UPDATE: “Housing is a human right” tenants chant marching to city hall

Dozens of tenants chanted and protested for affordable housing before speaking to the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council

UPDATE OCTOBER 13, 2022

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – Dozens of Lexington tenants with the Kentucky Tenants and the Lexington Tenants Union march downtown to rally for better protections for renters. The tenants making their way from the Robert F. Stevens courthouse to city hall where they addressed the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council asking for a “Tenant Bill of Rights”.

“Housing is a human right. Housing is a human right,” the tenants chant.

The crowd of tenants, chanting and protesting, as they march to Lexington’s city hall demanding better treatment for renters in the city. The “Tenant Bill of Rights” would focus on stronger eviction protections, anti-discrimination measures, tenant representation on city boards and a landlord registry for accountability.

“Affordable housing now. Affordable housing now. Affordable housing now,” the tenants yell in front of city hall.

“We need the majority of the council to sign off on these rights. We have 5 and we need 8,” says Adrian Williams, a Lexington tenant. “Part of marching to this city council meeting and delivering public comment to them is showing the rest of the council that has yet to say here or there that there is a lot of support for this. There is a lot of Lexington that wants this, that needs this.”

Each tenant present has their own horror story to share as a renter in Lexington. 15-year-old Asan Gatewood Parks says his family got an eviction notice last December when the landlord wanted to renovate their house and resell it. Parks says he and his mom were very stressed trying to find a place that would take their Section 8 voucher.

“I lost a lot of sleep over it. Worrying about if I would have a bed to sleep in or not, or if I would have a home to come back to after school or after practice,” says Parks.

Parks was one of the four tenants to speak to the council about the “Tenant Bill of Rights”, telling them as a kid he shouldn’t be worrying about having a place to live.

“If I could, I would buy a home for my mom so we never have to worry about this again. I don’t have that power or money right now. But you have the power, city council, to make it easier for people like my mom to find housing,” says Parks. “You can pass a ban on source of income discrimination so landlords have to accept our vouchers. Our money is just as good as anyone else’s, whether we use a voucher or not.”

A Lexington landlord sitting in on the council meeting, addressing some of the concerns brought up by tenants. Rock Daniels says landlords should have to obtain a business license and get inspections by the health department on their properties.

“This would be a way to squeeze out some of those bad landlords by forcing them to pay for every door that they have and make sure that the homes are inspected properly and the people aren’t dealing with mold and with faulty plumbing and faulty electrical,” says Daniels.

The “Tenant Bill of Rights” will go before a committee in the council before facing a council vote.

ORIGINAL STORY

LEXINGTON, Ky (WTVQ)- Many tenants in Lexington say they’re fed up with evictions, rent increases, and poor housing conditions.
And on Thursday, some of those renters plan to rally for their rights.

Renters like Stephanie Hensley, a mom of three children. Her latest family addition is baby Haley Leia Hill, who is only a few months old. Hensley says she isn’t only dealing with high prices of formula and diapers, she’s also dealing with high rent prices.

“What’s going to happen tomorrow, where are my kids going to sleep tomorrow if we lose our home,” said Hensley.

Hensley moved to Lexington in 2021. And since then, it’s been a struggle for her and her family to find safe affordable housing. Her first home was filled with problems from the start.

“The fridge stopped working, the dish washer stopped working, just everything was falling apart. The tile fell out, the air didn’t work,” said Hensley. She says they also had to sleep with in the living room with the patio door open during the summer, just to help stay cool.

She and her family were able to escape that location, only to trade maintenance issues for health hazards at her latest apartment.

“I have fluid in my lungs from the mold, so I have to take an inhaler. And it’s crazy that these landlords will go to this point of not taking care of stuff,” said Hensley.

That’s why she’s joining the fight for better affordable housing. Tenants from across the city, along with KY Tenants and the Lexington Tenants Union, are holding a rally at the Robert F. Stephens Courthouse Plaza.

“We’re all tenants, we’re all struggling. We’re all facing high prices, low quality housing. We are fighting for Kentucky where everybody has safe, high quality, affordable housing,” said Emma Anderson with KY Tenants.

Organizers say this rally will advocate for four things: stronger eviction protections, anti-discrimination measures, tenant representation on city boards, and a landlord registry.

“We want tenants to know what kind of landlord they’re renting from, so we want a landlord registry. We want a place where tenants to go to get information and make a good decision about who they rent from,” said Anderson.

Organizers say some council members have voiced their approval. They’re hoping some of their measures get passed this year, before the new council takes over following the general elections.
For tenants, like Hensley, the bill of rights would help put an end to their housing concerns.

“Landlords that are doing this to families, to single parents, just to people in general, it’s going to hold them accountable,” said Hensley.

The rally will begin at 5 p.m., before leading to the city council meeting at 6. They’re encouraging everyone to come out and join.