Jordan Miller

Justice Studies and Political Economic Theory

Academic Advisor: Dr. Dean Snyder
Co-op Advisor: Richard Kraince

Co-ops: Olive Kettering Library, Law Office of Phillip Brigham
Additional Campus Involvement: Antioch College ACLU Campus Action Team

Languages: Spanish

City:  Yellow Springs

Email: jordan.miller@antiochcollege.edu


 

How Does Tenant Organizing Improve the Material Conditions of Renters in the United States?

This literature review explores the successes and failures of various tenants unions and analyzes how they affect the material conditions of renters. Tenants organize into unions to raise attention to and solve problems. Tenants’ unions can spot patterns of abuse or harassment from landlords and demand long-term solutions to a range of problems like evictions, utility shutoffs, and neglect. Tenant organizing has won renters in federally subsidized buildings government-provided rights and protections. Additional protections are provided by some cities and states, although even these are more effective if renters organize together. During a time of rising rents and housing shortages, it is important to understand the historical role of tenant organizing in supporting renters’ rights.