DEFENDING HOUSING IN THE HEARTLAND.

• Author: Castor, Chase
• Position: ON THE LINE - Coalition of tenants rights organizations in Kentucky, KC Tenants

Sakinah Cooper, who in February 2019 was a stay-at-home, work-from-home mom, sat on the couch in her living room in Kansas City, Missouri, snuggling her newborn while a giant plastic sheet loomed behind her, which made her apartment feel like a strange quarantine zone. The sheet was hung by maintenance workers when Cooper complained of a ceiling-destroying leak that developed after a heavy snowmelt. The sheet hung for weeks; no other fix came. Cooper contacted the KC Tenants Hotline and was given resources to have her apartment inspected and her landlord held accountable.

With rising rents and a lack of affordable housing options, tenants have begun to speak out and stand up to landlords. KC Tenants, a coalition of tenants rights organizations from across Kansas City...