turn'S ANNUAL TENANT RIGHTS CONFERENCE AND RECEPTION

4th Annual Conference Held Thursday, November 3, 2011

 

 

 

 

TURN's Board President, Mary Aull, welcomes the conference participants

 

Luncheon Keynote Speaker: Fran Burns, Commissioner of Licenses and Inspections-- spoke on the topic "Tenants and L&I: Working Together to Preserve Rental Housing" and gave helpful tips to tenants such as taking pictures and following up with inspectors.

 

WORKSHOPS

 

Keeping the Utilities On-- Robert Ballenger (CLS) and Michelle Thomas (UESF) discussed the latest strategies for keeping the bills paid and avoiding shut-offs.

 

Bedbugs, Mold & Repairs--Who pays to get rid of tiny uninvited guests and how do you get a landlord to pay attention to repairs? Dion Lerhman walked the workshop participants through the habits of these creatures and the dos and don'ts of trying to make them disappear

 

How to Find a Place--Need an apartment? TURN's placement unit staff discussed what is required and how do you know you can trust your landlordas well as forms of discrimination most people don't know about.

 

 

 

How to End a Lease--Mike Carroll of CLS and Albert Seawright of TURN helped tenants trying to get out of leases early or staying beyond the end of the lease term. Participants learned what notice is required, how to get their deposit back and how to avoid being overcharged for damages.

 

Lockouts, Rental Foreclosures & Evictions--When can a landlord confiscate your property? Linda Johnson and George Gould from Community Legal services joined Albert Seawright of TURN in explaining how anti-lockout protections work and the most recent changes regarding evicting tenants of foreclosed properties.

 

Rental Subsidies & Public Assistance--TANF is changing and rental assistance programs are in constant flux. Mike Froelich from CLS and Nicole White from TURN brought attenders up-to-date on the latest changes and on what is needed to qualify for help in this uncertain environment.

 

Forum on Domestic Violence & Rental Housing--Domestic violence victims are abused twice; first by the perpetrator and then by a system that tries to evict them or deny them housing. Panelists Sis. Philé Chionesu (Million Woman March), Vernetta Burgher (Mothers in Charge) and Anne Armistead (Women Against Abuse) gave moving and informative presentations about the tragedies of domestic violence and the new laws designed to protect victims.

 

TURN's Annual NETWORK Meeting--TURN's Network of members met to plan how to improve the situation for tenants in Philadelphia with the help of their President, Jacquelyn Asbell.

 

 

 

Rent Payment Pitfalls Workshop: Housing counselors, social workers, tenants and and landlords atteneded this in-depth training on rent subsidies, rent withholding and the Certificate of Rental Suitability required for all new rentals. Phil Lord presented with the assistance of Board member and attorney, Linda Johnson.

 

AFTER THE CONFERENCE there was a fundraising RECEPTION with guest speaker, DENNIS P. CULHANE PhD, international expert on homelessness and housing stabilization captivated the audience with his research and analysis on the "Future of Homelessness"