After years of feeling ignored by their elected leaders, hundreds of East Oakland residents and half a dozen community groups have formed a single organization that could become a powerful political and lobbying force in the city.

Called the East Oakland Congress of Neighborhoods, its members say they are tired of potholes, rampant prostitution and sex trafficking, illegal dumping, gun violence, homelessness and a lack of affordable housing. They say the city’s investment priorities and policies have disadvantaged their schools, air quality and parks, and made difficult their access to healthy food and good-paying jobs.

On Tuesday, the group released its “people’s agenda” — ranging from protecting immigrant families to reining in big developments seen as not benefiting the community.

“You have to have a bold agenda to attract different types of people,” said Andre Spearman, 55, who lives in the Fruitvale neighborhood. “We’re trying to revitalize and reimagine Oakland as a beautiful, affordable place.”

Spearman said the group can go in a number of directions, and it won’t just be making demands of politicians. Many of their goals can be accomplished by members at the grassroots level, he said.

The neighborhood congress could become an important voting bloc in the city, Spearman said, with the kind of leverage and relationships that more affluent areas of the city enjoy.

The council members representing the area, Desley Brooks, Larry Reid and Noel Gallo, did not respond to requests for comment.

Crime, policing and criminal justice reform were other top issues for residents when 700 of them met in late September to talk about forming the organization. The majority of the city’s homicides and shootings last year were committed in areas composing East Oakland, police data show.

Evangelina Lara, 57, who lives in lower San Antonio, said she was fed up with skyrocketing rents, widespread prostitution and illegal dumping.

“I see how things are changing, but from my perspective, it’s getting worse,” she said. “I know our representatives are doing something, but not enough. We hope they will hear our demands.”

The six community organizations that formed the neighborhood congress are the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, Causa Justa Just Cause, Communities for a Better Environment, East Bay Asian Youth Center, East Oakland Building Healthy Communities and Oakland Community Organizations.

“There’s a lot of enthusiasm for East Oakland getting the political muscle it needs to solve these problems,” said Angie Noel, a spokeswoman for the group. She said its rollout one year before the 2018 elections was purposeful — a signal their ballots will be mustered en masse to voting in the candidates and measures that will address the needs of East Oakland.

Kimberly Veklerov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kveklerov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kveklerov