During the past week, around 100 Kent residents have joined the Kent Tenants Union, according to Alex Akin, one of the founders behind the organization.



"Earlier this week, we found out more than 187,000 Ohio employees filed for unemployment," she said. "So many filed that it kind of broke the system. We know people in Kent who have been trying to get through the unemployment. A lot of people are going to be facing the issue of not being able to pay mortgages or rent."



It’s that reality she said moved organizers to start the Kent Tenants Union, which aims to gain relief for newly unemployed residents due to the economic shutdown in Ohio, due to the coronavirus.



On April 1, the organization is calling for a renters strike, refusing to pay their rents until property owners agree to a variety of demands meant to ease the burden of those among them who can’t pay rent right now.



Jack Kohl of Jack Kohl Realty, property manager of Akin’s Water Street rental unit, is one of the property owners who could be affected by the strike.



"We’re talking to them all and trying to work with them," he said of the tenants at properties he manages. "We’re really interested to see what happens this week. I think everybody will be in pretty good shape this month, but I don’t know about next."



The Kent Tenants Union has several demands of owners and property managers, including that:



• rent should be reduced to cover basic costs such as mortgages, essential repairs and other basic business expenses or be reduced by 50%;



• no late fees will be charged, nor will any charge seek to profit at the expense of others’ poverty;



• there shall be no retaliation against tenants;



• no tenant shall be evicted, sued or be referred to collections agencies for rent; and



• a system should be established so residents who wish to can apply rent payments against accounts of those who cannot pay.



Some of the union’s members are from Indian Valley, Whitehall Terrace and Eagles Landing apartments, according to Akin.



"I’ve been worried about people who have small children," she said. "We have one member with small children."



Some have begun choosing between food and rent while others have lost their heat due to problems with furnaces, she added.



"Part of the goal is to get rent lowered by half until businesses reopen so more people can afford to make payments and get late fees removed," she explained. "We don’t want anyone to be homeless, and we don’t want local businesses to go under."



Kohl said it may be practically difficult to come a single agreement with the union because of the number of property owners he represents.



"We represent 40 to 50 different individual owners," he explained. "Each of them is in a different position."



Kohl said his property management team is working with individual renters to provide relief if they’ve become jobless as a result of the coronavirus business shutdown.



"Certainly, we’re not going to do any evictions right now, due to the coronavirus," he said, adding he’s also waiving some late fees. But, at the same time, he said property owners need to pay mortgages, taxes and insurance.



Akin said some of the union members have received letters from landlords "threatening" eviction.



"It’s not like they make money by evicting people, and no one’s going to start renting apartments right now because we can’t go outside," she said. "We just don’t want anyone to be kicked out of their homes especially with this dangerous virus going around."



Kohl said renters having trouble making payments because they’ve lost their jobs should contact the business so some accommodation can be negotiated.



"No two situations are exactly the same," he said. "Some are on fixed incomes; there’s no cookie cutter solution. These are unprecedented times."



Reporter Bob Gaetjens can be reached at 330-541-9440, bgaetjens@recordpub.com and @bobgaetjens_rpc.