The Tenant Union Federation (TUF) is a coalition of five tenant unions that is fiscally sponsored by the National Housing Law Project. ¹

The TUF advocates in favor of housing policies including rent caps, restrictions on eviction, and conditional improvements for affordable housing. ²

Background

The Tenant Union Federation (TUF) is a coalition of five tenet unions that is also fiscally sponsored by the National Housing Law Project. The coalition also advocates for housing policies including stricter tenants’ rights, including rent caps, restrictions on eviction, and conditional improvements for affordable housing. ²

As of 2024, the members of the Tenant Union Federation included KC Tenants, Connecticut Tenant Union, Louisville Tenant Union, Bozeman Tenants Union, and Not Me We.

KC Tenants was founded in 2019 and advocates in favor of housing policies for tenants in the Kansas City area. ¹

Connecticut Tenant Union was founded in 2021 and advocates for living conditions improvements and rent control for tenets within the state of Connecticut. ¹

The Louisville Tenant Union was founded in 2021 to advocate for tenant rights within Louisville, Kentucky. The group has led grassroot campaigns which have impacted deals between housing management companies within the city. ¹

Bozeman Tenants Union was founded in 2022 and claims to represent Tenant rights in Bozeman, Montana. The group advocated to support the campaign of group member Joey Morrison to the position of deputy mayor of the city of Bozeman in 2023. ³

Not Me We was founded in 2020 and is based in Chicago. As of 2024, Not Me We claimed to be planning a merger with local housing union Southside Together Organizing for Power (STOP). ¹

Activities

In 2021, Tenant Union Federation (TUF) advocated for increased restrictions on evictions following housing impacts resulting from the Covid-19 Pandemic. Members of the coalition also met with Biden Administration staff as well as members of the U.S. House of Representatives’ Financial Services Committee. ¹

In 2022, TUF wrote a memo to the National Economic Council director urging the Biden Administration to declare a state of emergency on housing, suggesting rent regulation as a solution. ⁴

In January of 2023, the Biden Administration announced that multiple federal agencies would investigate the increase in rent prices while drafting a blueprint for a “Renter’s Bill of Rights.” TUF director Tara Raghuveer praised the decision, but further claimed that more action had to be taken. ⁵

People

Tara Raghuveer is the director of the Tenant Union Federation (TUF). Raghuveer also works as director for KC Tenants, a deputy director at the National Partnership for New Americans, and a homes guarantee campaign director at People’s Action Institute. ^{6 7}

1. “Tenant Union Federation.” About. Accessed October 9, 2024. https://tenantfederation.org/about/.
2. “Tenant Union Federation.” Rent Caps. Accessed October 9, 2024. https://tenantfederation.org/rent-caps/.
3. “Campaigns.” BOZEMAN TENANTS UNITED. Accessed October 9, 2024. https://bzntenantsunited.org/our-campaigns.
4.  Siegel , Rachel. “Rent Inflation: Biden Pressured to Lower Costs – the Washington Post.” The Washington Post , August 9, 2022. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/08/09/rent-inflation-biden/.
5.  Siegel , Rachel. “White House Unveils Tenant Protections amid High Rent Costs – the Washington Post.” The Washington Post , January 25, 2023. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/01/25/white-house-renter-protection/.
6. Brey, Jared. “Housing Prices Lead to National Tenant Organizing.” Governing, August 16, 2024. https://www.governing.com/urban/housing-prices-lead-to-national-tenant-organizing.
7. “Tara Raghuveer .” LinkedIn. Accessed October 9, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/tararaghuveer.