Center the knowledge of people with lived experience

Local governments and service providers should be open to constructive feedback directly from residents who are attempting to or who have used city and county services.   People with lived experience have an essential perspective to offer and cities and counties should formalize ways to incorporate the information that they bring to the table. Cities and counties should enact policies to ensure that people with lived experience are in decision-making positions, whether that be through appointed advisory boards or full-time policy and program management positions.