ADVOCACY
The Collaborative Advocacy Network (CAN)
Sharing community and policy updates that impact the social sector in Bucks and Montgomery counties.
What is advocacy, and why it matters
Advocacy, in a nutshell, is helping decision-makers understand the real-world impact of the policies and funding decisions they’re considering.
Health and human services providers see every day how those policies and funding decisions affect real people’s lives. That makes nonprofits a critical voice on behalf of the communities they serve and a powerful partner for legislators.
Advocacy doesn’t require policy expertise or a major time commitment. It can be as simple as sharing data, lifting up a client’s story, responding to a call to action, or participating in a meeting. The Bucks-Mont Collaborative’s advocacy work is designed to make advocacy doable, strategic, and collective—so nonprofits don’t have to do it alone.
Our advocacy priorities
Each year, the Bucks-Mont Collaborative works with members to identify a focused set of advocacy priorities that reflect shared challenges across our region’s health and human services sector. These priorities help align our collective voice and guide our engagement with policymakers.
While our members address a wide range of needs, our advocacy has consistently centered on housing and behavioral health because they are foundational. Simply put, when people have a safe place to live and access to mental health and addiction treatment, addressing everything else becomes easier. Progress in these areas supports stability, improves outcomes, and strengthens the effectiveness of every other service our members provide.
Ways To Get Involved
Whether you have five minutes to take action or the capacity to get more deeply involved, the Bucks-Mont Collaborative offers multiple ways to engage in advocacy at a level that fits your time, comfort, and interest.
The Collaborative Advocacy Network (CAN)
CAN is the Collaborative’s member working group on advocacy. It is where members help shape policy priorities, share updates from the field, and coordinate collective action around housing and behavioral health.
CAN meets on the second Wednesday of each month from 10-11:15 AM via Zoom and is open to members of the Bucks-Mont Collaborative, as well as members of our C3 partner organizations, the Tri-County Community Network (TCN) and the Interagency Council of Norristown (ICN). Learn more about C3!
To join CAN, email our Advocacy Coordinator Correne Kristiansen at [email protected].
Thank you to our CAN Co-Chairs!
Kim Permar, Executive Director, Bucks County Health Improvement Partnership
Phyllis Chamberlain, Executive Director, and Jen Thomas, Community Engagement Manager, Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania
Other Advocacy Opportunities
In addition to CAN, the Bucks-Mont Collaborative offers a range of advocacy opportunities for members, partners, and the general public, including trainings, legislative events, surveys, and coordinated calls to action.
Advocacy In Action
The Collaborative supports and participates in advocacy at all levels of government, using a variety of tools and strategies to elevate the voices of the region’s health and human services sector.
We work closely with aligned regional, statewide, and national partners to bring a unified voice to the most pressing issues facing our communities.
Examples of our advocacy work include:
- Annual Harrisburg Day of Action
- Annual Winter Legislative Breakfast
- Providing written and oral testimony at legislative hearings
- Hosting press events
- Meeting with local, state and federal legislators and their staff
- Conducting member surveys to capture and share out real-time local impacts of policy decisions
- Offering advocacy trainings and presentations
Looking Ahead
Advocacy is an ongoing process, not a one-time event. As policy landscapes evolve, the Bucks-Mont Collaborative will continue to expand resources on this page.
Whether you are taking your first step into advocacy or looking to strengthen your organization’s policy voice, the Bucks-Mont Collaborative is here to support you.
Join The Collaborative Advocacy Network
To join CAN, please contact Correne Kristiansen, Advocacy Coordinator, Bucks-Mont Collaborative: [email protected].
We meet the 2nd Wednesday monthly from 10:00-11:15am on Zoom. Join us!