How a Local Tenants' Rights Group is Empowering California Latinos

Los Angeles is in the midst of a housing crisis. Skyrocketing rents, stagnant wages and a shortage of housing have all led to a tenuous situation. Throw a pandemic into the mix, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.

According to a report by the Urban Institute, more than a quarter of renters are "severely cost-burdened, spending at least half their income on rental housing." The slightest change — like an increase in your rent or losing your job — could result in homelessness.

Immigrant communities face even more hurdles — a language barrier, racism, discrimination and fear of deportation. As a result, many immigrant tenants find themselves forced to endure difficult housing situations.

Enter Inquilinos Unidos.

Inquilinos Unidos (IU) — United Tenants — is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization that works to empower low-income tenants to advocate for fair housing. While there are numerous housing and tenants' rights groups in Los Angeles, IU focuses primarily on low-income, Spanish-speaking immigrant neighborhoods such as Pico-Union, Koreatown, Echo Park, Boyle Heights, East Los Angeles and Westlake/MacArthur Park, among others.

According to IU, the Los Angeles metropolitan area is home to thousands of immigrants, many of whom rely on minimum- or below-minimum-wage jobs. Many immigrants are unfamiliar with their rights and are fearful that they could be evicted or deported should they advocate for their rights as tenants.

"Their fears are often founded in a grim reality, and it is not uncommon for landlords to harass immigrant tenants by serving illegal eviction notices or threatening to report them to the immigration authorities," IU said.

Such was the case in 2016, when Optimus, a Los Angeles real estate company, illegally pressured tenants, many of whom were Spanish-speaking Latinos, to vacate their apartments in order to gentrify the neighborhood. In the original complaint filed in court, tenants described being told that they should "learn English" and were threatened with calls to immigration, social services and the police.

In Dec. 2019, the Department of Justice sued the California city of Hesperia and the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department for discriminating against Black and Latino tenants.

"The Fair Housing Act prohibits local governments from enacting ordinances intended to push out African American and Latino renters because of their race and national origin, or from enforcing their ordinances in a discriminatory manner," said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband. 

Cases such as these are not uncommon, which is why IU seeks not only to offer assistance to tenants but to empower them to "fight for their right to safe, decent and affordable housing."

What began with a single retired machinist and union organizer — Dino Hirsch — who advocated for low-income Latino tenants in Pico-Union, became Inquilinos United.

IU employs a three-pronged strategy in its efforts: education, organization and advocacy.

In order to inform and educate tenants on their rights, IU hosts workshops and training, does door-to-door canvassing, distributes educational materials and offers individual counseling. Additionally, IU participates in community outreach and works to "identify, train and organize tenant leaders." They also encourage those who show a greater interest in housing and community issues to participate in other action projects.

Furthermore, IU works with other organizations to advocate for housing legislation. Among these collaborations, IU partnered with other tenants' rights groups to defeat Prop 98, which it describes as "a statewide anti-rent-control initiative." IU also worked with the L.A. Human Relations Commission and the LAPD to offer police officers mini-workshops on housing and tenants' rights.

IU is funded through a combination of private foundation donors and individual contributors. Donors can make one-time donations or sign up as a monthly sustainer. Those who attend legal clinics are requested to make a donation of $25, but "no one is turned away due to lack of funds," according to IU.

Among IU foundation donors are the California Wellness Foundation, the United Latino Fund, the Annenberg Foundation, and the S. Mark Taper Foundation.

Corporate and community support includes the Eviction Defense Network, the Korean Immigrant Works Association and El Centro del Pueblo.

IU uses these contributions to fund its numerous programs, including weekly tenant clinics, community empowerment training, and a Tenant Leadership Academy.

In the midst of a pandemic, rising unemployment rates and a mounting housing crisis, IU continues to offer help to Latino tenants who might otherwise struggle to advocate for their right to fair housing. 

Further resources may be found here.

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