SIMILAR BREAK INS SINCE LAST WEEK. WELL, TENANTS FROM ACROSS THE STATE ARE BANDING TOGETHER TO ADVOCATE FOR CHANGES WHEN IT COMES TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING. ONE LOCAL GROUP IS PLAYING A BIG PART. JOSHUA DAVIS EXPLAINS HOW FROM WINSTON-SALEM MEMBERS OF THE NORTH CAROLINA TENANTS UNION SAY THAT FOLKS FROM WINSTON-SALEM TO RALEIGH TO CHARLOTTE HAVE SEEN LOCAL SUCCESS WHEN FIGHTING FOR THEIR HOMES. THEY WANT THE ORGANIZATION TO REPLICATE THAT ACROSS THE STATE. WE FIND THAT OUR STRENGTH IS IN NUMBERS HERE LOCALLY, BUT ALSO WE NEED TO UNITE ACROSS THE STATE. DAN ROSE HAS BEEN ADVOCATING FOR COMMUNITIES IN WINSTON-SALEM FOR YEARS AS A MEMBER OF WINSTON-SALEM HOUSING JUSTICE, NOW DEALING WITH HOUSING PROBLEMS HE SAYS AREN’T UNIQUE TO THE CAMEL CITY WILMINGTON ASHEVILLE CHARLOTTE RALEIGH DURHAM NEW BERN. AND WE REALIZED THAT A LOT OF OUR STRUGGLES WERE OVERLAPPING THAT EVEN THOUGH THIS SPECIFIC APARTMENT COMPLEX OR THAT SPECIFIC LANDLORD HAD, YOU KNOW, A CERTAIN CHALLENGE FOR TENANTS IN A LOCAL AREA THAT ACROSS THE STATE, IT WAS THE SAME. THE REALIZATION LED TO THE CREATION OF THE NORTH CAROLINA TENANTS UNION, A STATEWIDE ORGANIZATION CONNECTING DIFFERENT GRASSROOTS HOUSING INITIATIVES WITH ONE ANOTHER. NICK MCLEOD IS THEIR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR. HE SAYS A BIG FOCUS IS EDUCATION. A LOT OF THAT IS SUPER NITTY GRITTY, LIKE, HOW DO I GET PEOPLE TO COME TO A MEETING? HOW DO I FACILITATE THE MEETING? HOW DO WE FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAKE DECISIONS TOGETHER? IS DOING IT, UH, TOGETHER? IT’S A LOT EASIER, A LOT MORE POWERFUL AND A LOT SAFER. SO WE REALLY SORT OF FOCUS IN ON BUILDING THAT WITH FOLKS AND OF COURSE, PUTTING PRESSURE ON CHANGING STATE POLICY. WE’RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO BUILD THE POWER ACROSS THE STATE TO WIN THOSE MUCH BIGGER CHANGES THAT FUNDAMENTALLY CHANGE WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A TENANT IN NORTH CAROLINA. AND BOTH MEN BELIEVE THAT THE ORGANIZATION EFFORTS WON’T JUST BENEFIT THEIR INDIVIDUAL CITIES, BUT THE ENTIRETY OF NORTH CAROLINA. IN WINSTON-SALEM, I’M JOSHUA
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North Carolina Tenants are banding together to improve affordable housing with statewide organization
Multimedia Journalist
A big effort is underway to solve issues involving affordable housing in the triad. Top StoriesMan falls several stories from Myrtle Beach hotel while trying to escape shooting, police say Forsyth County Sheriff's Office investigating after video circulates of Triad teacher being assaulted in a classroom Winston-Salem police identify woman shot and killed on North Main Street Get the latest news stories of interest by clicking hereMembers of the "North Carolina Tenants' Union" say folks from Winston-Salem to Raleigh, to Charlotte have seen significant local success when fighting for their homes. They want the organization to replicate that in all corners of the state."We find that our strength is in numbers," said Dan Rose of Housing Justice Now.He's been advocating for communities in Winston-Salem for years, dealing with housing problems he says aren’t unique to the Camel City.Keep up with the latest news and weather by downloading the WXII app here. "Wilmington, Asheville, Charlotte, Raleigh, Durham, New Bern — we realized that a lot of our struggles were overlapping," he said. "Even though this specific apartment complex or that specific landlord had, you know, a certain challenge for tenants in a local area, across the state it was the same."The realization led to the creation of the North Carolina Tenants’ Union — a statewide organization connecting different grassroots housing initiatives with one another. Nick MacLeod, their executive director, said a big focus is education."A lot of that is super nitty-gritty, like, how do we get people to come to a meeting? How do I facilitate that meeting? How do we figure out how to make decisions together," he said. "Doing it together is a lot easier, a lot more powerful and a lot safer. So we really sort of focus in on building that with folks."Watch: NOWCAST streaming newscasts Of course, the organization also wants to put pressure on changing state policy."We're gonna be able to help build the power across the state to win those much bigger changes that fundamentally change what it means to be a tenant in North Carolina," he said.Both men believe the organization’s efforts won’t just benefit individual cities, but the entirety of the state.NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Watch NOWCAST TV | Local News | National | News We Love | Trending Stories:
, N.C. —
A big effort is underway to solve issues involving affordable housing in the triad.
Top Stories
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- Man falls several stories from Myrtle Beach hotel while trying to escape shooting, police say
- Forsyth County Sheriff's Office investigating after video circulates of Triad teacher being assaulted in a classroom
- Winston-Salem police identify woman shot and killed on North Main Street
Get the latest news stories of interest by clicking here
Members of the "North Carolina Tenants' Union" say folks from Winston-Salem to Raleigh, to Charlotte have seen significant local success when fighting for their homes. They want the organization to replicate that in all corners of the state.
"We find that our strength is in numbers," said Dan Rose of Housing Justice Now.
He's been advocating for communities in Winston-Salem for years, dealing with housing problems he says aren’t unique to the Camel City.
Keep up with the latest news and weather by downloading the WXII app here.
"Wilmington, Asheville, Charlotte, Raleigh, Durham, New Bern — we realized that a lot of our struggles were overlapping," he said. "Even though this specific apartment complex or that specific landlord had, you know, a certain challenge for tenants in a local area, across the state it was the same."
The realization led to the creation of the North Carolina Tenants’ Union — a statewide organization connecting different grassroots housing initiatives with one another. Nick MacLeod, their executive director, said a big focus is education.
"A lot of that is super nitty-gritty, like, how do we get people to come to a meeting? How do I facilitate that meeting? How do we figure out how to make decisions together," he said. "Doing it together is a lot easier, a lot more powerful and a lot safer. So we really sort of focus in on building that with folks."
Watch: NOWCAST streaming newscasts
Of course, the organization also wants to put pressure on changing state policy.
"We're gonna be able to help build the power across the state to win those much bigger changes that fundamentally change what it means to be a tenant in North Carolina," he said.
Both men believe the organization’s efforts won’t just benefit individual cities, but the entirety of the state.
NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Watch NOWCAST TV | Local News | National | News We Love |
Trending Stories:
North Carolina bus driver receives citation after school bus overturns with 6 students onboard, officials say
Winston-Salem police asking for public's help searching for missing 42-year-old woman
