The St. Paul Tenants Union worked for 30 years to defend the rights of low-income tenants, improve housing conditions, fight discrimination. The Tenants Union helped tenants organize to make change in their buildings, in the City Council, and the state legislature. I worked with the Tenants Union from January 1998 to May 2000 as its Community Organizer.
STORIES ABOUT THE TENANTS
The Tenants Union worked to protect rights of tenants trampled on by the excesses of the War on Drugs:
Story on the Tenants Union's FORCE Unit Campaign
The Tenants Union helped tenants organize to prevent their becoming homeless because of gentrification:
The Tenants Union was active in attempting to get the City to address the extreme affordable housing shortage:
Stories from the St. Paul Pioneer Press
Stories from the Minneapolis Star and Tribune
A long collaborative organizing effort, the "St. Paul Housing Campaign," culminated in a hearing at the St. Paul City Council agreeing to build more affordable housing:
The Tenants Union helped in applied research projects, aimed at helping tenants organize for social justice:
On May 3, 2000, the Tenants Union had to temporarily close its doors, laying off all full-time staff. It kept going until the end of 2003, when it had to close for good.
In an effort to keep the Tenants Union's memory alive, since its archives were destroyed when it downsized, from five full time people to a single part time employee, I am putting up this information. Hopefully, the history of the Tenants Union will inspire others to continue the struggle for social justice. To this end, I wrote a chapter in an edited volume discussing lessons learned from our collective organizing efforts.
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updated 1/12/06 |
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