No doubt you have heard: Portland is in a housing state of emergency.
Our city and state have only recently acknowledged this crisis, but those of us writing rent checks have felt the impact of our unregulated housing market for a long time.
This current rental crisis is being blamed on supply and demand, but economic forces do not explain nor justify our rents increasing without bound, nor the involuntary displacement from our homes and communities via no-cause evictions. Our landlords and property managers claim they are not to blame -- that it's because there is not enough housing. But make no mistake, they are not under any obligation to rasie rent or displace us. Our housing security and stability is entirely dependent on their goodwill.
Without strong (and enforceable) rights and protections, we struggle to assert our existing rights, organize for change, or even ask for needed repairs because we live in constant fear of this displacement and the impossibility of finding and secure new housing in this openly discriminatory “landlords’ market”.
Retaliatory and discriminatory evictions and rent increases are illegal, but the burden of proof is on the tenant (as is the financial burden of securing legal counsel). And the risk to the tenant is high. If the landlord prevails, the tenant is responsible for the legal costs for both parties.
No Portland tenant enjoys housing security beyond the length of their lease, if they are lucky enough to have one.
Our most vulnerable residents are disproportionately impacted. These are our elderly and the disabled, those with complex and chronic health issues, victims of domestic violence, our low-income families and single parents, those with Section 8 vouchers, our veterans, our LGBTQ, and of course, people of color.
It is time for Portland’s tenants to take action on these issues -- to organize for tenant power and use it to demand accountability from our landlords and bold solutions from our government.
Portland Tenants United (PTU) will organize metro area tenants to take collective action toward housing security and stability in the form of rent stabilization and a ban on no-cause evictions. We will also give power to tenants in the form of a strong tenants’ union model that organizes tenants in the way that labor organizes workers.
Come stand with Portland’s tenants as they fight for equity and housing stability.
WHAT: Housing Justice Rally and March
WHERE: Starting City Hall
WHEN: January 15th, Rally @4:30 pm, March @5:30.
WHO: Portland Tenants United; info@pdxtu.org
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