Locals to push for more tenant protections

Apr. 12—HENDERSON — There's a new political movement in Vance County by the name of Down Home North Carolina — and the 20-some members have some big plans.

Its focus is on organizing working-class people in counties across the state.

Somewhat new, at least — the chapter launched in late February. Efforts to get it set up, including canvassing, started back in September at the latest.

Down Home is a statewide organization that began in 2017 in Alamance County. Since then, it has opened chapters in eight other counties, including Vance.

Around three-fourths of the chapter's members met on Thursday evening and took their first vote on whether to move forward with an issue campaign. The goal is to get Vance County commissioners to set aside $200,000, amounting to $10 per tenant in the county, in the budget for an Office of Tenant Protections.

Members developed the idea after gathering input from citizens across the county. They cited some data that seems to have come from the North Carolina Housing Coalition, as the numbers match. In 2023, 1,461 families in the county faced eviction filings. That's nearly half of all cost-burdened renters — those spending 30% or more of their monthly paycheck on rent. Among homeowners, 63 were foreclosed upon.

Statewide, Vance County ranks number three in evictions — in that same year, 164,823 families faced eviction filings across the state.

Many tenants, said Down Home Campaign Committee members, are worried that if they file complaints with the city or county or even ask their landlords for maintenance, they'll be evicted.

The OTP would inspect housing annually and before a lease is signed, develop a landlord registry, provide legal support for tenants and inform tenants of their rights at workshops every three months. Of course, their timeline is before this fiscal year's end in June.

The vote to move forward with the campaign passed nearly unanimously — two members, including Edy Thompson, founder of Rebuild Communities NC abstained. She expressed skepticism at the viability of the campaign but noted that she supports it wholeheartedly.

The campaign kicks off on May 4. Stay tuned for further details and coverage of that process.

Though Vance County Regional Organizer Nick Oviedo-Torres led the meeting, the members took an active role, leading discussion on the campaign and other matters.

The group also discussed candidate endorsements. They're looking at three races currently — County Commissioners District 1, state Senate District 11 and state House District 32. They'll be conducting interviews with each candidate in those races to determine who endorse.

The chapter seems somewhat nonpartisan, in that regard.

As for the gubernatorial race, their minds seem to be made up — Mark Robinson, the Republican nominee, is not their guy. Vance County Field Organizer Zainab Baloch said future canvassing efforts the group undertakes will hone in on his abortion stance.

Baloch said Robinson wants to ban all abortion in every case, without exceptions for incest or rape.

That's not entirely true — maybe. In the past, Robinson did say as much. Then, he seemed to soften his stance.

"Lt. Gov Robinson has publicly supported legislation that would limit abortion after a heartbeat is detected, with protections for extreme situations such as rape, incest or when the life of the mother is in danger," a spokesperson for his office told Business Insider in December.

Currently, the limit for abortions in the state is 12 weeks. During a campaign event in Pitt County back in February, he said the following.

"We've got to do it that same way they rolled it forward, we've got to do it the same way with rolling it back. We've got it down to 12 weeks. The next goal is to get it down to six, and then just keep moving from there, but I think the most important work we have to do, beyond that, is the work we're going to do with crisis pregnancy centers. The work we'll do with our adoption, daycare, all those systems," he said in audio obtained by FOX8. CBS17 reported on it at the time.

It's somewhat unclear whether six weeks is the last goal, or whether a total ban is in the cards.