Portside

Blackstone buys up our foreclosed homes for cheap, kicks out the residents, charges exorbitant rents, fails to do proper maintenance and excludes people of color and immigrants!

Our International Demands on Blackstone

        1. Stop Buying Our Occupied, Foreclosed and Subsidized Housing

• Do NOT destabilize our communities by buying homes that should be owned by individuals, the government or local entities.

• End the purchase of homes owned by banks rescued with public money or homes that were purchased with sub-prime loans.

          2.  No Unjust Evictions

• Stop unjust evictions of homeowners or tenants in purchased properties

• Stop forcing tenants out of homes due to harassment, your failure to make repairs and charging unjust fees.

3.  Affordable Rents

• Do not charge unfair rents

• Do not make people pay more than one third of their income to housing

• Ensure that at least 25% of all Blackstone housing in a city is affordable to poor people who make 0 to 30% neighborhood median income

       4.  Quality Conditions and Sustainability

• Renovate all purchased homes to a high quality

• Maintain all properties in good condition

• Make prompt and quality repairs

• Ensure all utility systems and materials used in building and repairs are sustainable

5. No discrimination

• Do not discriminate against people of color or immigrants including by using unfair prohibitions regarding former incarceration or arrests, and/or immigration status.

• Allow equal access to Blackstone homes for all people regardless of race, nationality, age, gender, sexual orientation, disability, family status, immigration status, former incarceration, eviction history or credit history.

6. Accountability

• Provide responsive and quality customer service

• Provide full name and contact information for one consistent person from Blackstone’s property management company who has full authority to address tenant’s issues promptly and effectively

7.  Transparency of information

• Provide to the public business and industry information including:

• Names of all the companies Blackstone has any ownership in/control over and what properties and real estate they relate to and how

• Terms of purchase of all housing/land/buildings purchased

• Regular updated list of which properties are securitized, and who are the investors including banks that put up any money

• Regular updated list of properties that are directly or indirectly managed by Blackstone worldwide

• Regular updated list of all those evicted from each property and why (names can be withheld if it is required by law)

• List of who's application was denied and why (names can be withheld if it is required by law)

Thank you, 

Right to the City and PAH (Plataforma de Afectados por la Hipoteca)

Homes For All is a national campaign with the goal of broadening the conversation of the housing crisis beyond foreclosure and putting forth a comprehensive housing agenda that also speaks to issues affecting public housing residents, homeless families, and the growing number of renters in American cities. Homes For All aims to protect, defend, and expand housing that is truly affordable and dignified for low-income and very low-income communities by engaging those most directly impacted by this crisis through local and national organizing, winning strong local policies that protect renters and homeowners, and shifting the national debate on housing. RTC is working collaboratively across sectors to develop national housing policy that ensures that our communities and future generations have homes that are truly affordable, stable, and dignified.