Several individuals and groups spoke up in support of the Dayton Tenant Union on Wednesday, calling for Dayton leaders to add a renter to the city's housing steering committee.
But City Manager Shelley Dickstein disputed claims that Dayton officials want to block tenant union members from the committee.
"I just want to clarify that there has been no refusal, no intentional exclusion nor disagreement with having tenants on the steering committee," Dickstein said. "In fact, I think it's a good idea."
The union members and supporters came to a Dayton City Commission meeting on Wednesday night, Jan. 31. They repeated their call to have a tenant union member on the city’s housing steering committee. It’s charged with deciding how $1.1 million will be used to address a lack of affordable housing in the Gem City.
"People directly affected by housing policy should have a seat at the table," said Miranda Wilson from the Miami Valley Fair Housing Center.
Resident Jordon Ostrum agreed.
"I come to you as an out and proud queer person who knows that housing issues, demonstrably affect my community," Ostrum said. "I again urge you to please, add a member of DTU to the housing steering committee."
Christina Jones is a member of Patients Rising.
"The voice of the disabled, I don't even think that's been brought up. We need to be heard as well, and we're being represented by the Dayton Tenants association," Jones said. "So they definitely need to be on the board of the steering commission so that you can get a full understanding of what the tenants need if you want to do what's best."
The Dayton Tenant Union is a nonprofit that advocates for low-income renters. They deal with unhealthy housing conditions, and assist people in conflict with their landlord. One of their prime objectives it to help renters avoid an unlawful eviction.
"We're asking you to be more inclusive, more equitable, more participatory, more transparent, more honest, more anti-racist, more open to the idea that you can learn from the community you serve," community activist Julio Mateo said.
Renter and union member Viridis Green said during her private meeting with Dickstein, the city suggested Dayton Realtors as an appropriate tenant group.
"(The Realtors') filing with the Secretary of State describes their purpose as promoting and protecting in economic activities of their members, not the public," Green said. "If you ask us, everyone is represented except the tenants."
Last week, the city emailed ABLE attorney Debra Lavey inviting her to join the group, stating it wants to add a housing professional with a broad understanding of tenant issues.
Lavey told city commissioners this correspondence borders on discrimination.
"Leah Goodridge, in her UCLA Law Review article entitled Professionalism as a Racial Construct, makes the point that professionalism is used widely to police and regulate people of color, and the professionalism standard itself is based on a set of beliefs grounded in racial subordination and white supremacy," Lavey said. "Intentional or not, this response by the city continues racist patterns that identify groups of people as uneducated, unprofessional, or unqualified to contribute to the policies and decisions that will impact them the most."
The city’s housing steering committee is under Dickstein’s department and she has final say on who participates.
The request for housing professionals came from a desire to fulfill the city commissioners’ vision to comprehensively address several issues surrounding Dayton’s lack of affordable housing, Dickstein said.
"Initially there was a lot of interest in having certain expertise at that steering committee because so much of the housing realm we can't control or influence," Dickstein told commissioners. "I want to make sure to honor, first of all, that work and that input that was throughout the city and all four quadrants of our of our city. I am trying to, as quickly as possible, to explore through a variety of options to make sure that we're not just putting a token person on a steering committee. That there's real meaning and availability. And I agree, having lived experience and that voice on the steering committee is a value add."
Dickstein also said it "probably was an oversight" to not have a tenant or two identified.
City Commissioner Shenise Turner-Sloss disputed that statement.
"The fact you said it was an oversight is completely false," she said. "This body raised that to your attention. We brought that to your attention, and we made the recommendation for you to."
Mayor Jeffrey Mims Jr. interrupted, saying: "Commissioner Turner-Sloss, it's not the business of this commission to demean staff in a public meeting. We have executive sessions for that."
Mims downplayed any racist intentions, telling union members the city has always intended to have a tenant on the housing steering committee.
"The housing policy that we started three years ago, well before the tenants union was a thought, we had identified the fact that we wanted to have someone from the tenants, to be represented at that space," Mims said. "We are ahead of you in terms of moving in that direction."
City Commissioners Chris Shaw and Matt Joseph chimed in that they haven't seen racist practices nor discriminatory policies carried out in the city's operations.
City Commissioner Darryl Fairchild asked about the housing steering committee's progress on delivering a work plan. Dickstein said the group met twice and is finalizing its work plan.
That concerned renter Viridis Green.
"They knew in December we were interested, and they’re trying to put a work plan in order, and it doesn’t include anything we know of," Green said. "They’re probably going to try and get that out before we even get into the door."
Dickstein assured the commission she’ll update them later this week on developments with the housing steering committee.
