KC TENANTS DEMAND RENT DEBT CANCELLED & MORE!!!

Today one of the most prolific activist groups in Kansas City share a bold statement that offers a preview of the upcoming housing crisis.

To be fair, the screed provides a great glimpse at housing issues that most progressive politicos are also advocating . . . With a few extremes. 

Moreover . . . As evictions ramp up, we expect more protest and similar complaints from through tout the community. 

Here's the word . . . 

"Kansas City has an opportunity to be a beacon of hope for tenants. We should be able to raise a family without the stress of rising rents, no jobs, and red tape to get the assistance we need. When you meet people where they are, their communities will get stronger. Stronger communities build hope. Not application centers.” - KC Tenants leader Ernesta Coulbourne.

"This morning KC Tenants leaders organized a press conference outside of Kansas City’s Emergency Rental Assistance Info Session at the Manual Career Technical School to announce a list of demands for the city to cancel debts and assist tenants still in need of rental assistance. 

"Many of the tenants who shared their stories and came out this morning have experienced evictions, homelessness, displacement, and rental/utility debt during the COVID-19 pandemic. We would not have to be here today if Kansas City’s leaders would do their jobs. They need to CANCEL RENT DEBT and protect tenants with evictions.

"Tenants are demanding meeting with City Manager @briandavidplatt to discuss 8 solutions that would help keep tenants in their homes. Mr. Platt, will you meet with us at the table and work with us to prevent further evictions and homelessness in Kansas City? 

"Read the following demands in the comments below ⬇️⬇️⬇️

DEMAND 1️⃣: The city should coordinate with KC Tenants to launch an affirmative outreach strategy to get information on the rental assistance program out to people who need it most. The city should be out in the streets and in people’s homes, not the other way around.

DEMAND 2️⃣: The city should make the application process simplified and uniform across agencies that are spending the money. It should be as close to automatic as possible.

DEMAND 3️⃣: The city needs to report out on a weekly basis how much money has been spent out, how many people have been assisted, zip codes, average call back time, and key demographic data on the rental assistance program. We also want an audit on where the spent money has gone, how fast it took, and if it kept people in their homes.

DEMAND 4️⃣: The city should prioritize unspent relief funds to pay down those eviction judgments that have already occurred where wages and bank accounts are being garnished.

DEMAND 5️⃣: The city needs to ban landlords from discriminating against tenants for evictions during the COVID-19 period (June 2019 through now) and actually enforce it.

DEMAND 6️⃣: The city should use COVID relief funds to fund stable, deeply affordable housing for people evicted and unhoused during COVID-19. We are calling on the city manager to publicly approve the People’s Housing Trust Fund model, proposed by KC Tenants.

DEMAND 7️⃣: The city should research and implement rent increase caps by 2% every two years for rental units in Kansas City.

DEMAND 8️⃣: The city should change the current rental assistance application process so that landlords can’t charge late fees or evict someone within 60 days of the tenant applying for rental assistance.

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Developing . . .