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What is a YIMBY Action Chapter?

Start making a change in your community with your friends and neighbors!

The Way We Win

How Our Chapters Are Solving the Housing Shortage

YIMBY Action has been supporting our chapters to change housing policies in their communities for over 5 years. We need more voices willing to support new homes in their communities so everyone can have access to a stable, affordable home in the neighborhood where they want to live.

The pro-housing movement is for everyone. You don’t need to be a policy expert. If you are frustrated about high prices, lack of availability, homelessness and displacement, and if you believe that we can do better, YIMBY is for you.

The most effective way to make housing abundant and affordable is by assembling the biggest group possible to make your position known! We call this “People Power.” Decision-makers are most compelled by a “choir of voices” in their jurisdiction who are pushing for a solution. Our chapter members deliver that.

YIMBY Action chapters are not content with the status quo. They are always working to ensure that housing proposals in their communities get built, YIMBY candidates are elected into office, and pro-housing laws are passed in their states.

The way we win is by mobilizing our community members to get involved in the processes that are shaping their daily lives. We have to show up and support new homes, pro-housing candidates, and YIMBY policies so we can show together that Americans are tired of paying too much to keep a roof over our heads. We want abundant housing that is affordable and accessible for everyone.

YIMBY Action chapters help empower community members to make their voices heard, and help build a future that works for all of us.

About Our Chapters

YIMBY Action chapters are the local, grassroots groups that advocate to end the housing shortage and affordability crisis. Chapter members and volunteer leaders (Leads) take action in their communities to fight for more housing in their neighborhoods. Each chapter is part of our national network of YIMBYs who support each other’s work, collaborate, and advocate for change on a national scale such as supporting federal pro-housing legislation.

Most of the work our chapters do is on the ground in local communities, supported by YIMBY Action and its members across the country. We all work together to make housing in the U.S. affordable and abundant; each chapter advocates for solutions in their backyard. YIMBY Action members can join the chapter in their geographic region or they can join Identity Groups to connect on how the housing shortage impacts various communities differently.

I became a Lead for YIMBY Action's East Bay YIMBY chapter & a co-founder of YIMBY Latino because urbanism and housing affordability impact several social issues that I have always been frustrated with and wanted to change. Today, I enjoy bringing people together at events to talk about what YIMBYism, urbanism, and sustainability look like for future generations. I've made amazing friends and acquaintances from across the country by being part of YIMBY Action's community. -Raul Maldonado

Our Chapter Locations

What Do YIMBY Action Chapters Do?

Our chapters fight for abundant housing by:

Supporting local housing proposals to get more homes built
Educating communities on housing history, pro-housing laws, research, etc.
Endorsing and campaigning for pro-housing candidates running for local, state, and federal offices
Advocating for pro-housing policies at the local, state, and federal levels

I became a Lead for South Bay YIMBY because I believe in the goals of YIMBY Action and wanted to channel my energy into a cause that I feel passionately about. I really want to grow the movement and help channel discontentment about the housing crisis into positive change. -Elizabeth Conlan

The Leaders of the Movement

YIMBY Action Volunteer Leaders

Our chapters are led by volunteer leaders (Leads). Our Leads grow the YIMBY movement and advocate for more homes in their community. They are regular folks who are tired of seeing the same problems with housing in their communities. These volunteers are passionate about making a difference in their neighborhoods by taking power back from the people who are causing our housing shortages and returning the power back to community members. Leads typically dedicate 1-5 hours per week to reach new neighbors and organize their chapters to advocate for abundant, affordable housing.

Here are some of the things our Leads spend time on:

Hosting community events
Building relationships with other community and advocacy groups
Running social media accounts to reach new folks in their neighborhoods
Researching and helping write pro-housing policies for state and federal governments
Showing up at public hearings and mobilizing local members to give public comment in favor of housing proposals in their neighborhoods
Leading trainings to educate their neighbors about the importance and impact of the YIMBY movement
Endorsing pro-housing candidates in local, state, and federal elections
Mobilizing local volunteers to take actions such as canvassing, phone banking, and letter writing to support pro-housing candidates and policies

Does this sound like you?