The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) initiated a proposal, the Preservation, Enhancement and Transformation of Rental Assistance Act (PETRA), that would enable HUD to change the ownership structure of public housing, allowing for private control of this public good.

In response, the Campaign to Restore National Housing Rights, along with allies, has mobilized opposition at local, national and international levels.  The Campaign is calling on the U.S. government to reject PETRA and work with residents to find human rights–based alternatives for sustaining public housing.  

Since the introduction of PETRA, the Campaign has met with congressional members and staffers, organized a national sign-on letter with over 40 community, 9 national, 4 international groups and 15 academics, submitted testimony for the Financial Services Committee's hearing on PETRA, held local screenings of Coming Home: The Dry Storm and townhalls to discuss the consequences of privatizing public housing, and discussed the threat to the human right to housing PETRA poses during the United States' Universal Periodic Review at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.

On December 1, 2010, Representative Keith Ellison (D-MN) introduced PETRA II, known as the Rental Housing Revitalization Act, replacing HUD's PETRA, which is presently the focus of the Campaign's oppositional efforts.