout the state, especially in policy advocacy.

There are pockets of tenant groups throughout the state using various materials for education and advocacy. These groups are doing policy advocacy, but not necessarily collectively, which minimizes their impact.

The inspiration for doing this work arose out of the Denise’s desire to be a part of systemic change and not short-term solutions.

Highlights

During this project, Denise identified and supported grass roots tenant organizations and groups throughout the state to help coordinate and guide them on policy advocacy. She worked towards this goal by providing education and training both in person and virtually.

She built pathways for tenants to lead policy initiatives and determined priorities through advocacy training and meetings in conjunction with tenant organizations.

Through education and training, she empowered public housing residents to support their inclusion in decision making processes.