December 12, 2022 Minutes

Attendees: David Lewicki, Wendy Cromwell, Paula Collins, Annie Godfrey, Carrie Sjogren

Discuss meeting days/time, Mailchimp, co-sponsoring seminar (request from Sara), Missing Middle effort

Meetings – who needs to be there, when to meet

  • working template was 1/month Tuesday evening meetings, meant to be highly participatory and to draw large groups, trying to do education about housing,
  • meeting format was 
    • 1) updates on DeKalb and Decatur activities, 
    • 2) speaker on housing issues 20-30 minutes, and 
    • 3) separate working groups of DeKalb and Decatur subgroups. 
  • Leadership team sometimes would check in with each other. 
  • Education has been primary driver. 
  • In past, every third Tuesday of month. Given area school meetings, we need to see if this still works. It might be better to move to Thursdays? Or another less crowded day of the week. 
  • Pre-COVID was all in person. Maybe try hybrid. Maybe alternate face-to-face educational and Zoom work sessions. 
  • Will send Doodle poll to find best time to meet. Should plan three to four months in advance. Send “good ideas” for topics to Wendy and Carrie.

Missing Middle

  • need to ask people to appear and speak at meetings, give talking points, four key objectives, Kristin Allin can help with education, need to come back to our vision – a housing advocate works for everyone, should not be a pejorative term; would be nice if our evening population looked like our daytime population; 
  • has Coalition spoken at meetings in the past as reps from the Coalition? We don’t think so, but we have given talking points. 
  • Wendy and Carrie will prepare talking points and share with group. 

Communication strategy

  • how often would email group? Usually announcement of meeting and reminder; sometimes updates on other meetings. 
  • We have not had a regular newsletter. Would be a great for tool for education.

Outreach to other organizations — nothing formal; 

  • Phil is connection to Beacon Hill Black Alliance; 
  • also new group called House the Unhoused (Sara); noticed when other groups are working on housing issues; 
  • Doug Faust (Decatur Housing Authority) has spoken at meetings; 
  • Partner with DEI Committees in schools?
  • David happy to help with re-convening the Dekalb “caucus” and trying to build out that part of work. Decatur is much better-represented in our recent work.
  • Emily Halvey and Hankie Miller have taken lead in DeKalb County in the past 
  • City Commissioners who might be good 

Two Upcoming events

  • January 9 Act Up Georgia Event at Oakhurst- Have a Zoom meeting to prepare? . 
  • Could Kristin come toJanuary meeting to educate members? Or do video with her to put in newsletter? Wendy and Carrie will ask Kristin.
  • January 17  commission meeting focusing on missing middle. 

Upcoming Meetings

  • January meeting 
    • Set date/format: Do we need January meeting to prepare members for January events? 
    • January 17 Decatur City Commission meeting
  • February general meeting – legislative update (Bambi Hayes Brown)?