KC Tenants COVID Response
We are an organization led by a multiracial, multigenerational base of poor and working class tenants in Kansas City. KC Tenants are organizing to ensure that everyone in KC has a safe, accessible, and truly affordable home.
We are experiencing a public health crisis. This situation will affect our poor and working class community members the most, only worsening the constant injustice they face. People who are housing-insecure or currently homeless are at a higher risk of being exposed to the virus, becoming ill, and suffering catastrophic health outcomes. Many tenants simply don’t have rent money because they’ve been laid off. All of this is unacceptable. If you are a tenant in Kansas City (and surrounding areas), KC Tenants has your back.
National Eviction Ban
There is now a national eviction moratorium that began September 4, 2020 and lasts through December 31, 2020. That means your landlord can’t evict you for not being able to pay your rent if: you expect to have income less than $99,000 in 2020, or if you received a stimulus check, or if you did not have to file a 2019 tax return. To get protection, you have to submit a declaration form to your landlord. Every adult in the household should sign the form. Try to send the form to your landlord by email and/or certified mail, so you have proof that you submitted it. Read more info on the national eviction ban HERE.
Resources
- KC Tenants Hotline: (816) 533-5435
Call us with any questions, concerns, or incident reports. Our grassroots leaders staff the line. They are people who are impacted by these issues as well. If we miss your call, we commit to get back to you within 24 hours. Please indicate if you need more urgent assistance. - Incident Report
This form is intended to be a safe place to report incidents related to housing/homelessness/COVID19. If you or someone you know is in crisis, facing harassment from your landlord, or if you just have a question about your rights, please submit your story and basic information to this form. We commit to get back to you within 24 hours. Please indicate if you need more urgent assistance. - Community Resources
Here is an updated list of resources available to you at this time. We update this list several times weekly. - Know Your Rights
Action
- Petition for Cancel Rent and MORE
We have launched a petition calling on the Governor of Missouri to: 1) Institute a rent/mortgage suspension; 2) Enact an immediate, comprehensive statewide eviction/foreclosure moratorium; 3) Ban utility shut-offs and mandate universal service; 4) Provide homes and expanded services for people experiencing homelessness. Sign the petition if you support these demands, and if you want to get more involved. - Organizing Toolkit
We have developed a toolkit for organizing during the COVID time. The toolkit includes: tenant union organizing steps, elements of strategic campaigns, tips for organizing a rent strike, and template letters, meeting agendas, and more. You can read it HERE in zine form. - Mutual Aid
In a time of crisis, we can respond to the needs of our community with collective power and mutual aid. Donations go toward food and supplies for KC Tenants leaders during this outbreak so our grassroots team can stay home and stay healthy.
