NLIHC will host the next session of “Tenant Talk Live” – a webinar geared towards tenant and resident leaders – next Monday, August 21, at 6 pm ET. The webinar, “How to Form a Tenant-Based Group: Resident Councils, Tenant Associations, Tenant Unions, and Beyond!,” will discuss tips for forming a new group, including how to talk to your neighbors, organize, and address the threat of retaliation. NLIHC staff will be joined by Ryan Bell, Southern California regional coordinator at Tenants Together, and Santra Denis, executive director of the Miami Workers Center. Register for next Monday’s Tenant Talk Live webinar here.
Ryan Bell has been involved in organizing housing justice and other social justice campaigns in Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley for the past 17 years. Today, he supports almost 30 Southern California member organizations with Tenants Together, a statewide organization dedicated to defending and advancing the rights of California tenants to safe, decent, and affordable housing. He is also a member organizer with the Pasadena Tenants Union and the Chair of the Pasadena Rental Housing Board, which was established by the rent control charter amendment he helped pass in November 2022. Ryan has also been the director of community engagement at PATH (People Assisting the Homeless) and was a pastor for many years. He received his master of divinity degree from Andrews University and his doctorate from Fuller Theological Seminary. Though today he is a secular humanist, the experience he gained in pastoral ministry still serves him in his organizing work.
Santra Denis is the executive director of the Miami Workers Center, a member-led organization that helps domestic workers, tenants, and families in Miami, Florida, achieve dignity, power, and self-determination. She previously served as the senior vice-president for the Urban League of Broward County Young Professionals, where she spearheaded the first Annual State of Young Black Broward Forum on health, criminal justice, and economics. Santra also founded Avanse Ansanm, which engages, connects, and builds power among Haitian-American millennials. She has also worked with the Catalyst Miami, Shands Healthcare, Care Resource, and Bay Pines VA Healthcare System. Santra is a fellow with the New Leaders Council, the premier leadership and professional development network for cross-sector changemakers, and a fellow with Sant La, a Haitian-American leadership program for young adults in Miami Dade County. She also serves as a member of the Community Advisory Board at Florida International University Research Center in Minority Institutions, a board member for Miami Dade County’s Office of New Americans, and a member of the Black Mothers Care Plan Advisory Board. Trained as a public health professional, Santra holds bachelor of health sciences and master of public health in policy and management degrees from Florida International University.
“Tenant Talk Live” webinars are held the first and third Monday of every month at 6 pm ET. For more information on future topics, visit our website: https://nlihc.org/tenant-talk-live-webinar. To stay up to date on “Tenant Talk Live” events and connect with other attendees, join the Tenant Talk Facebook group.
“Tenant Talk Live” would not be possible without tenants like you! We strive to connect and engage with residents and tenant leaders through our webinars. If you are a low-income tenant and have a topic you would like to propose for an upcoming “Tenant Talk Live,” or if you would like to participate as a speaker on an upcoming call or webinar, please email: [email protected]. Webinars like “Tenant Talk Live” also depend on the support of our members. Become an NLIHC member here!