Renters are rising up to unionise and take on dodgy landlords

KC Tenants is a tenant union that connects renters to put pressure on landlords and local government to protect tenant rights. With the help of the group’s political arm, KC Tenants Power, they have blocked thousands of evictions, received millions of dollars in funding to secure affordable housing for those in need and have grown to about 10,000 members. Outside of blocking evictions and securing long-term affordable housing, the group also has four members who won City Council seats.

After their landlord refused to make repairs and hiked rent, tenants in Oakland, California, staged the longest rent strike in the city’s history to decommodify their housing and begin transitioning to a tenant-controlled building.

Hospitals and other health care institutions across the United States are investing funds into surrounding communities to tackle issues that directly impact them: Housing stability. They’re funding campaigns that strengthen tenant protections due to the direct link between health outcomes and housing stability.

The Squamish Nation is building Senakw, a 6,000-unit, 11-tower residential development on 10 acres of ancestral land returned to them in Vancouver, one of North America's least affordable cities. Freed from the city's restrictive zoning and land-use laws, the Squamish completed the first three towers in 2025, putting 1,408 rental apartments on the market, including several hundred subsidized units for lower-income families. The first tenants moved in at the end of May, and the project has prompted Vancouver to begin loosening some of its own housing rules.

The 2016 exemption to Ventura County's strict farmland protection laws has enabled the development of nearly 700 affordable housing units for farmworkers. These rent-controlled apartments on former agricultural land provide stable housing regardless of immigration status.

In response to two historic apartment buildings facing condemnation and displacing low-income tenants, property manager Tim Brewer conducted major renovations, implemented flexible rental policies, offered free laundry services, and built a supportive sense of community through regular gatherings and collaborative problem-solving. His efforts not only saved the apartment buildings but also improved residents' sense of safety and community engagement.

In 2008, ROC USA began helping form resident-owned mobile home communities, and since then has assisted in the creation of over 300 such communities in 21 states throughout the U.S, consisting of almost 22,000 homeowners throughout the U.S. The organization works with philanthropic organizations, other nonprofits, insurers, banks and government entities to raise commitments in advance of a park’s purchase.

Grove Park Renewal aims to help residents from the majority-black area of northwest Atlanta become homeowners by turning vacant properties into newly renovated, affordable homes. The nonprofit also offers an affordable rental program that allows qualifying individuals and families to live in one of its properties at a more affordable, income-adjusted rate.

In response to a lack of action from local government, individuals are turning to digital platforms like WhatsApp and Facebook groups to avoid scammers and price gouging in the rental industry. These groups have thousands of members and allow landlords and tenants to interact directly without middlemen interfering and charging unnecessary fees.

Volunteers of the PDX Housing Solidarity Project are working to redistribute generational wealth through homeownership in Portland. The project connects people with ample resources to Black and Indigenous homebuyers and helps facilitate cash gifts, no-interest loans, or other ways to assist throughout the process.