Monumental Win for Springfield Tenants

STUN celebrates the City Council vote in favor of the rental inspection pilot. Photo by Blythe Spindler-Richardson.

On Monday, November 3rd, Springfield City Council unanimously voted in support of the Healthy Homes Pilot Program, set to begin March of 2026. This rental inspection program aims to be a first step in STUN’s Healthy Homes Guarantee, requiring landlords to keep units free of pests, mold, and other hazards. The pilot program will run for eighteen months in the West Central Neighborhood District, encompassing roughly 1,500 apartments and rental homes. After much deliberation on October 20th, including testimonies from tenants who have been put at risk in unhealthy units, a vote was set for the third of November.

At 5:30pm Monday evening, STUN members and other interested citizens arrived at the Springfield Police Department South Station on West Battlefield where the council meeting was held. Around 6:00 PM doors opened to the public, and a wave of yellow shirts entered the building.

The atmosphere before the meeting was tense but hopeful. Some tenants remarked that they were feeling “restless”; others: “eager” or “optimistic”. There had been pushback from landlords about the licensing fees of the pilot program, but thanks to action from STUN, there was hope. Thousands of tenants across Springfield crossed their fingers for safer, healthier homes.

The meeting began at 6:30 PM. The Healthy Homes Pilot Program was second on the agenda. After a long discussion about a rezoning policy, a lemon-colored corner of the audience held their breath as the new inspection program was brought to its second reading and subsequent vote.

To the surprise of many in the room, the motion passed unanimously. After the vote, members stood and calmly left the building. Once outside, forty-odd people - not just tenants, but fathers, mothers, and working members of the public - let out a victorious cheer. “Unstoppable” and “powerful” were just two of the words used to describe the triumphant air outside the station.

This vote marks an important first step to housing justice in Springfield. This is a momentous victory for tenants, proving that renters can improve their conditions with organization, community, and collective action. We encourage all members to call or write to their council members to thank them for their support.