Join Today’s (4/7) “Tenant Talk Live” on Leveraging Citywide Partnerships to Advance Tenant Unionization

Join NLIHC’s next “Tenant Talk Live,” a meeting geared toward tenant and resident leaders, on Monday, April 7, at 6 pm ET (5 pm CT, 4 pm MT, and 3 pm PT). Join NLIHC staff and guests from the Connecticut Tenant Union to discuss how they have worked collectively to improve the living conditions of tenants in New Haven, CT. Connect with fellow tenants and be a part of the conversation. Register for today’s meeting here.  

The Connecticut Tenant Union successfully leverages tenant power for huge wins. This session will focus on a win for the Blank Street Tenants Union, a member organization of the CT Tenant Union. Blank Street made history when tenants organized in a matter of six weeks to negotiate with a property management company that eventually rescinded unjust eviction notices. The Blank Street Tenants Union worked closely with the City of New Haven’s Fair Rent Commission, leveraging a local law that allowed union representatives to advocate for tenants’ concerns. This collaboration reinforced tenants’ ability to fight for fair housing conditions and hold landlords accountable. Their work inspired the creation of other tenant organizations in that city.  

Joining “Tenant Talk Live” this month is Sarah White and Luke Melonakos-Harrison. Sarah joined the Connecticut Fair Housing Center as a staff attorney in 2012, where she has represented and advised hundreds of homeowners in foreclosure and brought cases against mortgage servicers for unfair consumer practices. As a community lawyer, she now works with tenant unions and community organizations organizing tenants to address unsafe conditions in housing and promote state and local policies that protect tenants. She trains local Fair Rent Commissions, helped lead a successful grassroots campaign that won a Right to Counsel for Tenants in Connecticut, and works on the ongoing campaigns to expand Just Cause eviction protections and cap rent increases.  

Luke Melonakos-Harrison is a tenant organizer and advocate based in New Haven, Connecticut dedicated to ensuring stronger protections for tenants in his community. With four years of experience in homeless outreach, Luke has witnessed firsthand the devastating consequences of housing instability. His work has taken him to the frontlines of the homelessness crisis, where he provides services to unhoused individuals and advocated for policy changes that prioritize human dignity. Luke is committed to efforts such as rent stabilization and eviction protections, and fights for policies that ensure housing as a fundamental human right.  

Register for today’s “Tenant Talk Live” to learn more from these speakers.   

Remember: Tenant Talk Live would not be possible without tenants like you! We strive to connect and engage with tenants 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]. 

Stay up to date on Tenant Talk Live events via the NLIHC Tenant Talk Facebook group.