Video Housing

Tenant Rights in Our Backyard—A Panel Discussion

Tenant activists discuss how the housing movement can do better at aligning itself with the tenants' rights movement.

Shelterforce’s Shelby R. King moderates “Tenants Rights In Our Backyard—And Tenants In Our Coalition, Too,” a panel discussion at the YIMBYtown 2022 conference. 

The panel featured Tram Hoang, the director of policy and research at the Housing Justice Center, and a Shelterforce contributor; and Jamey Duhamel, a special projects coordinator with the Portland Bureau of Transportation. Hoang and Duhamel have worked on numerous campaigns for renters’ rights, and they discussed the successes and failures of building coalitions with YIMBYs and tenants. They also charted a path forward for stronger alliances for housing stability justice.

About the Author

Avatar photo

Shelterforce

Shelterforce is the only independent, non-academic publication covering the worlds of community development, affordable housing, and neighborhood stabilization.

Tags

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • In a city square, perhaps a park, four workers in white protective jumpsuits and wearing masks lift a tent into the back of a garbage truck, while three others look on. Nearby are other tents and jumbled personal belongings, blankets, and clothes. In the foreground, a throw pillow printed with the words "But first, coffee" lies in the dirt.

    Criminalizing Homelessness Doesn’t Work, Study Finds

    • Roshan Abraham

    July 3, 2025

    The analysis shows that these laws, including bans on sleeping outside, don't reduce homelessness. Why are they on the rise?

  • A woman with short, red hair and glasses speaks in front of a podium.

    Researchers are Using AI to Get a Clearer Picture of Housing in the U.S.

    • Franklin Schneider

    July 2, 2025

    Analysts are using artificial intelligence to supercharge their research by allowing them to comb through data faster. Though these AI tools can be error prone, they save time and housing researchers are optimistic about the future.

  • Two very similar apartment buildings side by side fill the frame, with a strip of blue sky above. The one on the left has been renovated and painted a putty color, and looks fresh and clean. The one on the right looks old and dirty and has missing windows and broken masonry.

    What Happens if Trump Kills Section 8?

    • Shelby R. King

    June 30, 2025

    The Trump administration wants to nearly halve funding for federal rental assistance and make the states figure out how to distribute what’s left. Tenants, landlords, and housing providers say the fallout would be catastrophic, spiking homelessness and destabilizing communities.