Why should you come bowl with MTO on Saturday, August 28th?

• great prizes to win in categories such as: highest score, best team name, lowest score, etc
• free pizza, pop, and t-shirt
• you can bring your own team with old friends, or join an MTO team and make new friends
• you’ll be helping your community AND having fun

How does it work?
Once you’re on a team, you get a packet and start collecting pledges. All pledges to the Metropolitan Tenants Organization are tax-deductible. Your supporters can make a flat pledge, or they can pledge a certain amount per pin that you knock down. Each team will play three games, so if you score 100 points in each game, and your friend Joe pledged you $0.05 per pin, your friend Joe contributed $15. Collecting pledges is helpful because as long as you get at least $75 worth of pledges, you can bowl (and win prizes) for free!

To bowl in the MTO Bowl-a-Thon, call or email Clarissa today at 773.292.4980 x 222 or clarissa@tenants-rights.org. You must be registered to bowl.

The following is an updated prize list:

• 3 pairs of tickets to Zanies Comedy Club
• 4 passes to explore the Alder Planetarium
• an autographed Chicago Cubs baseball by Xavier Nady
• 2 tickets for Date-and-Dash, speed dating for singles
• a one hour Design Consultation with the interior design experts at Green Home Chicago
• a gift certificate for legendary sweets from Sweet Molly’s
• a gift certificate for free recording time at the Mystery Street Recording Company
• a gift certificate for falafel and other Middle Eastern delights at Sultan’s Market
• hand-made Native American earrings (beaded, porcupine quills, etc)
• Wii video games (Candy Factory, Word Jong Party)
• a touch screen mp3 player
• mini boom box
• digital camera and digital frame
• dvd player

A Dream Foreclosed from LCBH on Vimeo.

Tenants and activists gathered in the second floor lobby of City Hall Tuesday April 27^th before the Building Committee meeting to express their support of Mayor Daley’s amendment to hold banks accountable for tenants’ security deposit in the case of foreclosure. Among them was Peter Mclennon, representing Cook County Clerk David Orr (the Residential Landlord and Tenants Ordinance sponsor in 1986). He urged rejection of the Chicagoland Apartment Association’s amendment being put forth by Alderman Stone. According to Charlotte Starks, a tenant and hotline counselor, “Security deposits being kept by landlords is as prevalent as domestic abuse, in that it does not have a face, does not have a color, it doesn’t have an address. It’s done city-wide, in all of the wards.”

Following the press conference, participants went to room 201A to prepare to testify before the Buildings Committee. The presence was so large that the meeting was moved to the City Council Chambers to accommodate everyone.

Alderman Shiller started the hearing by proposing a subcommittee that would be able to address problems brought forth by landlords and tenants. Alderman Stone chose to hear all testimony from landlord and tenant groups. Approximately 30 people testified to the committee, including Joel Rivera, a tenant turned volunteer counselor for MTO’s Renter’s Rights Hotline, testified “By providing the LL with a 14 day notification prior to any lawsuits regarding the deposit, its basically contradicting a law that the landlord should already know. Upon signing a lease, the landlord is obligated to the RLTO to provide each tenant with a copy of the ordinance summary. So off the bat, the landlord should already be responsible for what his rights are towards the tenant.” John Bartlett, Executive Director of MTO, explained MTO’s desire to work with good landlords on their concerns with the law while simultaneously ensuring loopholes are not opened in the current law that would make it easier for bad landlords to take advantage of their tenant’s money.

Three hours later, after everyone had had their say, Alderman Latasha Thomas stated her support of forming a subcommittee to resolve the issues brought up by those that had testified. Alderman Hairston believed a happy medium could be found between landlords and tenants in a subcommittee. Deputy Commissioner Ellen Sahli explained Mayor Daley’s proposal, specifically that his proposal does not tip the delicate balance in the RLTO away from landlords – instead, it would only affect lien holders, such as banks and only in the case of a foreclosure. Deputy Commissioner Sahli stated her support of a subcommittee and her opposition to Alderman Stone’s amendment.

Chairman Stone explained that his intent with the amendment was to “correct the rigidity of the ordinance.” Alderman Shiller responded that she wanted to address this, but that the “14-day cure” changes economic incentives and changes consequences to landlords if they do not follow the security deposit law as written. Chairman Stone responded that he did not want to be a block on the Mayor’s ordinance. The Buildings Committee then voted unanimously to pass the Mayor’s ordinance onto the full council without any amendments attached. The two amendments will be considered in the new subcommittee headed by Alderman Shiller.

Alderman Shiller’s subcommittee is tentatively scheduled for Monday, May 24.  The committee will continue to look at the amendments proposed by Aldermen Stone and Shiller.  It is important for renters to continue to come attend hearings as we expect the Chicagoland Apartment Association to continue to press for a weakening of Chicago’s ordinance.  Tenants need to inform the alderman of problems they face with security deposits.  If you are interested in testifying at the next hearing please contact  Loreen Targos at 773-292-4980 x 231 or by email at loreen@tenants-rights.org.

The Ada-Throop buildings, in many ways, represent the predicament that the foreclosure crisis has caused in many tenants’ lives.  The tenants in Ada-Throop lived in quickly deteriorating conditions because the owner was either unwilling or unable to attend to the upkeep of the building, let alone pay the mortgage.  Often unresolved repairs are the first sign of a landlord in foreclosure.  Because of unacceptable building conditions, there was fear HUD would eliminate the subsidy of the property, and thus everyone would have to move.

Foreclosures also put into question the person ‘in charge’ during the court process.  The courts, the banks, or the old owner often do not want to invest the needed resources in foreclosure buildings.

Fortunately, the tenants worked together with MTO to take back control over their living conditions.  The tenants association secured the assistance of the City of Chicago’s Troubled Building Initiative and a court appointed receiver took over management of the buildings.  Working with the court appointed management company, tenants continued to organize, heat was restored in the building and conditions were improved.

Thanks to the efforts of the Metropolitan Tenants Organization working in conjunction with the Shriver Center, the Community Investment Corporations (CIC) and HUD, these buildings and their affordable housing subsidizes were all preserved.  Today, there remain problems and obstacles to overcome in the building. But since the tenants have organized, conditions have improved and new owners will soon be ready to take over the buildings. These new owners are currently looking into securing loans to do rehabilitation work on these affordable subsidized buildings.

Summary Prepared by Robert Clack

Deborah Harrington: 2010 Movement Builder Awardee

25 years of raising renters’ voices & community preservation

Please join us to celebrate MTO’s 25th Anniversary!

On Tuesday, May 4th at the Chicago Cultural Center in G.A.R. Hall & Rotunda, from 5:30 to 8:30pm, MTO is hosting a reception. Join us for hors d’oeuvres, wine, jazz and to honor some of our community’s outstanding leaders! MTO will honor Deborah Harrington, former President of the Wood’s Fund of Chicago and Steven Whitman, Ph. D, Director of the Sinai Urban Health Institute. The key note speaker for the event will be Congressman Luis V. Gutierrez.

Mayor Richard M. Daley will serve as the Honorary Celebration Chair and has agreed to issue a proclamation in honor of the occasion.

The following are several opportunities to support MTO and renters throughout the City in celebrating this milestone:

Buy Tickets

Table for 10 – $1,000.00 (limited availability)
Tickets – $100.00/person

Please consider sponsoring a renter scholarship ticket when you purchase some for your agency!

To purchase tickets by credit card on line:

1. Go to the MTO website at www.tenants-rights.org.
2. Under Support Our Work on the right hand side of the page, click on Donate Now.
3. Indicate the amount of your purchase and under Designation, indicate the number of tickets you are purchasing and write 25th Event.
4. Proceed as indicated.

Buy Ad-space in the Program Booklet

• Full Page…………………………….. $300.00

• Half Page…………………………….. $150.00

• Quarter Page…..………………..…. $100.00

• One Eighth Page…………………… $ 65.00

• Single Line Mention……………. ..$ 35.00

• Non-profit special package includes: 2 passes to the event & ½ page ad in Program Book….$300.00

Contact Kathy Cheney-Egan at 773.292.4980 ext. 230 or kathy@tenants-rights.org to purchase your ad or tickets today!

Deadline for inclusion on the print invitation is March 31, 2010. Deadline for ordering ad space is April 16th.

photo credit: midnightcomm on flickr

Tenants from the building located at 3045 W 63^rd St. call the MTO because their building was in horrible condition and they were not going to take it anymore.  When the MTO organizers arrived at the building the first thing that that they noticed was there was no heat in the building along with security problems such as, locks not working on entrance doors.  Tenants highlighted other problems such as pests (roaches, mice and rats), doors and door frame problems going into apartments, leaky pipes among other issues in the building.

The tenants organized a tenants association.  A group of them called 311 (the City’s complaint number) and asked for reference numbers.  Several tenants also wrote out 24 hour letters concerning the heat problem.  On December 10^th organizers sent letters via certified mail to the Management Company, contacted a City of Chicago Building Attorney and contacted a Community Investment Corporation Program Officer in charge of the Trouble Building Initiative.

Two days later City Inspectors toured the building and found the building to be in non compliance with City code.  That same day the Management Company sent repair people to the property and the heat was turned back on around midnight and an open window in a common area was boarded up.

After their victory the tenants are inspired to keep organizing.  MTO organizers are working with the tenants association to fix the rest of the problems.   Tenants learned about their renters’ rights and now they are writing 14 day letters concerning conditions and repairs.  Their next meeting is set for January 4 at the Southwest Youth Collaborative.

Summary Prepared by Robert Clack

On March 1, the 2010 Census will begin.  Short forms will arrive at your doorstep for the head of household to complete.  These forms will be accompanied by a pre-paid envelope so that you mail them in at no personal cost.  IT IS CRITICAL THAT YOU PARTICIPATE BY MAILING YOUR SHORT FORM BACK AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

This year MTO is participating as a partner in the 2010 Complete Committees for the Census.  We’re encouraging everyone we meet to fill in their short form and return it.  Why?  Well, here are just a few reasons:

The 2010 Census will help communities receive more than $400 billion in federal funds each year for things like:

• Hospitals
• Job training centers
• Schools
• Senior centers
• Bridges, tunnels and other-public works projects
• Emergency services

The data collected by the census also helps determine the number of seats your state has in the U.S. House of Representatives.

It is also important to note that the information you share on your short form is completely confidential.  “In simple terms, this means NO IRS, NO IMMIGRATION, NO CIA, NO FBI, NO POLICE, NO WELFARE, NO COURT, NO HOMELAND SECURITY, NO FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT, NOT EVEN THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES can access and identify any individual and the responses provided.

MTO will be conducting a raffle during the month of March.  Every person who attends an MTO sponsored meeting and completes their census form will receive a ticket to win a prize!  Look for your form in the mail to participate!  For more information regarding the 2010 U.S. Census, contact www.census.gov.

photo credit: AleBonvini on flickr

Thousands of buildings went into foreclosure last year in Chicago. And they weren’t all bungalows and condos. Joining us to talk about how foreclosures are affecting renters is John Bartlett. He is executive director of the Metropolitan Tenants Organization in Chicago.

listen to broadcast on ChicagoPublicRadio.org