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Community Alliance of Tenants
Mission / Membership / Programs / Success Stories
Who We Are
Formed in 1996, the Community Alliance of Tenants (CAT) is Oregon's only grassroots, tenant-controlled, tenant-rights organization. CAT educates, organizes and develops the leadership of low-income tenants to directly challenge unjust housing policies and practices.
Mission (Return to Top)
Our mission is to educate and empower tenants to demand affordable, stable and safe rental homes.
We address the impact Oregon's decreasing supply of decent, affordable housing and absence of meaningful tenant protections has on low-income tenants. We face housing injustice in the form of increased rents, discrimination, instability, overcrowding and worsening living conditions. These issues are exacerbated because those of us living with the daily crisis of housing injustice are marginalized and kept from the funding and policy decisions that impact our lives.
Membership (Return to Top)
CAT is a tenant membership organization. Low-income tenants - predominately low-wage workers, families with children, people living with disabilities, seniors, and people of color - are CAT's primary membership base. CAT is building a strong housing justice movement that is led and directed by those who are most affected by Oregon's affordable housing crisis and lack of tenant protections - low-income renters.
Programs (Return to Top)
CAT runs three programs: The Housing Justice Program (HJP) organizes low-income renters in our buildings to win immediate improvements in housing conditions and stability through our Safe Housing Project. While organizing for immediate improvements in our buildings, we are building a grassroots movement and initiating campaigns to win improvements in housing policy and practice for all tenants. We are organizing for increased funding for affordable housing and improved tenant protections under Oregon law and local policy. The Renter Stability Education Program (RSEP) educates tenants about our rights and provides suggestions for self-advocacy to promote safe, stable and affordable housing. RSEP operates the Renters' Rights Hotline, conducts workshops and provides informational brochures. The Safe Housing Project provides direct assistance to tenants wishing to build tenant power by using grassroots organizing techniques. Tenants that use the Safe Housing Project develop skills in leadership, public speaking, meeting facilitation, and grassroots organizing.
Success Stories (Return to Top)
With our model of leadership development and grassroots organizing, we have seen tremendous success.
- In Spring 2004, CAT with our allies in the Affordable Housing NOW! campaign won $11 million for affordable housing programs in Portland.
- Through our Safe Housing Project we organized successfully for improved conditions in 5 buildings within the last year, and we organized to stop the unlawful evictions of dozens of families in the Gateway Urban Renewal Area.
- In June 2002, CAT leaders won $150,000 from the Portland 2002-2003 budget for an anti-displacement rent assistance pilot project.
- In 2001, CAT won passage of an affordable housing "no net loss" policy for the gentrifying neighborhoods of Portland's Central City.
- From 1997-2001, CAT organized residents in 26 low-income buildings across Oregon. Tenants organized to keep their housing affordable, to force needed repairs and be treated with respect.
- Since 1996, CAT volunteers have counseled over 19,500 hotline calls giving tenants the tools to advocate for their rights and preserve their housing.
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