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© 2006 Community Alliance
of Tenants
Last
Updated: October 4, 2006
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History and Accomplishments
CAT's History of Success
Social Change in Action
- Our greatest success has been the recruitment of more than 1,350 members and supporters, 68 supporting organizations, and the development of 100+ strong, low-income tenant leaders, most of whom had never before been involved with social change work. Tenant leaders are at the forefront of every CAT activity - organizing at actions, strategizing, raising funds, talking to the media, meeting with landlords, and testifying before policy makers.
- Since beginning our Renter Stability Education Program, we have answered over 18,500 hotline calls providing tenants with the information needed to advocate for their rights and preserve their housing. Our education program supports our organizing efforts by providing community workshops and assistance to individual tenant leaders.
- In 2004, together with our partners in the Affordable Housing NOW! campaign, we won inclusion of $11 million for affordable housing in the City of Portland’s budget. This money is supporting development of affordable housing for between 350-400 individuals and families with extremely low-incomes.
- In 2005, we won new protections for tenants from discrimination and retaliation in Oregon’s Landlord/Tenant law. Landlords will now be required to tell us in writing why they turn us down for housing making it more difficult to refuse to rent to us for discriminatory reasons or because we successfully challenged evictions in the past.
- This year through our new Safe Housing Project, CAT has organized tenants at 4 apartment complexes to take successful collective action to force needed repairs, and we organized to stop the unlawful evictions of dozens of families in Gateway Urban Renewal Area.
- Through our Safe Housing Project we've pressured the City of Portland to improve enforcement of its housing maintenance code. As a result of our pressure, each City housing inspector is taking 1-2 housing cases a month to a code hearings officer. This is up from 1-2 a year.
- We won language in the Multnomah County Consolidated plan directing the local jurisdictions to protect low-income residents from involuntary displacement and support tenants in pursuing safe housing free from retaliation.
- In June 2002, CAT and the Interstate Alliance to End Displacement won $150,000 from the Portland 2002-2003 budget for an anti-displacement rent assistance pilot project. The project will provide rent assistance to long-term residents of N/NE Portland who are facing displacement because of urban renewal and gentrification.
- In 2000, tenants and allies pressured the Portland City Council to approve the first ongoing budget line item from City general fund ever for affordable housing ($500,000) in addition to $4 million in funding for housing for extremely low-income families.
- From 1997 - 2001, CAT’s Affordable Housing Preservation Program organized tenants in 26 low-income buildings across Oregon. Tenants were empowered to fight to keep their housing affordable, to force management to make repairs and to be treated with respect.
- In 1999, CAT organized and actively involved tenants in a state legislative session for the first time. We organized a grassroots campaign and successfully turned-back landlord initiatives to gut Portland’s Affordable Housing Preservation Ordinance and to legalize discrimination by exempting a class of landlords from fair housing laws. We sat at the table with landlords to negotiate changes to Oregon’s landlord-tenant law - winning important protections for renters in the areas of retaliation and eviction.
- In September 1998, CAT, leading a coalition of 5 organizations, won the nationally groundbreaking Portland Affordable Housing Preservation Ordinance. This ordinance is a tool with which to save the affordable homes of nearly 5,000 low-income families – most of whom are elderly or disabled. These homes were at risk because of landlords’ desire to sell or gentrify their property. Tenants in other states are using CAT’s model - The City of Denver passed an ordinance modeled on Portland’s in 2000.
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Community Alliance of Tenants
2710 NE 14th Avenue, Portland OR 97212
(503) 460-9702
Renters' Rights Hotline: (503) 288-0130
Fax: (503) 288-8416
For general information, email Information
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