Over 200 members of ONE Wake institutions across Wake County turned out for a hybrid Annual Meeting on March 9. Together we pledged to engage a total of 2,083 members of our communities in a grassroots listening campaign this spring. This pledge exceeded our proposed goal by over 500 people. What a great reaction!

The Annual Meeting represents the beginning of a new cycle of organizing, which starts with relationships, listening, identifying shared concerns, and leaders who have the appetite to take action. The listening campaign will conclude on the evening of June 8 when ONE Wake leaders will meet to discuss the major themes that were identified during the campaign, and will vote to prioritize certain problems for action.

ONE Wake's last listening campaign took place in 2019, and engaged over 3,300 members of our communities in grassroots conversations which identified affordable housing as a top pressure impacting families across Wake County. These conversations built a base of support for public action on this issue, which led to three campaigns that won close to $15 million in new affordable housing investment and compensation for residents who have been displaced, or who are at risk of displacement, in gentrifying communities.

Although ONE Wake is starting a new cycle of organizing, the organization will also be honoring our existing commitments. This budget season it will be especially important to demonstrate our support for the continuation of the Cary Affordable Housing Fund, as well as to urge the Raleigh City Council to make an investment in the Homeowner Care Fund to prevent the displacement of long time homeowners. Please see below for two budget season actions that were discussed at the Annual Meeting and that need your support. 

The pledge sheet from our Annual Meeting is available here. Don't see your institution listed? Contact a ONE Wake organizer at [email protected] to add your community and your pledge for listening.