All people deserve safe and stable shelter. This includes, but
is not limited to: undocumented immigrants, formerly or currently incarcerated people, people facing active addiction, people engaging in the underground economy (i.e., doing sex work or selling drugs), people with disabilities (physical or neurodivergent), etc. The Asheville Area Tenant Union (AATU) will not campaign in favor of state violence
(arrest, deportation, eviction, etc) against anyone, and will not support any actions to deny people access to housing. AATU recognizes that shelter is being hoarded by the rich and rented back to us at unaffordable prices. We recognize that market-based solutions
will not solve the housing crisis and can often speed up displacement and gentrification. Instead, we fight against the commodification of this basic human need.

Each member is empowered to drive our campaigns, bring
forward ideas, and be involved in decision-making. Decision-making power within AATU will be proportional to the extent to which a person is affected by the decision so that the most impacted will have the most power.

By independent, we mean that (1) We are composed of tenants
and answer only to tenants– landlords, agents of landlords, and their allies in police departments have no place in our union.; and (2) Decisions are made by tenants without interference from outside nonprofits or political organizations.;This is counter to many housing advocacy organizations whose political horizons are constrained by their funding sources and political affiliations.

AATU members are responsible and accountable to the mission of AATU. In our organizing, AATU will clearly communicate the risks of engaging in tenant organizing to members and other tenants. AATU will not make promises that we cannot keep, will be clear about both the possibilities and the limits of our power, and will see campaigns through until they are self-sustaining or responsibly wound down.

We invite struggle into the open and want tenants to continuously shape the union as we grow. As AATU fights the external struggle against the commodification of shelter, we will come across conflicts amongst ourselves. When these conflicts arise, we commit to resolving them through non-punitive and non-violent processes, so that our unity is not fractured by unaddressed harm, unresolved conflict, or unspoken tension.