Past Newsletters
Hi, CHT homeowners and tenants!
I know you regularly receive our monthly email newsletters (and if you don’t, please let me know so I can fix that!). But once in a while, I compile a special email with information just for our CHT residents. This is one of those emails – just for YOU!
I consider the most important part of my job to be ensuring YOUR voice is heard.
As members of our workforce, parents of our students, neighbors in our neighborhoods, and residents of affordable homes, YOUR perspective and input are essential as our leaders and our organizations work to shape and build our communities. But too often, your voices DON’T get heard – either because they’re shouted over by other, louder voices or because the opportunities for you to engage aren’t clear or present enough.
But truly, there are so many ways you can share your ideas, feedback, suggestions, and concerns with the people responsible for hearing you and representing you. That’s what this email is all about!
Below are several opportunities for you to use your voice to help improve our community, and I’d love to partner with you in taking advantage of those opportunities. I hope you’ll take a look at these ideas and consider how you can engage. As always, I’m eager to support you in whatever ways you choose, so please don’t hesitate to reach out!
Daniele Berman
Marketing and Communications Manager
P.S. If you have questions or want to talk about any of these opportunities, just send me an email at dberman@communityhometrust.org or give me a call at 919.967.3231. I look forward to talking with you!
Let’s start with coffee!
(Truly, does anything start without it?)
Coffee and Conversation with Camille
Do you have questions about how our local government works? Do you have questions about how to share your ideas and questions with your Town Council members? Have you ever wondered about getting involved with an advisory board or even running for elected office?
Chapel Hill Town Council member and former CHT staff member Camille Berry is partnering with CHT for a special hour of coffee and conversation, reserved just for CHT homeowners and tenants.
On Sunday 3/19 from 2 to 3 p.m. at Caribou Coffee (1408 E. Franklin St.), Camille will share her story of why she decided to run for office and what she’s learned since she was elected. She’ll also share advice for how each of us can engage with our local government and explain why it’s so important to do. And she’ll talk about opportunities for engagement, from writing a letter to speaking at a Council meeting to volunteering for an advisory board to running for elected office. There will also be time reserved for your questions.
Want to join us? Space is limited, so register now to make sure we have a seat reserved for you! Coffee will be provided free of charge by Community Home Trust.
Inspired? Next stop, say thanks to Chapel Hill Town Council!
Sometimes, when there’s an important affordable housing issue on Town Council’s agenda, we ask you to write letters or speak at Council meetings. And those are really important opportunities to share why you advocate for affordable housing. (Want to make sure you receive email alerts about advocacy opportunities? Just reply to this email and let me know to add you to our email list!)
But our Town Council meets at least twice a month, which means we have dozens of opportunities every year to thank them for their work and especially to share why you, as their constituent, appreciate their attention to our community’s housing needs.
It’s really simple: just show up at any Town Council meeting and sign up to speak at the start of the meeting. You’ll have three minutes to share your thoughts — and sharing that you’re a CHT resident who benefits from their support is a great thought to share! Our Council members work hard to represent us, and that often means a lot of challenging feedback. Let’s flood them with gratitude for their work!
Interested? Just reply to this email and let me know, and I’ll give you all the details. I can even make sure there’s a CHT staff member at the meeting to provide moral support, too, in case you’re feeling nervous or unsure about the process!
Help us talk about the Why
We frequently receive requests from the media for interviews related to affordable housing news they’re covering. Often, they’re just looking for a comment related to a story about development or an upcoming Council meeting. Most often, these requests are for a 5-10 minute Zoom interview with a Daily Tar Heel reporter, with the content to be used in an online story. Sometimes, one of our local television networks is looking for a Zoom or in-person interview. Almost always, these requests come in with just a few hours’ notice!
I’m developing a list of CHT residents who are willing to be “on call” for media requests. When you sign up for this list, you’ll be contacted by text when a media request comes in. If you’re available to fill the request, you would reply by text and sign up for the opportunity. Would you be willing to be on our “on-call” list to participate in a media interview?
Again, a CHT staff member will always be available to help you prepare for the interview and can even join you if you’d like! Joining the list doesn’t commit you to any particular engagement; it just means you’re willing to be asked and participate if a need arises that you can meet.
Tell YOUR story!
One of the best tools we have to help people understand why Community Home Trust is so important is sharing the stories of our residents. We do that regularly on our blog. Then we share those stories with potential applicants, donors, elected officials, and community members to demonstrate what it means to be a CHT resident. This helps us encourage new residents AND new supporters to become part of the CHT family!
It’s really easy to share your story! We’ll jump on a Zoom call for 30 minutes or so at a time that’s convenient for you, and I’ll ask you a few questions about your CHT journey. Then I’ll write up the story and send it to you for input. And that’s it! If you’re willing to share your story, send me an email and we’ll schedule a time to talk!
Contribute to a research study!
A graduate student at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy is conducting a research study about community land trusts. Participants in this study will be compensated for their time.
If you’d like to learn more about participating, click to email researcher Mia Smith.
