Housing
The Equity and Inclusion Campaign calls on our elected and appointed officials to increase resources for affordable housing production and availability of rental units; resources for consumers such as rental and first-time homebuyer assistance; affordable homeowners' insurance; increased availability of Section 8, 202 and 811 vouchers; soft second mortgages, permanent supportive housing vouchers; enforcement and protection of fair, secure and sustainable housing; and accountability of CDBG fund allocation and distribution.

Environment & Infrastructure
The Gulf Coast states of Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi experience an extremely high rate of land loss due to human intervention.   While barrier islands and wetlands, coupled with levees, create the three tiers of defense necessary for adequate protection from hurricanes along the Gulf Coast, immediate action is needed to rebuild these natural defenses and mitigate future disasters to protect social, cultural and economic interests in coastal areas.

Economic Development & Workers' Rights
The Equity and Inclusion Campaign calls on our elected and appointed officials to support regional transit and transit-based development; environmentally friendly development (i.e., green jobs); promotion of small business development and entrepreneurship; nondiscrimination policy toward English proficiency; youth workforce training and job placement; emphasis on training and contracting of local employees; right to a living wage; and fair technology access.

Disaster Healthcare  
Hurricane Katrina overwhelmed our disaster medical response systems, exposing numerous weaknesses and emphasizing the need to improve our country's ability to respond. It is well-documented that low-income people, the elderly, the disabled and other vulnerable populations suffered the brunt of the impact of the storm and were the least likely to evacuate prior to landfall; therefore, they were exposed to greater public health risks and an increased chance of long-term displacement and health challenges.

The federal government should incorporate the lessons from recent hurricanes to establish a better-equipped emergency medical response system, one that ensures equitable care for vulnerable populations, including the elderly, disabled, women, children and others with special needs.

Education
The Equity and Inclusion Campaign calls on our elected and appointed officials to support equitable funding for education and early childhood development to close the student achievement gap. The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) should improve low-performing schools and improve equitable access to academic resources, including high-quality teachers and leaders; ensure that students are college and work ready; address the spiraling high school drop-out rate; and implement standards of measurement for success.