Nepean ACORN Chapter Launch
Posted September 4, 2022
On Saturday, August 27th ACORN members launched the brand new Nepean ACORN Chapter! The energy was out of the world, everyone who joined was super pumped to start organizing for change in their communities!
For the past month and a half ACORN members in Nepean had been holding weekly organizing committee meetings to decide what the issues, solutions and actions needed were.
In the first meeting, members planned an outreach event where they went petitioning outside of stores in the Nepean area, focusing on growing the base and getting more people involved!!
By the second organizing meeting, Nepean ACORN members had organized another outreach event and went postering in neighbourhoods in Nepean.
In the third meeting, members brainstormed and voted on the top three issues Nepean ACORN wants to tackle first and began brainstorming actions around how we can apply pressure to make those changes!
Fourth organizing meeting, the members planned out the agenda for our Nepean ACORN chapter launch!!
At the launch on Saturday, August 27th, 22 people came out to celebrate the launch of Nepean ACORN and 6 new members joined at the meeting! The leaders went over Nepean ACORNs top 3 issues to kick off the chapter which are
- Affordable Housing
- Renovictions (Manor Village)
- The Municipal Election!
We brainstormed ideas to GET OUT THE VOTE and ensure that Nepean has transparent, progressive, supportive councillors who care about the ISSUES and NOT developer money!!!!
Nepean ACORN members elected their board to represent the chapter! The chair is Amanda Teske, Co-Chair is Julia Defalco and the Secretary/Treasurer is Kate O’Connor!
On Wednesday, August 31st Nepean ACORN kicked off the chapter with a block party and outreach event in Manor Village to fight back against the renovictions tenants are currently facing. Their property management company, Smart Living Properties, has been forcing out low and moderate-income families from their homes where many have lived for more than 30 years. They are being renovicted to turn the housing into “luxury student rentals”. Destroying more affordable housing and an entire community all for their own profits.
August 31st was the date set on the first half of N13 notices for tenants to move out from their homes in Manor Village. Tenants are NOT leaving which is why Nepean ACORN members organized this event to show Smart Living that members of the ACORN Tenants Union are staying put and will keep fighting the renoviction from every angle. 25 people came out to fight back against the renoviction and fight to save Manor Village! Members door knocked on the surrounding areas gathering support from neighbours to stop the renovictions, and held a BBQ and potluck back in Manor Village where there were speeches and a chance to stand with the community as we continue our fight to save Manor Village. Nepean ACORN members stuck it out through the torrential downpour and hail, waited out for the sun to come back and went right back to taking up space, because rain or shine Nepean ACORN comes out to organize for each other!