'America in One Room' group pitches local 'Catalyst Cities' deliberative project to study housing in Green Bay

Jeff Brooks, director of the America in One Room program at the Hellerman Group Foundation, told the Green Bay Equal Rights Commission on Jan. 9 that his group is exploring a local “Catalyst Cities” deliberative project focused on housing and homelessness.

Brooks said the program assembles a large, statistically representative sample of local residents and gives participants time, expert briefings and small‑group formats to examine policy options. "We view this as a force multiplier for national problems," Brooks said, describing prior national and youth-focused implementations and research partnerships, including work with Stanford’s Democracy Lab and public coverage by national media.

The project model Brooks described would aim to recruit roughly several hundred participants — he cited 300 as a plausible local target — compensate participants for their time, and remove practical barriers to participation. "If someone can't attend unless they are compensated, we compensate them," Brooks said, adding that organizers have paid per diems, arranged travel and covered extraordinary needs (he gave an example of arranging temporary care for a small dairy’s milking chores so a participant could attend).

Brooks said a local launch would require fundraising; his ballpark estimate for a Green Bay deployment is $1.25 million to $1.5 million, with about half expected to come from local sources. He described a five‑phase timeline that places local deliberations in the latter half of 2025, with follow‑up continuing into early 2026 if the city or county elected to sustain the panel.

Commissioners asked how the project would ensure participation by people who are often excluded from public processes. Brooks said organizers plan targeted outreach, sample augmentation when legacy polling lists are incomplete, and partnerships with local institutions — media, universities and community organizations — to broaden representation. "We will go the extra mile to make sure the sortition process invites a truly representative sample," he said.

Commissioners and other meeting participants discussed possible political sponsorship and scope. Brooks said the project team prefers a political sponsor with authority to act on policy results; he described having sought bipartisan sign‑on when approaching municipalities. He said some local contacts recommended expanding the scope beyond the city to Brown County to secure broader resources and bipartisan partners.

Several commissioners expressed interest in continuing the conversation. Commission members suggested naming a commissioner as a liaison to help the project team meet local stakeholders and said they would arrange one‑on‑one follow‑up sessions with Brooks. Brooks provided contact information on his slide deck (jeff@helena.org) and asked the commission to share introductions to potential local partners.

What remained unresolved at the end of the presentation was whether the Equal Rights Commission itself would serve as the political sponsor, or whether the mayor’s office or city council would need to take that role. Brooks said he is open to working with the commission but emphasized the need for a political partner empowered to take meaningful action on any policy recommendations resulting from the deliberations.

The commission did not take any formal vote on the proposed project during the meeting; commissioners agreed to additional conversations and possible follow‑up meetings with Brooks and among themselves.

Why it matters: The America in One Room model produces deliberative, research‑grade public input that organizers say can identify policy packages different from standard partisan options. For Green Bay, a representative deliberation on housing could provide locally grounded policy priorities and a public engagement method intended to include residents who do not typically speak at public meetings.

Contacts and next steps: Brooks offered to meet individually with commissioners for deeper discussions and asked for introductions to city and county offices and potential local funders. Several commissioners said they would pursue follow‑up meetings and consider identifying an internal liaison.