Associate Organizer of Tenants United

WHAT IS TENANTS UNITED?

Tenants United (TU) is a new, non-profit, membership organization of public and private housing tenants as well as homeowner allies who are committed to building power to address issues related to housing across the Greater Milwaukee area.

TU was created by, and is a member organization of, Common Ground (CG). CG is a non-profit, non-partisan, financially-independent alliance of 45 member organizations (congregations, neighborhood groups, non-profits, small businesses, and schools) committed to building power and to creating positive change. CG has a 17-year track record of success around foreclosure, education, youth jobs, health care access, voting, safe neighborhoods, and more. We have taken on approximately 35 issue campaigns in our time, and won 80-90% of them—from starting the non-profit CG Healthcare Cooperative insuring 60,000+ people across Wisconsin; to securing $33.8 million from  global banks to account for predatory lending in the Sherman Park neighborhood.

We identify everyday leaders who want to address issues in their communities. We set daring goals, create savvy strategies, and are willing to stand up to powerful interests. We get results.

WHY TENANTS UNITED?

In March 2023, CG and residents of the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee (“HACM”)—Milwaukee’s second largest landlord—went public about serious problems in public housing. After two years, a class-action lawsuit, 275+ news articles (including front-page Washington Post), and more, we won:

• City jurisdiction to inspect and fine HACM for unresolved maintenance issues;
• Hundreds of issues with buildings and units fixed: mold abatement, increased security guards, heating restored, appliances replaced, etc;
• A new, reform-minded HACM Board of Commissioners;
• New HACM executives replacing those who previously led the agency into fraud, waste, and abuse;
• And much more.

Now, building on our relationships and accomplishments, we are looking beyond public housing to address broader housing issues in Milwaukee. Whereas private landlords are organized (e.g., trade associations, campaign contributions, lobbyists), tenants are not. We need to level the power imbalance.

While there are several tenant unions nationally, none are deeply connected to a broad base of faith institutions, schools, labor unions, etc.—offering allies, capacity, and know-how to get things done.

You can help pioneer a new kind of tenant organization, and make real change.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

We are seeking highly-motivated applicants with the following qualities:

• Entrepreneurial / driven — excited by the opportunity to help build something;
• Deeply relational and curious about others — driven by the slow, deep process of building power through relationships across lines of difference;
• “Us”/“we” mentality, not “I”/”me” — sees the bigger project of building shared collective power and developing leaders;
• Righteous indignation — a moral code; good “social anger” about injustice;
• Unafraid of tension/fighting & has an “edge” — doesn’t back down from a fight with dominant power; scrappy;
• Imagination / vision — doesn’t just live in the world as it is, but imagines the world as it should/could be;
• Growth mindset — eager to learn, receive feedback, and grow individually and collectively with a team.

THE OPPORTUNITY

The Tenants United Associate Organizer is responsible for helping grow and develop a unique tenant organization in Greater Milwaukee that focuses on building (and wielding) power to win reforms and improve lives. The Associate Organizer will be supported and coached by the staff of Common Ground.

Skills and Responsibilities:

• Helping build Tenants United in collaboration with tenants, allies, and CG.
• Setting up and conducting 15 one-to-one meetings per week or the equivalent in canvassing. (A one-to-one meeting is a focused 45- minute meeting with a person to begin to build a relationship and to look for leaders for public action.)
• Canvassing door-to-door in target areas to build tenant groups or neighborhood associations.
• Finding and developing leaders.
• Building organizing teams and working with them to identify and research issues and solutions, develop a power analysis and then taking action with those leaders to get results.
• Helping raise money by recruiting new dues-paying members and allies, assisting with grant writing, relating to philanthropic organizations, and soliciting donations from individuals. .
• Participating in local and national trainings; learning to lead trainings.
• Writing a weekly report and reflection and participating in a weekly check-in with their supervisor and coach. Participating in CG staff and Strategy Team meetings.

• Effective oral and written communication.
• Stay abreast of news and politics.

Experience:

A combination of education and training equivalent to the below will be considered.

• A Bachelor’s degree in a related field;
• Some record—personally or professionally—of standing up against a bully or standing for some positive change (see cover letter questions);
• Bilingual Spanish fluency desired.

Compensation and Benefits:

• $50,000 – $70,000 based on experience
• Health Insurance Stipend
• Holidays, Paid Time Off, paid Sick Days
• Up to 12 weeks paid Medical and Family Leave
• Expense and travel reimbursement