The recently formed Reno-Sparks Tenant Union held a community town hall this morning in the auditorium of the downtown library seeking to grow their effort.
Attendees filled nearly half of the 100 seat theater and listened intently as organizers Caleb (in photo below) and Elizabeth, who only wanted their first names used, gave a presentation, with additional information and input from the handful of other union members standing beside the circular stage.
As the meeting got underway, an RSTU organizer named Erika asked the crowd, “How many people here have had a landlord that will not fix something that needs to be fixed in your apartment or house?” Everyone in the room raised a hand.
RSTU organizers say their goal is to empower local renters to know their rights and how to organize collective action to protect them. Following in the footsteps of other successful tenant unions throughout the nation, this local group hopes to build a broad coalition of community members who can bargain for affordable rent and put pressure on delinquent landlords to make needed repairs.
As a collective with more political and economic power than individual tenants, tenant unions can also lobby for better tenancy laws and transparency in leasing.
Another goal of RSTU is to create a database of property ownership, a concept called “power mapping” which they say has been greatly successful in Chicago at helping tenants identify and hold bad landlords accountable.
In their presentation, the organizers explained the history of tenant unions, success stories from other cities’ collective movements, and some information on the current state of housing and the economy in Washoe County, noting how local rents have increased at twice the rate of wages. Also covered were some of the pro-tenant pieces of legislation vetoed by Governor Joe Lombardo this year.
As they opened the floor to testimonials and questions, a common theme emerged which is the displacement and homelessness caused by pricing tenants out of their homes and often out of Reno. Organizers explained how resources available for the unhoused in our community do not satisfy the amount needed, which is why they are organizing to help keep more people in their homes.
As one organizer Elizabeth (pictured above) noted, “We need to figure out ways to prevent rent from rising, rather than dealing with this catastrophic effect of people having to relocate.”
Along with their personal stories and frustrations, several of the attendees offered their unique skills, with one guest offering to share expertise as a former housing attorney, and another showing how to effectively search Washoe County property records.
Rather than claiming to have all the answers, the organizers of the Reno-Sparks Tenant Union stress the power of the collective and hope to find ideas and solutions from within the community as they grow their coalition.