Over the past 35 years, the Alliance has developed a set of core activities that build the organizational base, capacities and confidence of communities to develop and negotiate for development solutions. We call this set of core activities the ‘federation model.’

• Setting up Area Resource Centres that serve as a meeting space and base for activities
• Encouraging households to join a community-level Savings and Credit program that builds financial assets and local capacity
• Completing community-led Slum Surveys and Maps to create a powerful informational base for strategizing and negotiations
• Facilitating Peer Exchanges among groups on local, regional and national levels so that communities can learn from each other
• Organizing Housing Exhibitions that showcase affordable solutions and act as a tool for mobilization and dialogue with officials
• Undertaking Precedent-Setting housing and infrastructure projects that provide needed improvements while demonstrating solutions that can be scaled up and the capacity of the poor
• Supporting Dialogue and Negotiation on win-win solutions with relevant authorities
• Advocating for pro-poor Policy Changes on the basis of grassroots experience and demonstration of good governance practices

• Start with the poorest of the poor. Unless solutions work for the bottom 30%, they will be left out.
• Participation of women is central. Development initiatives cannot succeed without those who hold together their homes & communities.
• The poor must be partners, not beneficiaries. The poor know best which strategies will work, and change only occurs when they are organized to make demands and sustain them over time.
• Real change is a long-term process. We support communities for lifetimes, not project timelines.
• Negotiation is necessary. Protests alone don’t lead to answers:dialogue with authorities is essential for accessing land and amenities and scaling up.
• Solutions are political, not technical. Access to land and shelter is a systemic and political problem, so solutions cannot be primarily technical or managerial.
• Good governance is inclusive. It honors the participation of poor people and women in development decisions and practices.