Tenant Right to Counsel Convening

This session will focus on court watch—an organizing tactic in which tenants and organizers maintain a consistent, visible presence at the housing courts to support tenants with information about their rights, monitor ongoing cases, and ensure accountability in the court system. Court watching serves as a critical component of community-based efforts to protect tenants' rights and uphold Right to Counsel. Court watch allows organizers to identify trends in eviction cases, pinpoint systemic issues in the court process, and highlight gaps in the provision of Right to Counsel. Court watch serves not only as a means of direct intervention, but also as an organizing tool for expanding our base.

In this strategy session we’re focusing on leading a right to counsel campaign. We’ll workshop strategies, talk about challenges and ways to respond. We’ll explore key aspects not to miss in planning your tenant RTC campaign. We’ll look at plans that have worked and discuss some mechanisms for passing tenant RTC like passing funding first then tenant RTC legislation or working on advancing a tenant right to counsel through a ballot initiative process.