NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Tennessee renters from across the state will meet at the state capitol Tuesday to demand lawmakers to address what they call a housing crisis.
These renters will also join a broad coalition of advocates for affordable housing and solutions to homelessness as part of the second day on the hill for Housing and Homelessness. They will be talk to lawmakers about passing bills that can help Tennessee renters.
This comes after months of door to door organizing from everyday people who are struggling to keep up with the bills. They will ask legislators to sign an open letter calling for federal renter protections. They stated that no Tennessee lawmaker has submitted a bill that would fund what renters need- affordable housing, acquisition and retention or protection from abusive landlords.
According to the latest median rent price numbers from Zillow, rent prices in Nashville are almost double the numbers in Memphis sitting at $2,151 a month. Memphis is around $1,259 monthly, and Knoxville sits at $1,835 a month.
In growing areas like Rutherford County median rent went up 32% between 2021 and 2023. It rose 38% in Smyrna.
Renters will also urge representatives to support multiple bills that they say, if passed, would promote baby steps toward affordable housing construction and tenant rights. One bill would make sure tenants know what fees are included in their rent.
The group is also supporting a bill that would authorize the chief legislative body of a municipality to create a voluntary attainable housing incentive program by ordinance for the purpose of authorizing certain incentives to be provided to property owners who seek to build attainable housing.
Another bill would require the agency to establish the payment standard amount for the monthly housing assistance payment under the federal housing choice voucher program to the maximum allowed by federal law.
The group of renters say they will go to the capitol today to discuss more bills from noon until 4 p.m.
Fostering Hope provides Christmas for kids in foster care. I'm delighted to see Fostering Hope expand this year to expand their reach to now include kids in Foster care in metro AND foster kids in East TN hard hit by Helene.
-Bree Smith
