Portland Coalition Against Poverty Wins Victories at The Plaza

The Portland Coalition Against Poverty won its first few victories in
its Direct Action Casework campaign recently. At The Plaza Townhomes,
tenant organizers Sylvia Evans and Ashley Price were being targeted
with excessive eviction notices and the threat of rent raises. The
Plaza is a Section 8 subsidized housing complex administered by
Cascade Management. Cascade is in a position to remove rent subsidies
from tenants if they are accused of violating the reporting guidelines
for Section 8. It can also evict tenants with 30 days notice if they
are accused of violating their lease and can’t adequately defend
themselves. A lot of power is concentrated in the hands of Rachel
Smith, the property manager, Rachel Elliot, the HUD compliance
specialist at Cascade, and Darla Lull, who oversees properties for
Cascade. During 4 days of intense negotiations, we pressured them to
rescind the eviction notice against Sylvia, and enabled Ashley to keep
her rent subsidy. Conditions at The Plaza violate the HUD housing
code, and we informed the Portland Mercury. They wrote an article
about it which you can find here
http://www.portlandmercury.com/news/trash_talk/Content?oid=862376.
We’re continuing to work in The Plaza to put power back in the hands
of the tenants.

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