LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Stacee Spurling moved from Illinois to Kentucky in 1979. She’s lived in her Louisville apartment for 10 years.
She said years ago, she and her late husband loved living in the complex. She’s currently the president of her Resident Council.
“I love the country. I love the soul food cooking. I love the togetherness and some of the friendliness,” Spurling said.
But, things have changed.
Spurling said she thinks there has been poor property maintenance and poor management. She said she does not think residents’ voices are being heard, either.
When she learned about Louisville Tenants Union, she looked into the group and joined earlier this year.
“And it’s been nothing but positive. It’s like, this is what I’m talking about. But see, I was just by mysel,f just me and my husband and we weren’t a voice. So, when you have other people standing behind you, you feel more empowered where you can win and organize,” Spurling said.
Louisville Tenants Union was established in 2022. Josh Poe, a Louisville Tenants Union organizer, said the union is made up of a diverse group of people who believe they can collectively accomplish more things together than they could alone.
Right now, there are over 200 members. Poe said they want to organize 10,000 union members over the next couple of years.
Louisville Tenants Union is working to make “housing a human right” and “end all evictions,” while building “tenant power.”
“So, if you’re a tenant and you live in a building and there are maintenance issues and the landlord’s not showing up when you call for maintenance, as an individual, you have very little power to affect that situation — even legally. We believe that together, if we can organize everybody in that building and everybody made a demand on that landlord — through a real structured campaign — that we can actually change those conditions. Not just change the conditions, but actually change the laws that create those conditions,” Poe said.
Spurling said she feels powerful now. She helped form her apartment complex’s Resident Council — who elected her president. She said the Louisville Tenants Union has changed her life.
“When I say it has changed my life, it has impacted me in so many ways. Even gave me the confidence I knew I had, but it gave me the power moves. It gave me more confidence to keep pushing forward and be a voice for many,” Spurling said.
While empowering themselves, the group is also calling on powerful people in Washington, D.C. to help them.
Jer Zonio was part of the delegation representing Louisville Tenants Union that traveled to Washington, D.C. earlier this year.
“Us, here in like Louisville and stuff are leading the charge on power-holders in Washington, D.C. There’s this sense of assurance that we’re building power right now and we’re pretty powerful as we are,” Zonio said.
Poe said Louisville Tenants Union is planning another trip to Washington, D.C. from Nov. 13 to 16 to speak with the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency.
The owners of the building where Spurling lives released the following statement to Spectrum News 1:
“As owners of Liberty Green, The Community Builders (TCB) and Louisville Metro Housing Authority (LMHA) are committed to providing quality, affordable housing to every resident who calls this community home. We have retained new professional property management with on-site staff and 24-hour maintenance to ensure residents’ homes remain safe and healthy. We also host regular resident meetings to share information and provide a forum for residents to share their ideas and suggestions. TCB and LMHA value our residents and the partnership of the resident council, as we work to make Liberty Green an even better place to live.”