LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) — KY Tenants hosted a rally followed by a march on Tuesday, demanding affordable housing, and a Tenant’s Bill of Rights.
“Me and the rest of the tenants need of Tenant’s Bill of Rights, now sooner than later,” adds Asan Gatewood Parks, a 15-year-old who recalled being evicted with his family earlier this year.
“They should make a decision based on our testimony, because we’re the ones that are most at risk,” adds Emma Anderson, a KY Tenants Leader, who was also evicted, and couch surfed for months trying to find stable housing.
“It’s not just adults going through this, it’s kids my age, maybe kids even younger, and just everyone in general, there are a lot of people going through it. And I wanted them to listen, so they can know that we actually do need a Tenant’s Bill of Rights,” added Asan.
Stephanie Hensley moved to a new apartment complex thinking things would be better but now, she constantly worries about making her rent payments on time.
“No mother should have that thought in the back of their head that they’re going to be homeless with their kids soon. I want other tenants to know that they’re not alone. Landlords need to understand that. It’s not only about them. It’s about the community and it’s about tenants. We are paying you and you should respect this instead of landlords taking advantage of us,” said Hensley.
“Each of the four components in the Tenants Bill of Rights is necessary to improve the ability for everyone in Lexington to find safe, sustainable and affordable housing. I want to emphasize to the council that this proposed legislation has not emerged from a vacuum. Rather it has emerged from the perspectives of thousands of tenants in Lexington across all districts who are fed up with significant hurdles and issues associated with trying to put a roof over their heads,” said Lucas Bullock, a member of KY Tenants.
“We want a landlord registry tenant should be able to know who their landlords are, they can run background checks on us, so we should have an accessible way to track them,” added Anderson.
No decision was made at the city council meeting on Tuesday.
But those with KY Tenants say they will continue to fight for a Tenant’s Bill of Rights.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)