“It a really important step,” Elicker said, adding that it’s not just about creating more affordable units but “about ensuring that existing units remain affordable — and clean.”
Bermudez said, “This is a really exciting time. We wouldn’t be here today if it had not been for the really strong organizing efforts of the tenants,” as well as the efforts of the mayor, she said.
Luke Melonakos-Harris, an organizer with the Connecticut Tenants Union, said that “an enormous amount of effort went into organizing these tenants and the other tenants organizations that we’ve organized around the state.”
Tenant unions “are about struggling” to ensure tenants get “what we deserve,” Melonakos-Harris said.”
