SAN ANTONIO — After being homeless for six months, Keisha Brown has a place she can call her own. 

“You feel less than because you can’t clean yourself like you want to. You have to pretend that you are OK when you are really not, because you have family and friends,” Brown said. 

She says it started when her lease wasn’t renewed after she spoke out about her poor living conditions. Brown added that she didn’t know her rights as a tenant, which is why she and many other renters in San Antonio showed up to City Hall to talk about the proposed tenants bill of rights. 

“You know we shouldn’t be living in poverty and [with electrical issues] and mildew and mold,” Brown said. “We have children. Some of us have health issues.” 

This bill of rights essentially ensures that tenants live in healthy living conditions, that they aren’t retaliated against when speaking out and it also provides the tenants their rights both in English and Spanish — all vital information Brown could’ve used at her old complex. 

“I wouldn’t have been scared. It wouldn’t have taken me six months to speak up,” Brown said. 

The language of this resolution is still being tweaked and probably won’t be voted on until May, but Brown was met with positive news that same day. 

A proactive apartment inspections program was proposed by San Antonio Director of Development Services Michael Shannon. 

“The major life safety, habitability issues, things like structural issues, “ Shannon said. “If it's not safe inside the unit on the stairways, electrical issues that are hazardous, water issues.” 

For example, if a property receives three citations, they will be placed in a program where they will have to go six months without receiving three violations while correcting the current ones. Minor things like cut grass wouldn’t count toward this program. They are focused on violations that affect the safety and health of tenants. 

It’s going to be voted on in a couple of weeks, but if it were in place now, Shannon says that dozens of properties would qualify for this program. 

“They get into this program and are really just not responding at all. Then we will look at any and all state and local laws to encourage them to fix it,” Shannon said. 

Brown believes the bill of rights partnered with this program will encourage tenants to speak out and hold landlords accountable. 

“Let our voices be heard as we did today, so yes, I feel hopeful. There’s power in prayer, power in prayer,” Brown said.