A conversation with Sonja Trauss, YIMBY Activist and Responsible Housing Advocate

Sonja Trauss, Executive Director of Yes in My Back Yard (YIMBY), sits down with MEREDA Vice President Shannon Richards and MEREDA President Craig Young for the seventh episode of MEREDA Matters - the podcast that puts you in the room with the people who are driving responsible development in Maine. Trauss lives in the Bay Area in California and shares her journey from high school math teacher to housing activist. What started as Trauss ranting with friends about the lack of housing in San Francisco evolved into two advocacy organizations, YIMBY and YIMBY law, with 18 employees and 43 chapters in 19 states. Trauss sees herself as an activist for the end user of housing developments - the housing consumer, and discusses her organizations’ approach to promoting housing creation with advocacy, organizing, and focused legal action that requires cities to honor their own existing zoning laws rather than create subjective barriers for housing creation. The group also discusses ways for people to get started as a housing activist such as the very effective action of calling elected officials and showing up to local planning board meetings to make a public comment in favor of housing. What’s the best thing Sonja ate during her visit to Maine? Listen to the conversation to find out!