1. Home for All Learning Network
February 28, 2018

2. Agenda Welcome and Introductions Home for All Updates
Communicating for Engagement
Table Discussion
Meeting Evaluation
Thanks and Adjourn

3. Home for All Learning Network
Introductions and Housing Highlights

4. Home For All
Home for All Update
Jessica Stanfill Mullin

5. Home For All Planning Commissioner Training
C/CAG and Home for All Joint CASA Meeting – March 22nd
School Districts Partnership
FY Budget - $50 million to affordable housing

6. HOME FOR ALL LEARNING NETWORK
Communication for Engagement
Strategies for Reaching and Activating the Helpful Public
FEBRUARY 26, 2018

7. Today We’ll Cover… Our purpose for communication
Inviting vs announcing
Framing for ongoing engagement
Importance of messengers and channels
Interactive outreach and responsive communications
Agenda for the session – four sections

8. Clarifying Our Communication Purpose
Reflect on why you are communicating:
To inform

9. Clarifying Our Communication Purpose
Reflect on why you are communicating:
To inform
To advocate

10. Clarifying Our Communication Purpose
Reflect on why you are communicating:
To inform
To advocate
To build trust

11. Clarifying Our Communication Purpose
Reflect on why you are communicating:
To inform
To advocate
To build trust
To improve relationships

12. Clarifying Our Communication Purpose
Reflect on why you are communicating:
To inform
To advocate
To build trust
To improve relationships
To start an open dialogue about shared values

13. Clarifying Our Communication Purpose
Reflect on why you are communicating:
To inform
To advocate
To build trust
To improve relationships
To start an open dialogue about shared values
To invite helpful participation

14. Clarifying Our Communication Purpose
Reflect on why you are communicating:
To inform
To advocate
To build trust
To improve relationships
To start an open dialogue about shared values
To invite helpful participation
Because someone told me too

15. Pair Reflection
Reflect on the way your City communicates about housing and other issues.
What is the purpose behind most City communications?
Are you trying to inform, advocate, persuade?
Which messages or communications have been most successful?

16. Your purposes with your community
Official messages
Reactive messages
Today we’re focusing on “the helpful public”
The broader audience and potential audience…
Aimed at informing, updating residents, broadening awareness

17. Advocacy
Community Engagement vs

18. Advocacy Community Engagementvs
This is why you should care
Let me select and interpret facts for you
I am an expert on the topic.
Listen to me instead of other experts.
What matters to you? What do you care about?
How do these facts match with your experience?
We are all experts on our personal experience.
We all have part of the answer. We all can contribute.

19. Advocacy Community Engagementvs
This is why you should care
Let me select and interpret facts for you
I am an expert on the topic.
Listen to me instead of other experts.
What matters to you? What do you care about?
How do these facts match with your experience?
We are all experts on our personal experience.
We all have part of the answer. We all can contribute.

20. Advocacy Community Engagementvs
This is why you should care
Let me select and interpret facts for you
I am an expert on the topic.
Listen to me instead of other experts.
What matters to you? What do you care about?
How do these facts match with your experience?
We are all experts on our personal experience.
We all have part of the answer. We all can contribute.

21. Advocacy Community Engagementvs
This is why you should care
Let me select and interpret facts for you
I am an expert on the topic.
Listen to me instead of other experts.
What matters to you? What do you care about?
How do these facts match with your experience?
We are all experts on our personal experience.
We all have part of the answer. We all can contribute.

22. Inviting Instead of Announcing
Instead of building support for a policy, we want to create support for a process
This starts by the way we invite people to participate and contribute
Emphasize that the City is listening and that the community is working together

23. Inviting Instead of Announcing
Instead of building support for a policy, we want to create support for a process
This starts by the way we invite people to participate and contribute
Emphasize that the City is listening and that the community is working together

24. Inviting Instead of Announcing
Sample Invitation from Half Moon Bay
Questions help position the City as a listener
Describe how the conversation will be different than past meetings
Invite people to share their experiences and contribute ideas.
Instead of building support for a policy, we want to create support for a process
This starts by the way we invite people to participate and contribute
Emphasize that the City is listening and that the community is working together

25. Framing for Interdependence
Emphasize community, interconnections and the “story of us”
Use language that emphasizes the collective nature of the challenge
Our community, our future, together we can, etc.

26. Framing for New Possibilities
Put the issue of housing and the community at the center
Focus on a sense of possibility instead of a crisis that requires someone to blame
Instead of telling the community’s story, let community members shape it with each other

27. Activate Shared Values
Position housing as a shared challenge affecting everyone
Remind residents of the ways they can work together and of the community they want to be, highlighting shared values:
Fairness, interdependence
Creativity, security, diversity, volunteerism, collaboration

29. Elements of Effective Messages
What’s the situation?
Why does it matter?
What can be done about it?

30. Elements of Effective Messages
What’s the situation?
Why does it matter?
What can be done about it?
Listening to the community allows us to define #1 and #2
Use their words, their values, and their examples
Inviting constructive input helps us think creatively about #3 and expand the boundaries of what’s possible

31. Let the community tell the story of “how we are affected”
“My landlord has raised my rent every year for the past three years. How am I supposed to afford that when I’m making $16 an hour?”
– Redwood City Participant

32. Let the community tell the story of “how we are affected”
“My landlord has raised my rent every year for the past three years. How am I supposed to afford that when I’m making $16 an hour?”
– Redwood City Participant
Sample Explanatory Statement:
In recent years, housing costs in our community have risen dramatically, while wages for many have stayed the same.
When retail and service workers are forced to commute from farther away traffic increases for all of us.

33. Let the community tell the story of “how we are affected”
“My cousins are living in a three bedroom house with two other families. It’s so cramped it’s ridiculous. There’s no way they can stay there once their kids get older.”
– Half Moon Bay Participant

34. Let the community tell the story of “how we are affected”
“My cousins are living in a three bedroom house with two other families. It’s so cramped it’s ridiculous. There’s no way they can stay there once their kids get older.”
– Half Moon Bay Participant
Sample Explanatory Statement:
Increasing numbers of people are struggling to pay rent or make monthly mortgage payments.
Multiple families must share a single home or apartment which affects their quality of life.
Many of the people we care about, people that have made our community a great place to live, are being forced to move elsewhere.

35. Let the community tell the story of “how we are affected”
“We're losing the small businesses that make our community special. They can't get workers who can afford to live close enough.”
– Burlingame Participant

36. Let the community tell the story of “how we are affected”
“We're losing the small businesses that make our community special. They can't get workers who can afford to live close enough.”
– Burlingame Participant
Sample Explanatory Statement:
With the high cost of housing, many of the small businesses that make our community special are struggling to hire and retain employees.
When businesses are forced to relocate or cut back on hours, residents lose the ability to shop close to home. As people are forced to shop outside of Burlingame, traffic worsens and sales tax leaves our community.

37. Messenger Effects
Messengers greatly influence how your message will be received
Think beyond obvious allies
Who can best reach your target audiences? Who can tell the story of housing’s positive impact?
Who don’t we normally think of?
Librarians, teachers, doctors, nurses, social workers, first responders, clergy, employers, etc.

38. Building Trust: Interactive Outreach
Listen for community starting points and information needs
What do community members already know?
How are they experiencing the issue of housing?
What else do they need to know?
Test communications with partners and community members first

39. Building Trust: Interactive Outreach
Community members are listening for your starting points
Are you speaking to me and the people I care about?
How well do you understand my reality?
How well have you reflected past input from people like me?

40. Community Information Needs
Personal
Community
Civic System
Agenda item #1 -- A high level summary of what we learned from community members in the pilots
What are current and upcoming types of housing and support?
Am I eligible for affordable housing?
What future can I anticipate for my family?
Who lives and works here?
How are we experiencing the issue of housing?
Who is affected by current conditions?
Who else cares?
How do new homes get built?
What decisions are being made?
What is happening short term, mid-term, long term?
How will impacts be managed?

41. Two-Way Communications
Strive to balance messaging and listening throughout the process
Who can help you to listen?
How can you continue to solicit input?
Remember that many in your community are already listening every day

42. Building Trust: Responsive Communications
Revise or add information based on what you hear from community
Improve relationships by providing accessible, basic information people have indicated they need
Resource guides, links, referrals, additional coordination with community partners

43. Building Trust: Responsive Communications
Share community-facing meeting reports in a timely fashion
Provide accurate summary instead of complete notes; continue to invite feedback
Help people to see their input
Use their language where possible
Use community values to explain WHY before explaining WHAT

44. Channels are as Important as Content
Know how your audiences like to get their information
Websites, social media
Newsletters (yours or others)
In-person locations
From a trusted source
Maintain consistent framing and adapt the amount of information to fit the channel

45. Table Discussion With your table, discuss:
What would helpful input from the community look like? Feel like?
How can cities make outreach to the helpful public more interactive?

46. Communication Resources
Home for All Learning Network
September 2018: Community Education About Housing
November 2018: Working with Community Partners
CK Community Conversation Reporting Guide
Other Resources
National Housing Conference Framing & Messaging Toolkit
Neighborhood Partnerships Advocate’s Guide to Framing

47. Community Conversations
Calendar of Events
Learning Network
Community Convening
Community Conversations
April 25, 2019
March 28, 2019
March 21st – Brisbane
June 27, 2019
May 23, 2019
March 30th –
San Mateo

48. Meeting Evaluations
Please fill out the Meeting Evaluation forms. Thank you!

49. Learning Network Website
The Home for All Learning Network has its own website, designed to be a resource for LN participants: homeforallsmc.org/learning-network/

50. Next Meeting:
April 25, 2019