photo by: Lawrence Tenants

A flyer announces the upcoming meeting of Lawrence Tenants.

A group of Lawrence tenants are coming together to determine issues affecting the city’s significant population of renters and how to address them.

Lawrence Tenants held a meeting at the Lawrence Public Library earlier this month to begin discussing local tenant issues. That meeting brought up various concerns and desires surrounding landlord accountability and tenants’ rights, according to announcements on the Lawrence Tenants social media pages. Issues included tenant screening processes, “bogus” fees, working facilities/repairs, rent stability, eviction processes and right to counsel, among other issues.

A second meeting will take place on Thursday. Vince Munoz, a tenant organizer with Lawrence Tenants, said that like the first meeting, Thursday’s meeting will be participatory with a goal of tenants identifying their own self-interest and focusing in on a specific issue or theme.

The first meeting was described as an imagination session, while the second is described as a planning meeting. An announcement about the upcoming meeting asks tenants to consider what changes feel most urgent, most needed or most meaningful to them. The announcement states the space is intended for tenants only (no landlords, policymakers, etc.), so tenants can discuss their issues openly with each other. The meeting is open to all renters in Lawrence, and no prior experience or attendance is required.

The Lawrence Tenants meeting will take place on April 20 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Ecumenical Campus Ministries (ECM), 1204 Oread Ave.