LeadingAge member 2Life Communities, a Brighton, MA-based provider of housing with services, takes advocacy seriously—so much so that its corporate leadership team includes a “Chief of Advocacy,” Emily Levine, who manages advocacy, political, and community affairs on behalf of the organization.

In taking on this role, Levine, who previously served as chief of staff for five years, prioritizes residents’ involvement in advocacy initiatives.

“At 2Life, seniors are seen, respected and, most of all, given the agency they deserve,” said Levine. “The most meaningful advocacy occurs when the people the work sets out to impact are sharing their own stories.”

Last year, for instance, a group of residents from Brown Family House, a 2Life affordable housing community in Brookline, MA, wrote letters to legislators to advocate for passage of Massachusetts’ Affordable Homes Act, a housing bond bill that authorizes funding for the creation and preservation of affordable housing.

“They emphasized that all older adults deserve the experience and community life they have found at 2Life, and they doubled down on why a commission that focuses on the unique needs of seniors is vital,” said Levine, in a 2Life article on resident advocacy.  The residents’ contributions helped log a victory: In August, the $5.16 billion bill was signed by Gov. Maura Healey at 2Life’s Golda Meir House.

To gauge advocacy interest among residents, Levine has hosted nine “Advocacy 101” workshops since June 2024 with residents at the seven 2Life communities. She not only talks about how policy issues affect affordable housing, but asks participants to tell their own advocacy stories—and learns what issues they want to focus on.

“The first several months of this has been [about] getting a feel for what people are interested in,” said Levine. “Let’s find where people already hold certain issues close.”

Residents at Coleman House in Newton, for instance, are concerned about the inflexibility of the city’s transportation program, and the loss of an MBTA bus stop in front of their building. They chose this as a focus for their advocacy, and are working to bring city councilors, state legislators, and—once the race is underway—all mayoral candidates to meet with them on transportation needs, among other areas of interest. At another community, residents wanted to talk to their congressman, Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-MA). The organization arranged an event at one of its three sites in his district, and transported residents in from the other two campuses to demonstrate their power in numbers.

“It was quite powerful to be able to offer an illustration to [residents] of their power in numbers,” said Levine. With changes occurring under the new presidential administration, Auchincloss has also made recent visits to other 2Life campuses to answer questions about topics ranging from the federal budget to gun violence and Medicare.

Levine follows up with residents after workshops or events, collecting suggestions for improvements. One benefit of the program, she says, is the creation of “a cadre of about 60 residents across all of our campuses who feel invested, and want to be pulled into … opportunities to go to the state house, or to know when there’s a legislator coming, or want to be part of a tour.”

In March, she intends to show up with residents “in full force at the state house” to advocate for the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program, the state’s version of a Section 8 rental subsidy program.

Resident activists will expand their reach this year, as 2Life formally partners with the Massachusetts Senior Action Council to bring residents across campuses into their formal network of advocates.

Levine is careful to prioritize residents’ wishes about the issues they want to advocate for. “I believe in a lot of different opportunities and options, and not pushing anyone to do more than what they feel like doing,” she says. “But whenever [residents] are inclined to be active, we want them to know there are resources to do so.”

Photo: Residents from three campuses gathered at 2Life’s Brown Family House in January for a town hall with Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-MA). Photo courtesy of 2Life Communities.

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