Organizing Challenges

This exhibit delves into the challenges faced by organizations such as HART, such as difficulties recruiting candidates for municipal elections and a focus on issues like policing, burglary, and housing, specifically targeting absentee landlords and code enforcement. We see news pieces about the harassment faced by tenants, as discussed at the Rental Endangered Neighbors Together (RENT) meeting. The struggle for residents' participation in the meetings is also frequently mentioned, and efforts, including providing resources like food and childcare, are being made to encourage attendance. Therefore, maintaining engagement and a supportive community is identified as crucial for neighborhood associations like AHI which has a strategy of prioritizing the improvement of current conditions over long-term changes to progress. Pros and cons of strategies such as use of housing codes to address issues with landlords and rent strikes is another topic we encounter. While the potential for retaliation is acknowledged as a result of these strategies, the importance of balancing tenant empowerment with practical solutions for better housing conditions is also emphasized.