On Tuesday August 20th, Local Progress held a virtual Good Cause workshop, with coalition partners Housing Justice for All and For The Many. We shared organizing tactics, lessons learned, and strategies on how to replicate these wins across the state. Fresh off their housing victories this summer, we heard from local leaders in Kingston and Albany on how they won Good Cause in their cities. Together, our local leaders and tenant organizers continue to come together to beat back the coordinated real estate lobby and pass the strongest version of Good Cause possible!
Michele Hirsch, Alderwoman in Kingston’s 9th Ward, shared how supported and informed she felt working with grassroots partners to move Good Cause forward. Gabriella Romero, Common Council Member for Albany’s 6th Ward, shared how important communications and organizing were in this fight. We know our members and allies are moving similar bills forward across the state, and put all the resources you need in one location! Check out our campaign website for talking points, draft legislation ready to be introduced, and ways to connect with tenants organizing for Good Cause in your community.
We want to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone, partners, members, and staff who joined our call! New York is truly leading the way coming out of this year’s legislative session, and that’s in large part due to local leaders across the state working in partnership with their communities. As our campaign for Good Cause continues, we’ll be sharing more resources, hosting more workshops, and planning more opportunities for everyone across the state to get involved.
Five cities in upstate New York have passed Good Cause into law, with Beacon joining the list just last week! There are campaigns in six other cities, from Buffalo to Hudson, fighting to bring critical renter protections to thousands of tenants. Right now, the real estate lobby is organizing to water down these laws by adding loopholes and exemptions, but we can fight back. Download ready to introduce legislation, read up on the latest talking points, and take the pledge to introduce Good Cause in your community all on our campaign website .
If you’d like to join our Road to Good Cause campaign, and bring tenant protections to your city, please reach out to New York Chapter Manager Melissa Carrera-Solano at mcarrera@localprogress.org.
