Tenant Organizer Program
The Tenant Organizer program is the leadership development component of the Central City S.RO. Collaborative. The C.C.S.R.O.C. hires one or more tenants from each building that the Tenderloin Housing Clinic operates and other privately-owned and operated S.R.O. hotels in the neighborhood to organize residents.
Tenant Organizers hold monthly tenant meetings in their hotels to bring tenants together and identify hotel and neighborhood issues. They work closely with supportive housing and property management staff at T.H.C. hotels to improve conditions in the building and convey tenant concerns.
Tenant Organizers are directly involved in setting organized agendas for the C.C.S.R.O.C. They participate in demonstrations and trainings and they collaborate with public officials and city agencies as part of campaigns to improve the quality of life in their community.
If you are interested in becoming a Tenant Organizer for your hotel, please contact the Central City S.R.O. Collaborative at (415) 775-7110 or visit our office at 472 Ellis St. for more information regarding these positions.
Our Community Leaders
Carol Huber Prows is a Hotel Tenant Organizer in the Tenderloin. Even before applying for the role and through sheer interest, Carol read the Hotel rules and educated herself on tenant rights. Understanding all too well the hesitance of SRO residents to trust staff, she quite naturally ended up as the point woman for the building’s residents. In her own words, she’s driven by “knowing the difference that people can make.” In pursuit of change, she gets involved, makes herself heard in City Hall, and wants to spread the message that low-income residents still have a voice!
Robert Gambardella was formerly homeless before he found a home in one of the THC’s Tenderloin hotels. As a Hotel Tenant Organizer at his building, he considers his position fairly easy as he credits management and recognizes that residents have little to complain about. Nonetheless, Robert loves the job. In fact, he prides himself on the workshops, events, and excursions he can facilitate on behalf of his neighbors because it makes him feel positive about his place in the community. He doesn’t want to just “walk around and do nothing,” but he wants to do more for the broader Tenderloin community, like Take Back the Block campaigns.
John Johnson began living in a THC building in the Tenderloin in 2016, and while he found himself in a nice building, he soon realized that many of his neighbors isolated themselves and felt lonely. As Hotel Tenant Organizer he doesn’t see his job as complaining to management, but rather as bridging the gap between staff and residents to that each resident feels at home. To do this, he strives to ensure that he creates a supportive space for residents to voice their concerns and talk to one another during his monthly meetings. Believing that “everyone has to do their part” in communities to advocate for safe and habitable conditions both inside buildings and outside of buildings, John also works as a Director for Urban Alchemy.
Shirley Jackson has been a Hotel Tenant Organizer in SoMa for more than 10 years. After joining the leadership program, she saw that she could change things. Living by the motto that any person in need could also be her, she goes above and beyond what is expected of her, including making sure she knows everyone by name, breaking up fights, inviting neighbors to her church, and even cutting residents’ hair. For every meeting, she cooks for everyone out of her own pocket and produces some of the highest turnout rates in the program. Through adversity, she learned to accept what she has lost and thankful for what she still has. Not expecting much in return for her efforts to build community, all she wants is a simple thank you. To paraphrase Shirley, she wants her light to shine because her passion is heartfelt.
Cheryl Howard is a Hotel Tenant Organizer in the Mission district. Cheryl professes that it took her 65 years to learn what is important in life. Earlier, having spent her entire life on the street, she was fixated on what she wanted to do and never what she had to do. As a Hotel Tenant Organizer, she hopes to show others the difference that we can all make. She hopes others avoid the mistakes she’s made and wishes for people to reassess their priorities instead of wasting their lives away. She wants to make a difference in her life and considers the community a part of her.