FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - March 20, 2020 Contacts: Michael Robin, Media Committee Jesse Connor, Media Committee
Autonomous Tenants Union and Coalition of Chicago Organizations Demand Rent and Mortgage Freeze In wake of COVID-19 outbreak, city, county, and state must guarantee homes for all CHICAGO -- As COVID-19 spreads throughout the United States, making an indefinite period of social distancing vital for containing the outbreak, millions of Americans have, or will soon, lose their jobs. Because of this, instead of being able to focus on how best to protect their communities, many are left worrying about how they will pay rent on April 1st. ATU, in coalition with 22 other Chicago organizations, has created a petition articulating demands to address this fear. In less than two days, over 5,000 Chicagoans have signed on. In a city where more than half of renter households are considered “rent-burdened” and over 85,000 people are already homeless, one missed paycheck can mean a choice between groceries or rent. With a coronavirus recession fast approaching, this injustice threatens to become a full-blown catastrophe. It will take drastic action to avert this disaster. For this reason, Autonomous Tenants Union is demanding that Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Governor JB Pritzker enact a complete freeze on the collection of all rent, mortgage, and utility payments throughout the duration of the crisis, compel landlords to grant automatic lease extensions to tenants unable to move during the crisis, and immediately house people experiencing homelessness. Additionally, ATU demands that Chief Judge of the Cook County Circuit Court Timothy C. Evans close all court filings for evictions and foreclosures for as long as the emergency persists. Even a tiny sampling of comments from signees lays bare the desperate urgency of this moment: ● “I’m a bartender who recently was laid off. I care for my elderly mother as well and I'm the only one that was working in my household.” ● “We are low income, we are disabled, we cannot work what little work we could even before the pandemic. We deserve housing. Everyone deserves housing. Shelter is a human right.” ● “I work in food service… and though we are trying to produce free meals for the needy I am not getting paid for the volunteer work and won’t be paid for the foreseeable future.” ● “Our landlord is still trying to raise our rent by an additional $150/month during this pandemic.” ● “I am an independent contractor artist, and every single one of my contracts for the next two months have been cancelled. My monthly overhead is $5,000 for my family of five, and I am the sole provider.” In her address to the city on Thursday, March 19, Mayor Lightfoot called on landlords “to give tenants some grace wherever possible during these trying times.” Unfortunately, simply asking landlords for leniency is not sufficient. Though the Circuit Court of Cook County has scaled back operations for 30 days, “civil lawsuits may still be filed in person or via electronic filing." Autonomous Tenants Union (ATU) is committed to organizing for housing justice from below and to the left. As an independent collective based in Chicago, we strategize together to defend and enforce our right to dignified housing. We believe that housing is a human right, not a commodity! We fight for an end to all evictions, and for community control of housing through the building of popular power. housing.atu@gmail.com | facebook.com/AutonomousTenantsUnion | autonomoustenantsunion.org
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