As we continue our series featuring reflections from members of the Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless Advocacy Fellowship, we’re honored to highlight the voices of fellows who brought their lived expertise to the Capitol throughout this year’s legislative session. Each reflection offers a unique perspective on advocacy, leadership, and the importance of ensuring people with firsthand experience help shape housing policy.
In the reflection below, MCH Advocacy Fellow Ash Littles shares how the Fellowship expanded their understanding of advocacy, strengthened meaningful connections, and reinforced the value of using lived experience to create lasting change.
[ASH]: One of the most memorable and meaningful parts of my fellowship experience this session was testifying in support of Local Homeless Prevention Aid (LHPA) before the Tax Committee. It was exciting to hear from other advocates that the program had been extended and to celebrate the part I played in helping make that happen. Learning how to write testimony and then having the opportunity to deliver it was an incredibly rewarding experience. It was also fulfilling to watch my fellow advocates and MCH staff testify, while sharing advice, encouragement, and feedback with one another throughout the process.
I loved working on my legislative agenda item. It felt very hard at times, though. Sometimes it was overwhelming to see how many people were rallying behind me as I advocated for it, but the amount of support and encouragement I received was amazing. It honestly made me feel not just famous, but known, heard, and seen for something I care so deeply about.
One thing about advocacy that surprised me was how close-knit the community can be and how quickly you get to feel like you’re part of it. Advocates really build trust, care for one another, and pass that sense of support along.
It’s beautiful to hear stories about advocates changing people’s minds, not just through sharing their lived experiences, but also through the ideas and solutions that grow from having direct, and sometimes deeply personal, knowledge of what works and what doesn’t. It surprised me because I didn’t expect there to be so many moving parts, and I couldn’t imagine how people kept up with it all, but they do. I’m incredibly grateful to have been welcomed into the advocacy community with open arms.
I think there will always be some form of negativity around a bill or policy, especially if it isn’t fully understood. But the goal can’t always be about pleasing everyone when the focus is on helping as many people as possible. I believe that’s what my supporters and I achieved with this legislative agenda item. Since it was my first time testifying, I was especially nervous about messing up or saying something wrong. The writing process was challenging, mostly because I had less than two minutes to deliver my testimony. I was very aware that a lot of eyes were on me and that members of the community were counting on me as well.
Meeting with lawmakers was one of the most exciting parts of the experience. It was so interesting to have one-on-one conversations with the people who help shape the policies that protect what so many of us call home: Minnesota. Getting to know Representative Aisha Gomez was such a meaningful experience. My only wish is that I’d had more time with her to talk about LHPA and other ideas for preventing and ending homelessness. Overall, it was a beautiful experience and a process I look forward to being part of again.
Being in the MCH Fellowship has changed a lot for me. It’s changed the way I view policy work and the people who create and support it. It has also changed how I think about advocacy by showing me that it’s ongoing work with many different ways to make an impact.
Most importantly, the Fellowship has helped me see my own value, given me more confidence in my skills, and shown me how to use them in meaningful ways to help others. It has also strengthened my voice by allowing me to lead and make a real difference.
Looking ahead, I’m excited for what’s next. Being part of the advocacy community and the MCH Fellowship has helped me believe in a future I couldn’t have imagined for myself a few years ago. I’m more confident in who I am and what I’m capable of, and now I have the opportunity to turn that confidence into action. I want to keep building stability for myself and for those around me.
Ash’s reflection highlights the confidence, leadership, and sense of purpose that can grow through the Advocacy Fellowship. By using their lived experience to advocate for meaningful policy change, building lasting relationships, and finding their voice at the Capitol, Ash demonstrated the power of authentic advocacy rooted in community. We are grateful for the passion, insight, and leadership Ash brought to this year’s cohort and look forward to sharing our final fellow reflection in the coming weeks.
– MCH Team, and mostly Ash Littles, MCH Advocacy Fellow