Pioneer Tenants United rally for safe housing, legal rights for renters
Tenants and advocates gathered at the Rhode Island State House to demand safe, clean, and affordable housing from Pioneer Investments LLC. Nearly 100 people stood in solidarity with those affected by the slumlord’s practices, sharing horror stories and urging legislators to introduce desperately needed tenant protection laws. One tenant even had their tenancy terminated for speaking out.
March 1, 2023, 11:56 am
By Steve Ahlquist
Pioneer Tenants United held a rally at the Rhode Island State House on Tuesday to call out “slumlord” Pioneer Investments LLC and to call for the General Assembly to pass legislation ensuring the right of tenants to live in safe, clean and affordable homes. Nearly 100 people – including tenants, advocates and legislators – gathered in the rotunda for the rally, and afterwards they entered the Senate and House Chambers to directly advocate for renter’s rights with their elected representatives.
Video here:
“This is a tenant’s rights rally – two-fold actually,” said Miguel Martinez Youngs, Organizing Director at Reclaim RI, who emceed the event. Reclaim RI has been helping to organize Pioneer Tenants United. “We’re here to stand in solidarity with the tenants of slumlord Pioneer Investments LLC. We’re going to hear their stories – their horror stories. The nightmares they live with daily… We’re also going to hear from a slate of elected leaders who are introducing desperately needed legislation to help tenants in this state.”
“Due to going public about my concerns about the conditions I am living in, Anurag Sureka has now terminated my tenancy and fully admitted to me that it was due to me speaking out about how he runs his business and mistreats all his tenants,” said tenant Melissa Grussi. Sureka owns and operates Pioneer Investments LLC.
See Uprise RI coverage of Grussi’s story here.
“The Landlord-Tenant Act was created in 1986 and we haven’t seen any meaningful update to account for inflation, cost of living or other critical resources,” said Senator Tiara Mack (Democrat, District 6, Providence). “In 1986 Rhode Island was a leader in passing the Landlord-Tenant Act, yet over the last 30 years we’ve fallen behind and we haven’t kept up.”
See Uprise RI’s exclusive interview with Senator Mack here.
“We had a mouse and rat problem in our apartment. We also had mold and mildew in our bedroom that was leaking for two-and-a-half years,” said Danielle, a former Pioneer Tenant.
“I want to be absolutely clear: The horrifying stories you are hearing from tenants of Pioneer Investments are not unique,” said Representative David Morales (Democrat, District 7, Providence). “Across Rhode Island tens of thousands of renters have to deal with deplorable conditions. And often times, when they grow the courage to approach the property management company or the landlord, they are ignored.”
“We’re here in solidarity with Pioneer Tenants United and all tenants in Rhode Island,” said Ligea from the Providence Organization of Workers and Renters (POWR). You can read the full statement from POWR below.
“Rhode Island has a housing affordability and tenants’ rights crisis. Tenants are tired of being told they can exercise their housing “rights” when reality doesn’t reflect that. Rhode Island has no comprehensive tenant protections. Its housing stock is limited and old, in dire need of maintenance. As housing conditions deteriorate, tenants have no means to ensure landlords use the passive income they receive from tenants- many of whom live paycheck to paycheck- to make needed repairs and ensure a safe and habitable living space. Tenants don’t have a right to a lawyer when landlords bring them to court. Code enforcement is under-resourced which leads to delayed visits, and the fining and appeal process can take months without guarantee that tenants’ justified complaints are addressed. And calling code enforcement on a landlord often leads to retaliation, including illegal attempts at eviction.
“Renters in Rhode Island on a minimum wage of $13 would need to work over 60 hours to afford a 2-bedroom apartment without paying more than 30% of their income. This is causing more housing instability and homelessness. We need real protections, like rent controls that lower rents to actually affordable levels. We are in a war against rent and anyone that profits from being a so-called ‘housing provider.’
“But tenants don’t need to struggle on their own. We must realize that strength comes from sharing our stories and organizing together- we each have knowledge and skills we can use to share information and mobilize when one of us needs community support.
“We can’t rely on the good will of some landlords, politicians, or housing non-profits to enact these changes- we need to depend on ourselves and our own organizations. We want safe homes for all, owned and operated by all. Not slumlords, not corporate landlords, not gentrifying developers! As tenants and workers we can fight for a world without rent!“
“The landlord lobby is real. They are always here [in the State House],” said Miguel Martinez Youngs, returning to the microphone. “Anyone who has sat through of of the committee hearings for any of these tenants rights bills has seen landlord after landlord, corporate landlord, slumlord after slumlord testify against them.”
For an example of landlords testifying against tenants rights bills, see here.
“We have to make sure that low-income affordable rents are available to families and individuals who need it,” said Terri Wright from Direct Action for Rights and Equality (DARE). “Sure we can always build more housing, but we also ned stability: To keep families housed.”
Uprise RI was unable to film for a few minutes due to a tech issue, missing the testimony of Jazzmin, a former Pioneer Investments tenant, and getting back online part way through the testimony of Representative Cherie Cruz. Jazzmin provided Uprise RI her testimony:
“My name is Jazzmin and I am a co-founder of Formerly Incarcerated Union, a network of people directly impacted by the the criminal legal system in Rl.
“I was also a Pioneer tenant for 3 years. Living in one of Anurag’s apartments was one of the worst experiences living anywhere my whole life.
“Leaks through the ceiling onto my son’s bed, fleas, cockroaches, mice, bedbugs. I would pack up my whole apartment for days at a time waiting for them to come exterminate. They never got rid of the bugs. For weeks I didn’t have hot water in my shower. My refrigerator kept breaking and I lost hundreds of dollars in food.
“I came to a Reclaim event with fellow FIU members exactly one year ago today and shared my story. We started knocking on people’s doors and had our first big event for Pioneer tenants in the summer. So many other people were in horrible living situations just like mine. One family shared that their two babies were lead poisoned by Pioneer. That’s why I’m still in this fight.
“Our affordable housing system is broken. It took me my whole adult life to get accepted for Section 8. It shouldn’t take that long. The private rental market clearly isn’t working. It’s dominated by people like Anurag! The state must build its own affordable housing.
“When I finally got my Section 8, I was already living in my Pioneer apartment. They ignored me when I asked them to process my voucher. Their apartments would never pass the inspection!
“Every time I complained about the conditions in my apartment, Pioneer would tell me: “You can leave.” No I couldn’t! The whole time I lived there I was applying for other apartments. Landlords who would never accept me with an eviction took one application fee after another.
“They get rich from fees and you’ll never get the apartment! We must eliminate application fees. Slumlords shouldn’t be the only option for people who need affordable housing!
“I know so many people who can’t find a place to live because of an eviction. This is near and dear to my heart. People give up hope because they know they’re never gonna find a place. We must give people a chance to change their life. There must be an avenue to have your eviction record sealed. Thank you!“
“Let’s talk about how much money it takes to apply for housing. Hundreds of people applying for one unit, at somewhere between $30 and $75 a pop,” said Representative Cherie Cruz (Democrat, District 58, Pawtucket). “That’s a disincentive to fill a unit.”
On Thursday, March 2 around 5pm the House Judiciary Committee will be hearing public testimony on several tenants rights bills, including Representative Cruz’s proposed legislation, H5690, to mandate that landlords pay interest on security deposits returned to tenants.
Other bills on tenant’s rights, to be heard in the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday evening include:
H5362 – Increases the amount of time of notice a residential landlord must give to a tenant prior to any rent increase.
H5580 – Prohibits a landlord and others from requiring application fee from a prospective tenant or tenant. Violations punishable as a misdemeanor with a fine of $500.
H5689 – Prohibits a landlord from inquiring about the immigration status of a tenant subject to any federal laws or regulations, but may request financial information or proof of identity.
H5691 – Prohibits a landlord from increasing the rent for a residential property more than once annually. Violation of this provision would be deemed a deceptive trade practice and subject to penalties.
H5760 – Limits the use of certain criminal records and credit history reports in denying housing to prospective applicants, provides fines for failure to comply and requires notice of denials be sent to the prospective tenants.
H5579 – Allows termination of a residential lease by a domestic abuse victim, sexual assault victim or a stalking victim.
There’s also one bill that increases landlord rights:
H5579 – Modifies the summons for eviction for reasons other than nonpayment of rent with the district court, to add a certificate of service section, and provides the option to post the summons/complaint conspicuously on door of the defendant/tenant’s dwelling.
Miguel Martinez Youngs and Daniel Denvir of Reclaim RI wrapped things up before letting the attendees find their elected representatives and advocate for tenants rights.
