ABOUT US

Buyers and Renters Arlington Voice (BRAVO) started in 2000 as a coalition of 14 Arlington community organizations and churches. Concerned citizens formed BRAVO in the spring of 2000 in response to the loss of 720 affordable housing units in Arna Valley in 1999 and the displacement of all the low income and minority resident households that lived there. In 2006 BRAVO became a 501c3 non profit organization. BRAVO is the only countywide organization in Arlington that works to educate and build capacity among low – income and minority tenants to enable them to solve their own problems and speak for themselves.

BRAVO works with low and moderate income and minority tenants in Arlington who are living in affordable housing units that have code violations and other poor quality of life conditions, and who are at risk of losing their homes due to redevelopment. BRAVO staff educates tenants about their rights and responsibilities, helps tenants come together to improve their living conditions and assists tenants in working proactively with their landlords to preserve affordable housing as affordable.    

BRAVO's Mission and Organizing Principles

Mission:
BRAVO's mission is to advance and defend the rights and interests of Arlington's tenants by empowering them and working together to preserve affordable housing and the economic and cultural diversity of the community.

We accomplish this by:

  • Organizing at the grassroots level to fight for economic justice and improved quality of life, focusing on low and moderate income tenants living in housing with code violations and poor living conditions.
  • Educating tenants through activism, leadership, and educational trainings to equip them with the knowledge and skills to advance their housing rights.
  • Building leadership among low and moderate income and minority tenants so that they have a voice in community decisions.
  • Advocating for policies and programs that serve the needs of tenants.
  • Forming and joining coalitions that support affordable housing and tenant empowerment.
  • Promoting tenant sponsored initiatives that preserve affordable housing and create homeownership opportunitties.