I’ve been traveling a lot this semester, and I’ve got more travel coming up soon. One thing I’ve started to become acutely aware of is how widely social and economic equity can vary from one community to another. In Nashville I’m used to seeing both insanely large diamond rings on the hands of the women in my yoga classes, and public schools that are drastically underfunded. In Chicago I notice that my neighborhood is becoming less and less affordable (houses on the block where I grew up are routinely selling for half a million dollars, which is more than four times what my parents paid twenty-one years ago) but not, as far as I can tell, any safer, or more accessible by public transit. In Atlanta, Laurel drove me around neighborhoods where low-income families are quickly being pushed out by developers. If you think this isn’t a Jewish problem, think again. As predominantly Jewish neighborhoods become more and more expensive, young committed Jews like me are forced to live farther and farther away from synagogues and other Jewish institutions. Think I go to shul just as often if I live three miles away than if I live one mile away? Not a chance. Regardless, affordable housing for everyone should be something that every Jew cares about. If you’re interested in being involved with organizations that advocate for more affordable housing, and social and economic equity, check out the PolicyLink website. 
Here’s their mission statement:
PolicyLink is a national research and action institute advancing economic and social equity by Lifting Up What Works®.
PolicyLink work is guided by the belief that those closest to the nation’s challenges are central to the search for solutions. With local and national partners, PolicyLink is spotlighting promising practices, supporting advocacy campaigns, and helping to bridge the traditional divide between local communities and policymaking at the local, regional, state, and national levels.
By developing and implementing multifaceted strategies, PolicyLink seeks to ensure that everyone—including low-income communities of color—can contribute to and benefit from local and regional growth and development. Among our approaches is equitable development, which is grounded in four principles: the integration of people and place; reduction of local and regional disparities; promotion of “double bottom line” investments; and ensuring meaningful voice, participation, and leadership from community members. This framework is used to promote a range of economic and social issues, including achieving the fair distribution of affordable housing throughout regions, equity in public investment, and community strategies to improve health.
Pretty, rockin’ stuff, right? My favorite thing about PolicyLink is their Equitable Development Toolkit, that presents a comprehensive list of policy options to advance economic and social equity. You can just browse through and find the method that seems most effective for your community. You can get involved in communities where they’re already on the ground, working on specific projects, or you can just give them some cash. This is serious stuff, people. Let’s get to work!