Topic
Organizing
Community development relies on policies, resources, and recognition that were won by decades of organizing—and organizing remains essential to face new threats, preserve existing wins, and continue to fight back against the big lie that the way things are is inevitable.
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Could Massachusetts Get Rent Control Back After a 32-Year Ban?
In Massachusetts, the collection of more than 124,000 signatures makes it likely that a statewide rent control measure will be on the ballot in November.
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How Portland, Maine, Passed Rent Control
Organizers drew broad support with a multi-pronged campaign and found ways to get signatures in a pandemic to win rent stabilization and a slate of other progressive laws.

Fighting Back Against Corporate Landlords—A Shelterforce Webinar
Shelterforce recently hosted a conversation about how to fight, and win, against corporate landlords and their extractive business models. Watch the video or read the transcript.

The Rise and Fall of the National Tenants Union
The National Tenants Union fought for tenant rights in the 1970s and early 1980s. One of the union’s founders reflects on the organization and what we might learn from those times.

Organized Tenants Are Baaaaack
After a lull in the 1990s, the tenants rights movement reemerged and has only gained strength. What caused the resurgence and what do tenants’ prospects look like?

Tenant Protections 101
Tenant advocates have long been pushing for a “tenants bill of rights” to codify rules that protect renters from landlords. Here’s a rundown of the top protections housing justice activists say need to be included.

Top 6 Tenant Protections Renters Are Fighting For
Tenants are organizing together with increased urgency to get legal protections passed in their towns, cities, and states. What are the top protections tenants are fighting for?

Tenants Rights: It’s Not a Moment, It’s a Movement
In “Tenant Power Returns,” Shelterforce examines how the energy and focus in the housing world is returning to tenant organizing.
Have the YIMBYs Evolved?
Yes in My Back Yard activists started with a simple—and some would say simplistic—argument: to solve the nation’s housing crisis we just need to build more housing, of any type and in as many places as possible. But as the movement nears a decade of existence, some of its members argue that their message has become more nuanced.

Mid-Lease Rent Hikes Surprise Affordable Housing Tenants
Residents of two LIHTC developments in Northern Virginia were informed that their rent would be increasing in 30 days, even if their leases weren’t ending for months. Is this part of a larger problem?

ESG … and T? Tenant Protections Fly Under the Impact Investing Radar
To meaningfully evaluate real estate-related companies, organizations that evaluate impact investment standards must address tenant experiences.

Upstate New York Shelter Workers Vote to Unionize
Though Joseph’s House is lauded for its non-judgmental and harm-reduction principles, the shelter’s staff say they need a larger voice in how it’s run.

How to Retrofit the Housing Economy
Are policy changes enough to address the housing problems we face?
