TENANTS UNION SEEKING RELIEF
Memphis group calls for protections against evictions at City Hall as moratorium nears end
“We want to make sure everyone has a safe environment.” Bluu Davis
A handful of grassroots organizers stood in front of Memphis City Hall on Wednesday afternoon and issued a comprehensive set of demands around a central issue — the ongoing eviction crisis playing out in Memphis and across the nation.
The newly formed Memphis Tenants Union is hoping to bolster their ranks with tenants who are facing eviction and with citizens interested in applying pressure on Memphis officials for housing protections.
“We want to make sure everyone has a safe environment,” said organizer Bluu Davis. Davis was served an eviction notice on Nov. 23. After further research, she said, she realized her landlord could not legally evict her.
Davis had applied for rental assistance and was able to show her landlord she was making
payments towards her balance owed.
“I did my research, I learned my rights,” Davis said. The CDC moratorium, which is set to expire on Jan. 31, requires tenants to show proof they have lost income due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The process can be confusing for tenants. In Davis’ case, she was able to provide proof to her landlords that she qualified for protection from eviction, but it took time and help for her to gain an understanding of how the moratorium worked.
Attorneys with Memphis Area Legal Services and Neighborhood Preservation Inc, two agencies focused on renter’s rights in Memphis have noted this process isn’t always clear to tenants, and many have lost housing in the midst of a pandemic because they did not understand they had options.
The union plans a multi-pronged approach — apply pressure to elected officials to intervene with solutions, educate renters about their rights as tenants, and if needed, respond to evictions that may be occurring illegally with wrap-around support for those evicted.
If all else fails, the Tenants Union has indicated they would work to organize a “rent strike” similar to those seen in New York and Los Angeles.
Organizer Alex Uhlmann said he was hopeful the incoming Biden administration would extend the national CDC moratorium, but without significant improvements to the protections offered by the moratorium “too many renters could still fall through the cracks.”
Currently, around 10,000 evictions have been filed in Shelby County General Sessions Court since June 30. Moratoriums at the state and federal level have prevented the majority of these evictions from being carried out, but advocates say illegal evictions are still occurring.
Future of federal assistance in Memphis is still unclear
In the latter half of 2020, $3.5 million in federal CARES Act funding was allotted to the Memphis Inter-faith Association for Memphians facing utility shut-offs or evictions.
The agency was able to redirect most, if not all of the CARES Act funding to Memphians who needed help.
But it’s not clear yet if a similar injection of cash is headed to the agency after Congress passed the 2021 spending bill, which allotted $25 billion for rental assistance.
On Wednesday, Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland said in a statement the city had applied for additional federal funding; city officials hoped to provide additional details in the coming weeks.
“There are many in our community who are hurting. The City of Memphis will, as we always have done, continue to work with County, State, and Federal officials, along with our community partners to address this critical issue,” Strickland wrote.