As eviction crisis looms, this Detroit group is clamoring for tenants to organize

These tiny Scottish communities are taking control of their own The inhabitants of Eigg island in Scotland, raised $1.97 million dollars to buy the island they live on. Prior to that, the island had been privately owned by an absentee landlord and had fallen into demise. A pattern seen across Scotland which has the “highest concentration of private land ownership in the developed world.” However, “more than 560,000 acres of Scotland now rest in community ownership, with the government aiming to increase that figure to 1 million acres by 2020.”

In Oakland, a community land trust helped Hasta Muerte, a local cafe, avoid eviction. All over the country, community land trusts are helping communities of color keep their affordable housing.

In Washington D.C., the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase act, gives tenants the right to be the first in line to buy the building they live in, if it goes up for sale. The city, also has a trust fund that finances affordable housing, and provides funds for people looking to purchase a building and create a co-op. Together, these things make it easier for tenants to access affordable housing, and fight gentrification. So, far the city has 137 co-ops. "Now we get to choose our neighbors, we get to set our own rules, and we’re in control of our living conditions.”

A community land trust is helping people in the Keys find another home, after Hurricane Irma ravished the area. “Four cottages are expected to wrap construction this fall, with another five finished by early 2019.” The arrangement was made possible after two friends got together and formed the Florida Keys Community Land Trust, secured land from the county, and raised $1 million to build affordable disaster housing.

A growing number of tenant-focused websites are trying to level the power dynamic between shoddy landlords and tenants by giving tenants a voice. “There is a big power mismatch in today’s rental market, but it doesn’t have to be that way.” Amongst those is Rentlogic, which grades 1.1 million apartment buildings, but rather than relying on subjective comments the website provides a grade based on an algorithm.

Proposition F, passed in 2018 with an implementation deadline of July 2019, cements San Francisco as a key advocate in making legal representation accessible, especially in eviction cases. By passing a similar measure to one passed in New York, all renters now are eligible for legal counsel in eviction cases, regardless of their income level. The program is still in the early stages, but there is a potential for cost savings, too. With fewer evictions, there will likely be a lower demand for homeless and jail services.

Old and neglected housing contributes to climate change because it runs on fossil fuels. In New York, outdated heating systems waste two-thirds of energy. The New York City Housing Authority is not only trying to create better, safer, more livable affordable housing, but also cleaner and more sustainable housing. While the city is just beginning to explore how to do that, other cities, like Paris, have already begun the work of updating old buildings that are used for affordable housing and can offer a model for American cities.

KC Tenants is a tenant union that connects renters to put pressure on landlords and local government to protect tenant rights. With the help of the group’s political arm, KC Tenants Power, they have blocked thousands of evictions, received millions of dollars in funding to secure affordable housing for those in need and have grown to about 10,000 members. Outside of blocking evictions and securing long-term affordable housing, the group also has four members who won City Council seats.

Tenant advocacy group Long Beach Residents Empowered (LIBRE) works with renters and helps them advocate for themselves against tenant harassment, unsafe living conditions and unjust evictions. LIBRE is divided into various campaigns, each with a different focus, like neighborhood organizing or training others about how to fight for tenant protection and advocate for policy change.

Pilot projects in New York City and Denver have successfully installed electric heat pumps in a variety of tenant spaces, citing ease of installation, attractive aesthetics, and energy and financial savings as boons for both tenants and the environment. In New York, heat pump units achieved an 85% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and an estimated 50% reduction in fuel costs compared to traditional central steam heating systems.