A Federal Homes Guarantee
Montana needs rent control now. Our union is a part of the national Homes Guarantee Campaign alongside 18 other tenant unions working to bring national rent -regulation for one-in-four apartment buildings across the country. Corporate landlords have been receiving millions of dollars in subsidized loans from our Federal Government with no strings attached. Instead of using taxpayer $$ to provide safe and affordable housing, they are gouging renters, threatening eviction and ignoring safety needs. Our campaign is targeting the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) which oversees buildings receiving federal loans to enforce 1) rent control, 2) good cause eviction, 3) fair leases, 4) enforcement of discrimination laws, 5) safe, quality housing standards, and more!
Winning this campaign is a path forward for thousands of tenants in Bozeman to win protections that have been taken away by the Montana state government.
In 2023 our union helped get Bozeman tenants around the city to give public comment to the FHFA and sent 6 members to DC to meet with the Director of the FHFA and advocate for the Homes Guarantee. Read Bozeman Tenants United leader Lilly’s op-ed about the Homes Guarantee in the Daily Montanan.
Bozeman tenants united endorses
joey morrison For Mayor
BZN Tenants United leader, Ozaawaamaakwa Echo Maker, on the endorsement:
“Generations of my family have been born, raised, and buried in Montana, and now I am watching as the places that I love — the place I am trying to raise my own child — become inaccessible to the people that keep the local economy running. . .I need and deserve better, and my daughter needs and deserves better. It’s time for poor and working class Bozemanites to have representation in our city government. It’s time for a mayor who will stop rubber stamping every luxury development, who will stop raising property taxes, and deeply engage with the full community. On behalf of Bozeman Tenants United, I am proud to announce our union’s endorsement of Joey Morrison for mayor of Bozeman.”
Update 11/7/23: Bozeman Tenants United is proud to have endorsed Joey Morrison’s campaign effort, helping knock 15,000 doors through sun, rain, and snow. We had thousands of coversations connecting with our neighbors about how we can build a better Bozeman. Together we made history. This victory is your victory.
Ban Second Home Airbnbs
On Tues. 10/17/23 BZN Tenants United won our first campaign for safe, dignified and truly affordable housing in Bozeman. An amended Ordinance 2149 passed. 2nd Home Airbnbs are officially banned (except for the ~100 currently registered with the city) in all zones of Bozeman, and future housing built in our city will be protected from Airbnb investor portfolios.
We appreciate Commissioner Christopher Coburn who showed up on the 17th as a champion of poor and working class tenants. Coburn stood on the side of tenants until the end, saying that amidst Bozeman’s housing crisis, every single unit of available housing matters.
1 year ago, people did not believe a 2nd Home Airbnb ban could be won. The City was discussing higher registration fees for STRs as the solution to displacement. The relentless organizing of poor and working class tenants in Bozeman changed what was possible. Our membership of single parents, retirees, students, and working tenants of every background collected over 1,100 petition signatures supporting a Ban. Through townhalls, rallies, vigils, and a flood of public testimony we forced the urgency of the housing crisis and this piece of the solution into the spotlight, and through grassroots pressure and at times collaboration with the City government, we won this law.
“This is a victory for our union and for Bozemanites, and we know that it will not be the silver bullet to end the housing crisis. Our union’s win proves that those who are closest to the problems in our community are closest to the solutions. Let’s use the momentum from this victory to keep building our union’s power, and keep fighting for safe, dignified and affordable housing for all.” - Bozeman Tenants United leader Marie Lynn