The new North Carolina Tenants Union is comprised of six local tenant advocacy groups in Charlotte, Asheville, Raleigh-Durham and Winston-Salem.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A new tool is now available to North Carolina renters and homeowners.
The new North Carolina Tenants Union is comprised of six local tenant advocacy groups in Charlotte, Asheville, Raleigh-Durham and Winston-Salem.
This comes as rents continue to rise, putting homeownership out of reach for many North Carolinians. According to the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency, nearly 50% of renters in the state are cost-burdened by their rent.
“We've seen it all across North Carolina where rents are going up and wages aren't going up, and that just puts pressure on people,” said Nick MacLeod, executive director of the North Carolina Tenants Union.
Currently, a statewide collaboration is helping renters across North Carolina.
The North Carolina Tenants Union fights for housing as a human right by helping renters understand their needs. The aim is to cap rent increases, deter evictions and force landlords to make repairs.
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This is something tenant advocacy group Action NC says is much needed.
“Rather than a reactive approach, we are looking for a proactive approach to organizing the entire state, a stable, permanent, We felt like we needed something,” said Jessica Moreno, a community organizer with Action NC. Said.
This comes as Mecklenburg County's recent report shows evictions and homelessness all increased last year.
Supporters say the union's launch is groundbreaking and will help renters across the state.
“The reality is that when tenants try to assert their rights and fight their landlords on their own, they almost always lose because the power balance is skewed towards the landlord,” McLeod said.
In Charlotte, Action NC is already fighting corporate landlords who are gouging homes without giving first-time homebuyers a chance. Tenants will also be burdened with higher rents.
It is now hoped that this new union will be able to tackle these issues more forcefully.
“Many of these important levers live at the state level, so we want to get to the root of this issue so we can change some of the big underlying tenancy laws.” Mr McLeod said. “You are not alone. There is great power in the fact that your neighbor is going through something similar to you.”
Action NC is also looking at possible solutions to housing insecurity, such as green public housing, which is affordable public housing.
If renters in Charlotte want to join a union and organize, they can email Action NC at rentersrising@actionnc.org for renters who want to join a union and organize.
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