Hello!! Tacoma Tenants Organizing Committee and the Tenants Union of WA are continuing our series of tenant rights workshops for this summer and fall. This is an opportunity for tenants to learn about our rights, including the new protections we fought for in Tacoma and across the state.

The workshop is:
Thursday November 14th, 6-8 pm,

Calvary Baptist Church
6511 South C Street
Tacoma, WA 98444, 

Please spread the word among your friends and neighbors!

If you have accessibility or language interpretation needs, email tacoma@tenantsunion.org

Childcare and food will be provided.

The meeting is made possible through the support of the City of Tacoma.
Can’t make this one? The future workshop dates will be announced soon!
Thank you!

Donna Seay, Tenant Outreach and Education Coordinator, 
Tacoma Tenants Organizing Committee 
tacoma@tenantsunion.org 253-678-3476

In the wake of an inhumane ban on camping in public parks, the Tacoma Police swept an encampment at 11th St. and J St. on the Hilltop.

Tacoma, WA  — Today, in the cold and rain, the Tacoma Police Department swept an encampment of approximately 30 people at 11th St. and J. St. in the Hilltop Neighborhood. The police verbally claimed they posted 72 hour’s notice, but the residents of the encampment said they received no notice. The only notice they received, in fact, was their homes coming down upon them as the police dismantled their tents, taking their valuable belongings into white vans to be picked up at the Stability Site and leaving everything else to be picked up later as trash. Police told a TTOC Organizer that Councilmember Keith Blocker had authorized the sweep.

Why today? It was a choice to carry out this sweep today on one of the coldest, rainiest days that we’ve had this season. Instead of choosing a dry day, this caused additional chaos for our unhoused community members to find a new place to stay tonight and also completely soaked all of their personal belongings.

This inhumane action comes in the wake of the City Council’s vote to ban camping in public parks, due to go into effect on December 1, 2019. The city has mismanaged the homelessness crisis for decades, choosing to criminalize poverty and homelessness and enact band-aid emergency measures instead of long-term solutions to house all residents. 

One clear example of this was in 2017 when the City of Tacoma declared a State of Public Health Emergency over Homelessness. The City of Tacoma responded with a Three-Phased Emergency Temporary Aid and Shelter Plan, which included the Stability Site that we see today. What is often left out of the story is the “Unlawful Camping” law (TMC.8.12.180) first approved in July 2017 saying that, “It is unlawful for any person to camp upon any public property in the City of Tacoma.” This criminalization of homelessness violates the civil and human rights of our unsheltered neighbors, costs taxpayers money, and is ultimately an ineffective method of addressing underlying causes of homelessness, as written in the 2019 report “No Safe Place” by the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty. The sweep today on J Street could not have happened without this unjust camping ban in place. 

During the 2019 Point in Time Count in Pierce County, 629 people were counted as unsheltered and 857 people were counted in either shelters or transitional housing. Our current shelter capacity in Pierce County is completely insufficient. We also know that the Point in Time survey may under-represent the true number of people experiencing homelessness.

Are we going to continue to criminalize homelessness and cause life-altering, traumatic sweeps, rather than working to truly solve the housing and public health crisis in our region? Winter is coming. Where are people going to go?

We call on the City of Tacoma to:

1. Delay the implementation of the Metro Parks tent ban only until the city has adequate designated day and night shelter.

2. Decline to renew TMC 8.12.180 (ie “Unlawful Camping) set to expire December 31, 2019.

3. Follow in the footsteps of the City of Austin, TX to overturn the public camping ban, allowing police to only sweep campsites (i.e., unhoused people’s homes) if they present a public health or safety hazard or are blocking a walkway.

4. Invest in more creative emergency shelters; utilizing public land for safe and sanitary encampments and creating facilities, like Urban Rest Stop, where people experiencing homelessness have access to restrooms, showers and laundry services.

5. Immediately pass tenant protections to keep more people in their homes, as recommended by the City’s Affordable Housing Action Strategy, with an ordinance for Just Cause protections to prevent arbitrary terminations of tenancy, and supporting the statewide fight for Rent Control.  

6. Stop giving luxury developers tax breaks and focus on building more public housing for low-income and working people.

MORE ABOUT TACOMA TENANTS ORGANIZING COMMITTEE (TTOC)

Tacoma Tenants Organizing Committee (TTOC) was formed in the wake of the mass eviction at the Tiki Apartments last year. Our struggle began at the Tiki Apartments when over 100 low-income tenants were given 20 day notices to leave the premises by an out of town developer. Since that eviction, many of the former Tiki residents have become homeless and three have died. TTOC has won significant victories for tenants’ rights, but the fight continues. Many people are one lost paycheck or medical emergency away from homelessness. Housing is a human right and we are all in the fight together.

In Tacoma’s classic style of putting the horse before the cart, the city council enacted a camping ban for Tacoma parks before investing in resources and homes for the homeless.  Mayor Woodards is confident that the city will find places for these people within the next 60 days although under the current administration, housing scarcity and expense has steadily increased. 

Read more at the Tacoma News Tribune. https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/article235712597.html

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Mayor Woodards explaining the tent ban is OK because the city will find housing in the next 60 days.

Hello!! Tacoma Tenants Organizing Committee and the Tenants Union of WA are continuing our series of tenant rights workshops for this summer and fall. This is an opportunity for tenants to learn about our rights, including the new protections we fought for in Tacoma and across the state.

The workshop is:
Thursday September 26th, 6-8 pm,
Urban Grace Church, 902 Market Street, Tacoma

Please spread the word among your friends and neighbors!

If you have accessibility or language interpretation needs, email tacoma@tenantsunion.org

Childcare and food will be provided.

The meeting is made possible through the support of the City of Tacoma.
Can’t make this one? The future workshop dates will be announced soon!
Thank you!

Donna Seay, Tenant Outreach and Education Coordinator, 
Tacoma Tenants Organizing Committee 
tacoma@tenantsunion.org 253-678-3476

Are you a renter? Are you concerned with private property developers inflating and setting the rental market pricing according to their needs, while simultaneously receiving tax exemptions from the city? Tomorrow Tacoma City Council is going to potentially pass 2 resolutions relating to Multi-Family Tax Exemptions (MFTE). One 8-yr MFTE application is located next to Wright Park & the 12-yr application is located near the Tacoma Mall. The 12-yr application must provide 30% affordable housing units (=4), but the 8-yr MFTE application requires ZERO AFFORDABLE UNITS, yet they are requesting tax exemption status through the MFTE program! I hope that this is alarming to you & that you’re available at 5pm tomorrow.

Set pricing for the potential 133 unit Wright Park project:

(52) Studio:   $2623/month

(55) 1 bdrm: $3687/month

(26) 2 bdrm: $4867/month

Tacoma Citizens Forum takes place on the 2^nd Tuesday of every month. 5pm at 733 Market St. in Council Chambers (aka the bottom level at the base of the marble steps). You can sign in to speak before city council to directly express your opinion/concerns for 3 minutes. Literally 3 minutes of your day could shift city council’s decision-making tomorrow.

OR leave your comments for Tacoma City Council Mayor Victoria Woodards at:

(253) 594-7848 or rmeyers@cityoftacoma.org (Constituent Services: Rhosheida Meyers)

TACOMA TENANTS ORGANIZING COMMITTEE NEEDS YOU!!!

#TTOC #HousingJusticeNow #JusticeNow

Hello!! Tacoma Tenants Organizing Committee and the Tenants Union of WA are continuing our series of tenant rights workshops for this summer and fall. This is an opportunity for tenants to learn about our rights, including the new protections we fought for in Tacoma and across the state.

The workshop is:
Thursday August 28th, 6-8 pm,

South Lakeshore Christian Church
1740 South 84th Street
Tacoma, WA 98444, 

Please spread the word among your friends and neighbors!

If you have accessibility or language interpretation needs, email tacoma@tenantsunion.org

Childcare and food will be provided.

The meeting is made possible through the support of the City of Tacoma.
Can’t make this one? The future workshop dates will be announced soon!
Thank you!

Donna Seay, Tenant Outreach and Education Coordinator, 
Tacoma Tenants Organizing Committee 
tacoma@tenantsunion.org 253-678-3476

Hello!! Tacoma Tenants Organizing Committee and the Tenants Union of WA are launching our series of tenant rights workshops for this summer and fall. This is an opportunity for tenants to learn about our rights, including the new protections we fought for in Tacoma and across the state.

The first workshop is:
Thursday July 25, 6-8 pm,
Peace Community Center
2106 S Cushman Avenue, Tacoma, WA 98405
Please spread the word among your friends and neighbors!

If you have accessibility or language interpretation needs, email tacoma@tenantsunion.org

Childcare and food will be provided.

The meeting is made possible through the support of the City of Tacoma.
Can’t make this one? The future workshop dates will be announced soon!
Thank you!

Donna Seay, Tenant Outreach and Education Coordinator,
Tacoma Tenants Organizing Committee
tacoma@tenantsunion.org 253-678-3476

¡¡Hola!! El Comité Organizador de Inquilinos de Tacoma y la Unión de Inquilinos de WA están lanzando nuestra serie de talleres sobre derechos de inquilinos para este verano y otoño. Esta es una oportunidad para que los inquilinos aprendan sobre nuestros derechos, incluidas las nuevas protecciones por las que luchamos en Tacoma y en todo el estado. El primer taller es:

Jueves 25, de julio, 6-8 pm
Centro Comunitario de Paz
2106 S Cushman Ave
Tacoma, WA 98405

¡Por favor, corre la voz entre tus amigos y vecinos!

Si tiene necesidades de accesibilidad o de interpretación de idiomas, envíe un correo electrónico a tacoma@tenantsunion.org

Se proveerá cuidado de niños y comida.

La reunión es posible gracias al apoyo de la ciudad de Tacoma.

¿No puedes hacer esto? ¡Las próximas fechas de taller serán anunciadas próximamente!

¡Gracias!

Donna seay
Coordinador de Alcance y Educación para Inquilinos
Comité Organizador de Inquilinos de Tacoma
tacoma@tenantsunion.org
253-678-3476