1. +
MCCH H.O.M.E.
Conference
ADVOCATING
FOR CHANGE
September 13, 2012
Barbara DiPietro, Ph.D.
Policy Director
National Health Care for the Homeless Council
Health Care for the Homeless, Inc. of Maryland

2. +
Integrating Service and Advocacy:
Overview of Workshop
1. Demystify and define “advocacy”
2. Overcome barriers to advocacy
3. Provide strategies for integrating advocacy into your
work
4. Describe different advocacy activities
5. Discuss advocacy needs locally and nationally

3. +
Advocacy—What is It Anyway?
 To advocate (verb): To speak or write in favor of;
support or urge by argument; recommend publicly
 Advocate (noun): A person who speaks or writes in
support or defense of a person or cause; to plead for or
in behalf of another; to plead the cause of another in a
court of law

Synonyms: Champion, proponent, backer, believer,
sponsor

Antonyms: Opponent, discourage

4. +
Describing Advocacy
 Introducing yourself and
your work
 Raising awareness
 Facilitating consumers’ voice
 Educating policy makers and
the public

Prevention and universal
solutions

5. +
Who’s an Advocate?:
Fighting Stereotypes

6. +
Service Providers as Advocates
Individual Advocacy Policy Advocacy
 Locate detox placement for  Work with local coalition of
client providers to increase addiction
funding and bed spaces
 Hunt for specialist who will  Meet with your elected officials
treat your uninsured client about the need for more
affordable housing and services
 Secure housing voucher for  Speak in public meetings or in
client state/city council hearings about
issues related to poverty &
 Help client apply for SSI or homelessness
health insurance  Join/form a group of providers,
faith ministers, and concerned
 Accompany a client to a social citizens to expand affordable
services appointment housing

7. +
Service Providers = Natural
Advocates
 Direct, real-life experience

Important to the
community

Credible
 Non-partisan

8. + Benefits of Integrating
Service & Advocacy
• Improved system
• Empowered staff (burn-out
prevention)
• Empowered consumers
(clinically helpful)
• Increased credibility/
visibility of issues
• Increased funding
opportunities
• Reduced homelessness

9. +
Overcoming Barriers

Legality

Advocacy vs. Lobbying
 NO LIMITS on advocacy
 Minor limits on lobbying for 501c3s:
 Up to 20% can go to lobbying if claimed
 ~5% if not claimed
 May be different at government
agencies like Health Departments

10. +
Overcoming Barriers

Publicly Funded

Vital partnership
 Feedback is needed
 Need not be adversarial
 Helps ensure effective use of
public resources

11. +
Overcoming Barriers

Time

Phone calls and emails are not time
intensive
 Coalitions can help divide work
 Can be incorporated into clinical and
administrative duties
 Upfront work saves time and effort
down the line:
 “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound
of cure”

12. +
Overcoming Barriers
 Remaining optimistic
 Your input does matter

Self care is critical, as with clinical
work

Your input is needed to balance
scales
 Set feasible goals and focus on
quality of relationships
 Manage expectations

13. +
Integrating Service and Advocacy:
Administrators
 Include advocacy in job descriptions
 Example: Actively participate in advocacy activities that support people experiencing
homelessness and the mission of HCH

Create tangible advocacy opportunities and encourage participation
 Recognize staff and consumers for their advocacy work
 Include advocacy in staff and Board orientations and trainings

Encourage participation in external coalitions

Post flyers and make announcements of public hearings addressing
issues of concern so consumers can participate

14. +
Integrating Service and Advocacy:
Board
 Include advocacy in your Mission Statement
 Develop an annual advocacy agenda
 Make time to discuss advocacy at meetings
 Use external contacts and professional experience to
advocate for project and patients
 Attend meetings with public officials and other
stakeholders

15. +
Integrating Service and Advocacy:
Service Provider Staff
 Correspond with public officials
 Use real life stories, make it personal

Participate in internal advocacy committees

Participate in external coalitions

Discuss advocacy with consumers and support their
involvement

Know its not just the CEO’s job

16. +
Integrating Service and Advocacy:
Consumers
 Join Board of Directors or create other forums to ensure
consumer input to issues of concern
 Discuss advocacy and organizing at regular meetings

Voter registration and education

Ask for staff support for advocacy activities
 Example: Weekly meetings of B’More Housing for All,
Baltimore

17. +
Integrate Service and Advocacy:
Voter Registration
 Involve intake staff, case management, consumers,
community volunteers, partner organizations
 Post information in service areas and incorporate into
intake forms

Recognize the work that is done

Provide needed training and support

18. Voter Participation Rates

19. +
Where to begin?
 Recognize unique value of
your program

Document how clients
depend on your program

List items that need changing

Identify who can help with
solutions

20. +
What to do: Build Relationships
 Contact officials
 Congress: 1-877-210-5351

White House: 202-456-1111
 Educate and be an
information resource
 Invite officials for a tour
 Invite officials to events like
Homeless Persons Memorial
Day

21. +
What to do: Advocacy Actions
 Mobilize project and
community
 Call-in day

Petition

Letter writing
 Board Resolution
 Letter to the editor, op-ed,
press conference, rally

22. +
Guidelines: Meeting with Public Officials

Relax: Remember they work for you and you are the expert
in your field
 Plan: Have materials, stories, and data ready

Strategize: Know what you want to say and have responses
prepared for likely concerns

Tell the truth: If you don’t know the answer, get back to
them

Don’t Burn Bridges: Relationships last longer than issues

Manage your expectations: You won’t end homelessness in
one meeting

23. Survey of Congressional Staff

24. +
Note on Health Reform
 Medicaid
will be expanded to
most low income people in
2014
 Much of the implementation
effort is at the state level
 Outreach, enrollment&
engagement in services is
essential
 Be a part of this discussion

25. +
Sustaining Advocacy Activities
 Don’t Give Up! 
 Success will be incremental
—plan for long-term
effectiveness
 Continue relationships in the
community
 Use Motivational
Interviewing skills

26. +
Small steps achieve big goals
 “Have a bias toward
action—let’s see
something happen now.
You can break that big
plan into small steps and
take the first step right
away.”
– Indira Gandhi

27. +
Quick Review: Pushing It Forward

Framing the Message & Crafting the “Ask”

Identify who can do what, and when
 Tag your action to active initiatives and programs (“get on
the bandwagon”)
 Make the meetings
 Pair providers with consumers

Blend credible data with personal stories

Root “ask” in problem and solution
 Put it in writing, make it easy to operationalize
 Address known concerns directly

28. +
Quick Review: Being an Active Partner
Host/attend related events

Help policymaker advance their priorities

Draw attention, galvanize more partners

Testify at hearings

Be aware of relationships that can help/hurt

Continue to include consumers!

Double back: continue the relationship


29. +
Keeping an Eye on the Ultimate Goals
 Advocacy educates policymakers about client needs =
better policy decisionmaking
 Advocacy based on data, experience & personal stories =
credibility and influence within policy community
 Informed decisions + influence = an improved system
with lower numbers of people in poverty

Improved system = better health, more housing,
better outcomes, stronger communities