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Housing Staff

Using Social Media to Fight the Negative Stigma of Public Housing

Social media has become such a major influence in our lives in so many aspects. The effect it has on our daily lives and the way we see the world is an undeniable truth. So why shouldn’t we as public housing professionals be using it to our advantage. The answer is, you absolutely should be, and here’s why.



Statistics Don’t Lie

  • According to known business leader, Forbes, an estimated 4.3 billion people used social media in 2023, with Facebook taking up 53% of social media viewers in the U.S alone. Think about that. Even in a small town, a big portion of the people in that community are using social media to keep up with what’s going on in around them. That’s why social media should be a top priority in getting your message out. Yes, newspapers, letters, emails, and all those other forms of communication can be

Your Information Can Be Easily Accessible

  • It probably comes to no surprise that 78% of social media usage is accessed solely on cell phones. That means your message can be placed right in the hands of your target audience. With tools such as targeted Facebook ads, your residents, partners, shareholders, or whoever else you would like

Easy Branding through Repetition

  • One of the best ways to build your brand is through repetitiveness. Social media is a great way to build your brand because you can literally get in front of your audience daily without much effort. We spoke about targeted ads earlier, but that is not the only way. Simply sharing on your Facebook page several times a week can get you in front of more and more people. With the right content, people will like your posts and want to share creating a bigger audience and brand awareness for your organization. Before you know it, people who have no association with your housing authority will begin to recognize you just from constantly seeing your posts shared on their timelines or seeing your logo.

Using your Brand to Shape Your Narrative

  • Unfortunately for those of us in this line of work are all too familiar with all of the negative stigmas that come with “public housing”. For the sake of not feeding into it, we won’t even list them all. But luckily social media can be a huge influencer and a way to promote all of the positive things about it. The more positive things out there help mold a new perspective. Here are a few examples:

    • Use social media to show success stories from those that beat the odds and were able to rise out of the public housing sector. This can help break the stigma that people live in housing authority all of their lives to take advantage of the system.

    • Showcase all of the great things your housing authority is doing for your residents to combat the rumors that residents don’t receive help from your organization.

    • Display the great partnerships you have and how they have a positive impact in the greater community

    • Show photos of your youth involvement to prove that you are fighting to make a difference and help mold the next generation to be better

    • Use social media to educate people about opportunities and resources that are available for them and their families or to educate people about your organization in general

These are just a few examples of how social media can have a huge impact when it comes to fighting the negative things that are being said about public housing and its operations. If your organization is not taking advantage of social media, please consider starting now. Don’t know where to start, we would love to help you along your journey through our program, Housing Highlighted, which aims to get in on this integral conversation and help you educate, bring awareness, and show that you are more than just a housing authority! Visit our website at www.housinghigh.com for more information.

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