Tenants Union Of Washington

The Tenants' Union of WA (TU) is a grassroots, membership-based organization of tenants and allies working together to create housing justice through education, community organizing, tenant controlled ownership and advocacy. Created in 1977 by volunteers, the Tenants Union of Washington State (TU) has built a dedicated membership base and steadfastly sustained grassroots social change organizing. The TU has won substantial victories throughout the organization's history. Some of our accomplishments include: Organized successful campaigns to preserve affordable housing in 8 subsidized apartment complexes, created the first tenant-controlled low-income rental housing in the Northwest, organized with tenants to bring a precedent-setting civil rights lawsuit to protect mothers of color who receive Section 8 vouchers from eviction, and mobilized to win federal legislation protecting tenants right to organize in subsidized housing and to protect funding for housing programs. Among other legislative victories, we helped to pass: The Seattle Just Cause Eviction Ordinance, statewide protection for Section 8 tenants in project-based buildings, a Right to Organize Ordinance for Seattle tenants, a Tenant Relocation Assistance Ordinance for Seattle tenants, a Landlord Licensing Law in Auburn and other local tenants-rights legislation.

Through organizing, action and empowerment-based education the Tenants Union of Washington has built 28 years of victories for tenants' rights and housing justice. The TU challenges and transforms unjust housing conditions and housing policies through empowerment-based education, leadership development, and community organizing and tenant ownership. Our work is grounded in a strong conviction that those facing housing problems must be the leaders of efforts to transform our own housing conditions and communities. The Tenants Union is currently organizing in SE Seattle to stop gentrification and displacement of people of color in the Rainier Valley. The Justice in South Seattle Project is a leadership development, education and organizing effort focused on remedying injustices in housing that are rooted in racism, xenophobia and classism. STOP (Section 8 Tenants Organizing Project) is a group of tenants and supporters working to save Section 8 housing and give tenants a voice in decisions that affect housing stability. STOP works to educate and organize Section 8 tenants, and raise community awareness about the Section 8 program. The Tenants Union also does legislative advocacy and organizing to improve the laws so they provide real protection for tenants. Working in collaboration with several other organizations, the TU organized in 2004 and 2005 to pass a "Slumlord Accountability Act" that provides relocation assistance for tenants who are forced to move because of a landlord's neglect.