What do we believe?
Our Core Principles:
1 - MUTUAL CARE & RESPECT
Each person’s emotional, spiritual and personal well-being is necessary to the health of our organizations and to the movement. We take care of ourselves & each other.
2 - EACH ONE, TEACH ONE
It is up to all of us to grow the movement. Every member is committed to training, supporting and mentoring the next member. We encourage each other to try new things and learn from each other’s successes and mistakes.
3 - GRASSROOTS DEMOCRACY
We make decisions democratically, collectively and transparently. These decisions are always grounded in trust for each other. When differences or conflict arise we engage in honest, face-to-face and respectful dialogue in order to build understanding and unity so we can move forward.
4 - COLLECTIVE ACTION
We take collective action side-by-side with others to take a stand against unjust laws and policies, defend each other against displacement and shine a light on corporations and individuals who harm our communities.
5 - WE GET FREE TOGETHER
Tenants Transforming Greater St Louis is open to people of all races, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, ages, immigration status, able-bodiedness, religious and spiritual beliefs, and who speak all languages. We do not tolerate bigotry of any kind within our movement.
6 - SOLIDARITY
One for all, all for one. We don’t always agree, but we believe in each other and know we need each other to win. We also know we can’t win unless we are united and building together with other movements fighting for justice, liberation and equality.
Our Core Values:
1 - HOUSING IS A HUMAN RIGHT
Each person’s emotional, spiritual and personal well-being is necessary to the health of our organizations and to the movement. We take care of ourselves & each other.
2 - THE PEOPLE MOST IMPACTED MUST LEAD
We believe that in order to win homes for all we need to overturn centuries of racist, sexist, classist and oppressive housing and economic policies which have impacted low-income and working-class communities. We believe that Black, Indigenous, Latinxs and Asian communities as well as women and LGBTQ communities have been impacted the most. We believe that our movement will be strongest when these people, who have seen the impacts of the crisis first hand, are leading the way to transform our world.
3 - LAND & HOUSING SHOULD BE COLLECTIVELY-CONTROLLED BY COMMUNITIES AND SUSTAINED FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS
We believe communities must control the resources - including land and housing - in our neighborhoods. We should relate to land and our earth as stewards, respecting the land with future generations in mind.