Every person, regardless of race or income, should have a safe and stable home. But some landlords think that their own profit is more important than safety and stability for Black and brown renters, and they let the buildings they own fall into disrepair, or throw whole families out on the street to try to squeeze more money out of the next renters.

Ancient Jewish texts are full of laws about keeping homes safe for the people who live in them. The prophet Micah understood that housing is more than a roof over one’s head and that to deny a person safe housing is not only robbing them in the present but also robbing their family for generations to come. Especially when the federal government is actively working to destroy lives and livelihoods, it is essential that state governments step up to meet their moral obligation and ensure that everyone has a home.

JUFJ and our partners in Renters United Maryland (RUM) have been fighting back against unfair laws, evictions, and unsafe conditions that renters are impacted by. Together, we’ve won things like emergency rental assistance, lawyers for renters facing eviction, holding landlords accountable for unsafe living conditions, establishing rental licensing requirements, and many other changes that keep families safely in their homes. This year, we continued building on this momentum by successfully getting the Maryland General Assembly to more than double the budget for the Community Schools Rental Assistance Program, the state’s only eviction prevention fund, which will keep thousands of families housed. While the legislature failed once again to pass legislation that would ensure corporate landlords have to provide a good reason for not renewing someone’s lease, we will continue building a state-wide movement to ensure Maryland is a place where everyone has a safe and stable place to live.

For questions about this work or to get involved, please contact our lead Maryland organizer on Housing Justice, Matan.

Jews United for Justice (JUFJ) works in coalition and partnership with grassroots and advocacy groups to build and win issue campaigns. Our approach is based on our commitment to racial equity and dismantling systems of oppression, which includes centering the leadership of our most directly impacted partners and being as transparent as possible about our agenda selection process. When we select campaigns, we keep in mind our goals of organizing and mobilizing our base, strengthening coalitions we are part of, and shifting the balance of power in our local communities. This year we have three full scope of work campaigns and we will engage in other campaigns in a more limited way.

• For more information about our other full scope of work campaigns, click here.
• For more information about our agenda setting process for the Maryland 2026 state legislative session, click here.