A group of West Side renters have taken the historic step of forming the first tenant union here on the West Side! If you are a West Side renter, we need you to join us!
What we do
We collectively build power in our community of renters by sharing resources, amplifying renter voices, and organizing for housing justice on the West Side! This includes:
- Building power with renters on the West Side to address issues in their buildings
- Renter rights and resources education
- Systems change work
Get involved!
Come to our monthly meetings!
We learn together, strategize next steps, and build camaraderie with each other
- When: on the 4th Wednesday of every month from 6:00PM- 7:30PM
- Where: WSCO’s offices, 209 Page Street West, St. Paul
- Visit our event calendar to RSVP for upcoming meetings
- Who: open to West Side renters
- Snacks provided, childcare and interpretation available upon request
Contact us
- Text RENTER to (651) 800-9618 and one of our organizers will follow up with you.
- Reach out to our organizers, Joshua Toor ([email protected]) or Mayra Avila ([email protected]) for more information.
- Take the West Side renters survey and tell us about an issue in your building
Doorknock with us!
- We are working hard to connect with every renter on the West Side. Join us in a doorknock! Interested in door knocking your building or your block? Reach out! We can help make it happen.
- When: We usually doorknock on Wednesday evenings.
Renter stories
“I’m speaking from my heart. We’re here to inform all the renters who are being put out of their apartments… we’re all going to come together to try to change that. We will try to unionize as many people as we can, to change the current status quo. We don’t have to put our heads down in shame, we don’t have to tell each other ‘we got put out.’ We’re not going anywhere!” – Marcus Troy, West Side renter, WSCO board member, and founding member of the West Side Tenant Union (pictured, above).
“We had no air conditioning, even in extreme heat. There were rats, cockroaches, bedbugs. We got together and sent a letter to the landlord, so he would listen to us and understand what we needed."– Teresa, West Side renter
“My hope is that our rent doesn't get raised, that the repairs continue, that we're all happy living in this building and that our group keeps meeting to support others who face the same problems."– Alejandra, West Side renter
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