Courage is the New Currency
- Jeanne Fekade-Sellassie
- 2 hours ago
- 6 min read
When the Fund for Housing and Opportunity recently gathered for our triannual meeting, we invited Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, to help us wrestle with a pressing question: What will it take to preserve democracy and uphold the rule of law—and why does that matter so deeply for housing justice?
The conversation was sobering. It was also galvanizing. And, perhaps most importantly, it was hopeful.
Housing Justice Depends on Democracy
It can be tempting to think of democracy as abstract and housing as concrete. But as Skye reminded us, in this era of American life, everything is interconnected.
Attacks on democratic institutions—on voting rights, on civil liberties, on the independence of courts—are deeply intertwined with attacks on housing affordability, access, and solutions for people experiencing homelessness. When executive power is abused, when agencies attempt to impose unlawful conditions on grants, and when due process is weakened, housing providers and the communities they serve are directly harmed.
Democracy Forward has blocked unlawful restrictions on federal housing grants, including attempts to impose anti-equity and anti-trans conditions. They have challenged new policies that would have upended permanent supportive housing. They have helped preserve funding streams that keep people housed.
This is not theoretical. It is about whether families can keep a roof over their heads. It’s about whether people who find themselves without a home are treated as criminals despite the failure of the systems meant to support them. It’s about whether communities can pursue equity without political interference.
The rule of law is not separate from housing justice. It is the ground beneath it.
The law is not inherently just. It has too often been wielded to entrench inequality rather than to dismantle it. Laws are living frameworks that must be continually strengthened and directed to protect rights, advance equity, and help democracy work for everyone.
This interconnectedness is at the core of what FHO is all about. It is the value we bring to our members as a collaborative: identifying and funding the intersections that a single funder might not be able to do on their own, and then sharing that learning with the community of funders. It’s one of the reasons I was so excited to hear Skye’s presentation—because it gives me hope about what we can do as a movement working together to improve people’s lives.
We Know What Works
In 2021, the United States was added to the list of countries experiencing democratic backsliding. Congress is often dysfunctional. Extremism has taken hold in state and local arenas. Media ecosystems are fractured by misinformation.
And yet—this is critical—we know what works to slow and reverse democratic erosion. Skye outlined a clear framework: Defend. Disrupt. Build.
Defend democratic institutions and policies that propel progress through strong regulatory and legal support.
Disrupt unlawful, regressive, and anti-democratic actions through litigation, legal advocacy, and public education.
Build a truly inclusive democracy that works for all of us.
Under Skye’s leadership, Democracy Forward played a leading role both in bringing litigation to protect essential services and people’s rights and in supporting others in bringing cases through its Democracy 2025 initiative, which is now comprised of 675 organizations. All told, people in communities across the nation represented by public interest lawyers, state attorneys general, and the private bar have filed more than 600 cases challenging executive overreach, winning roughly 70–80 percent of them. These victories have come before judges appointed by Republicans (including those appointed by President Trump) and Democrats alike. In federal funding cases, the administration has lost the vast majority. And fewer than 5 percent of cases have even reached the Supreme Court.
Litigation has not only stopped unlawful actions; it has shaped the narrative. Sometimes, the mere act of filing a lawsuit, of signaling that someone will challenge abuse of power, has altered government behavior before a court order was even issued.
This is what hope grounded in action looks like.
It Has Always Been About People
One of the most powerful themes of the conversation was this: democracy is not saved by institutions alone. It is saved by people.
“Our work is about people, not courts or structures,” Skye shared. Courts are tools. So are regulations. So are funding streams. But the engine of change is people. It's communities coming together, exercising their rights, and protecting one another.
Autocratic regimes thrive on the isolation and intimidation of their people. They make people feel alone and afraid.
But connection and collective action are more powerful than empty narratives based in fear.
Democracy Forward’s “Dinners for Democracy” and “Coffee for Change” initiatives are designed to bring in those who are movement-curious but uncertain where to begin. Their “We Hold These Truths” campaign promotes accessible civic education grounded in constitutional protections. They are investing in narrative strategies, working with creators and local leaders to reach audiences who are not consuming traditional media.
This work recognizes a simple truth: people must see themselves as agents of democracy, not bystanders to it.
The Cost of Inaction
There was candid acknowledgment of fear in this moment—fear among nonprofits, among lawyers, among funders. But there was also clarity.
With regard to those who are seeking to ‘cut deals’ with the administration,“You can’t buy your way out of authoritarianism,” Skye said. The best protection is engagement. In fact, organizations that fought back in court often received legal protection orders. In contrast, capitulation did not buy safety.
Kristin Bateman, a senior counsel at Democracy Forward, who has been integral to housing-related litigation, provided us details about what can be learned from the work over the last year to preserve essential services.
Megan Uzzell of Democracy Forward put it plainly: We talk a lot about the risk of action. We need to talk about the cost of inaction. What will our children say we did (or failed to do) when democracy was under threat?
This is not hyperbole. The stakes are real, including potential misuse of personal data, threats to election systems, militarized enforcement tactics in multiple cities, and efforts to condition federal funds on ideological allegiance.
And still, Skye offered a sober assessment that there is a realistic chance our democratic systems will hold. Courts have functioned, and many legal challenges are succeeding. Across ideological lines, judges are upholding the rule of law.
Yet, there is also a real chance we slide further into authoritarianism. To preserve democracy and to build the vision of the future we all know is possible, we must act.
What Funders Can Do
For funders committed to housing justice, the implications are clear.
Continue values-based work. Supporting lawful, nonviolent efforts to advance equity is not a liability—it is essential.
Recognize litigation as a critical tool. Legal action is often the difference between people being silenced and people being able to use their voice. It preserves due process. It safeguards funding. It protects civil society space.
Encourage grantees to stay engaged. Many assume litigation is out of reach or too expensive. But when rights are infringed, legal strategies can be decisive and funders can help make them possible.
Invest in narrative and connection. Democracy is not only defended in courtrooms. It is strengthened in communities. Reaching people requires investment in civic education, investigative journalism, grassroots journalism (including what is being done by content creators), and cross-sector coordination all matter.
Stay connected. Autocracy thrives on fragmentation. We need shared briefings, rapid information exchange, coordination across states and sectors, and solidarity across issue areas. If one of us is targeted, all of us must respond.
As Skye reminded us: “If you come for one of us, you come for all of us.”
Courage Is the New Currency
There was one phrase that I know will stay with me long after the meeting ended: "Courage is the new currency."
Courage to file the lawsuit at 1 a.m. Courage to renew a grant under attack. Courage to speak publicly about constitutional protections. Courage to fund work that safeguards rights. Courage to stay connected when isolation feels safer.
Housing justice depends on the rule of law. The rule of law depends on democratic institutions. And democratic institutions ultimately depend on us.
We have tools. We have strategies. We have evidence that they work.
We are winning more often than not, both in the courts and in the court of public opinion. That does not mean the threat is imaginary. It means the outcome is not predetermined.
Preventing authoritarianism is not someone else’s job. It belongs to all of us—advocates, funders, service providers, lawyers, organizers, neighbors.
If we defend. If we disrupt. If we build.
Democracy is not a relic of the past. It is a project—unfinished, imperfect, and worth fighting for. And together, we still have the power to shape what comes next.
