There’s no other way to say it: we are outraged. The more we talk with our neighbors, the more we hear reports of mold, infestations, discriminatory practices, and unsafe housing conditions. This is unacceptable, and change can’t wait. Our West Side Tenant Union is taking action to demand dignified housing for all, now. 

On the West Side, we’ve been going door to door, connecting with neighbors in English, Spanish, Somali, and Oromo and deepening our strategies to fight for justice. Because we know that when we organize, we win: at the state level, we are celebrating the passage of a bill protecting the right to organize tenants in residential buildings.

Citywide, we’re building bridges with other neighborhoods, learning how they’ve used tools like land trusts and housing cooperatives to make homeownership accessible for working class renters. Last week, we held a workshop led by Rondo Community Land Trust.

Nationally, we’ve joined forces with the Tenant Union Federation to launch a Tenants Bill of Rights, demanding protections for renters. We're putting pressure on the Federal Housing Agency to ensure that any rental properties it helps fund are respecting the rights of renters– because we've seen firsthand that some of those very properties on the West Side are in extreme disrepair.

If you’re a renter on the West Side, there’s never been a better time to get involved! Connect with our Housing Justice Organizer Mayra Avila at [email protected] and RSVP to our next Tenant Union meeting on July 31st.