Six new AmeriCorps VISTA Members started in the HOME Line VISTA Cohort the last week of August. These VISTA Tenant Organizers are completing a year of service through AmeriCorps at host sites across the Twin Cities Metro. (Photo above)
- Austin (he/him) was raised in Upland, Indiana, and moved to the Twin Cities in 2018 to pursue a Ph.D in Rhetorical Studies. He studied French and Linguistics at Purdue University and received a master’s degree in communication from Ball State University. Austin is passionate about the ways in which language and discourse shape the world in which we live, and how communities can harness this power for a more equitable society in which housing is affordable and available to all. He will complete his VISTA year with Minnesota Housing Partnership (MHP). In his free time, Austin enjoys film, studying philosophy, and spending time with his two beloved cats.
- Colton (he/they) joined the Housing Justice Center as a VISTA in August 2023. A recent graduate of Luther College he holds a Bachelor of the Arts with a Major in Political Science. He is excited to dive into his work and organize tenants and build communities. In his free time Colton enjoys reading, playing string bass, and watching shows with friends.
- Hannah (any pronouns) graduated from Minneapolis College of Art and Design with a BFA in Illustration in 2019 and has lived in the Whittier neighborhood ever since. After having benefited from a VISTA tenant organizer’s work firsthand, they are excited to pay it forward over the next year’s service. They will be completing their VISTA year supporting Phillips West Neighborhood Organization (PWNO). They enjoy taking care of green spaces, practicing aikido, and going on walks with their cat, Pippin.
- Isa (they/she) is a 25 year old, Minnesota grown, artist and community focused activist. They are working with Bryant Neighborhood Organization as a tenant organizer to help renters in the Powderhorn, Bancroft, Bryant & Central neighborhoods know their rights and how to support themselves. Isa is a person who’s full of passions including; nature, health and wellbeing, dancing and helping others. They completed the ‘Neighborhoods Now!’ course through the University of Minnesota, learning about organizing and system change. They have used these skills working with nonprofits to help support their community. In their free time, Isa volunteers at a community kitchen, supporting local musicians, and enjoying the outdoors with their family.
- Lucid (he/him) grew up in Moorhead, Minnesota before attending college in Grinnell, Iowa. At college, he became involved with multiple organizing groups, including United Students Against Sweatshops and Student Action. He also helped form the Union of Grinnell Student Dining Workers, which has since grown into a campus-wide union. After graduating with a degree in Activist Theater, he moved back north for a while, only to move to St Paul’s West Side neighborhood in 2021. He worked on the Rent Stabilization campaign and started attending graduate school to receive his Masters in Advocacy and Political Leadership (MAPL) at Metro State. Through his experience on the Rent Stabilization campaign, he became more interested in housing justice and began organizing with the West Side Tenant Union. He sees this tenant organizing position as a way to strengthen tenant power in St Paul and build greater community. Lucid will complete his VISTA year with St. Anthony Park Community Council and Hamline Midway Coalition.
- Ramia (she/her) has joined as a VISTA Tenant Organizer member with the aim of supporting the development and growth of the neighborhood groups within the Bryant Neighborhood Organization (BNO). Her primary responsibilities include strengthening the organization’s capacity to fulfill its mission and promoting its theory of change through advocacy efforts. She is a resident in the South-Central Neighborhood, where she dedicates her time to participating in outreach initiatives and follow-up activities that mostly focus on supporting renters.
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