People United for Sustainable Housing (PUSH Buffalo) is a local membership-based community organization fighting to make affordable housing a reality on Buffalo’s West Side. PUSH was founded by Aaron Bartley and Eric Walker in 2005.
PUSH Buffalo was established to:
- Create strong neighborhoods with quality affordable housing;
- Decrease the rate of housing abandonment by reclaiming empty houses from neglectful public and private owners and redeveloping them for occupancy by low-income residents; and
- Develop neighborhood leaders capable of gaining community control over the development process and planning for the future of the neighborhood.
Mission Statement:
The mission of PUSH Buffalo is to mobilize residents to create strong neighborhoods with quality, affordable housing, expand local hiring opportunities and to advance economic justice in Buffalo.
Vision Statement:
PUSH's members are the community organizers who make affordable housing a reality in Buffalo. Our members work with partners and funders to create a healthy, just and strong city that includes community control of resources, living wage jobs and access to quality education, healthcare and transportation.
PUSH Values:
At PUSH Buffalo, we value the following:
- Member Involvement – We base our decisions on member participation and consideration of alternatives
- Inclusiveness – We encourage a diversity of opinions
- Ownership – We take advantage of opportunities to create and control community resources
- Results Oriented – Our plan is an accomplishment – we have outlined a series of measurable goals and outcomes that will ultimately lead to results
- Relevant – We will respond to changing political and social climates by evaluating trends that are prevalent to the goals and objectives of our organization
- Justice - We are committed to promoting social justice that gives real power to real people
PUSH Strategies:
We hope to accomplish the following:
- Build a more democratic, action-orientated organization that addresses poor housing conditions and the lack of living wage jobs in our neighborhoods
- Decrease the rate of housing abandonment by reclaiming properties from neglectful public and private owners and redeveloping them for occupancy
- Lead direct action campaigns against corporations and government agencies whose practices contribute to the high poverty rate in our community
- Create a replicable model of grassroots neighborhood organizing and redevelopment that can be deployed in other low-income communities throughout the Rust Belt