The #OurNeighborhoods Peer Learning program creates a knowledge-sharing and networking space for advocates and organizers working in and for low-income Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AA and NH and PI) communities facing gentrification and displacement. Through sub-granting and cohort meetings, this program aims to:
Since 2022, the program has engaged with over 30 staff from local CBOs and facilitated discussions about base-building, leadership development, and campaign planning. We have also organized annual in-person convenings for participants to deepen their professional and personal connections with each other and with other organizations in the broader National CAPACD network.
National CAPACD’s analysis of data from the 2020 American Community Survey highlights the critical need for protecting our AA and NHPI neighborhoods. Over half of our country’s Asian American population lives in the top 15 most expensive housing markets, while disaggregated data for Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders also show inequity, with four out of six NHPI groups experiencing rent burdens above the U.S. average. Moreover, the disproportionate likelihood for low-income AAs and NHPIs to live in expensive housing markets is consistent across housing types (rental vs. ownership) and geography (regions vs. neighborhoods). These trends place AA and NHPI at high risk of displacement. Gentrification and displacement are major threats to the stability, health, and well-being of AA and NHPI communities.
In response, National CAPACD is committed to equipping local CBOs with the technical and strategic expertise needed to protect their neighborhoods, while also increasing their capacity to organize, advocate, and take action to ensure stability and opportunity for their communities.
Please contact Wai Yee Poon, Associate Director of Organizing & Community Initiatives, at waiyee@nationalcapacd.org for any questions and inquiries.
This work has been generously supported by TD Bank.
