Tenant Voices – Kai’s Story

A Voice for Justice: Kai’s Fight Against Discrimination and Housing Injustice

Kai’s story is shaped by a childhood marked by poverty and later battles against racial discrimination. After the passing of her great-grandmother, she lived full-time with her mother in California before moving to Chicago.

“Chicago is where I grew up,” she reflects. “I was raised by a single mother with a large family, and we moved around a lot. Looking back now, I have so much more respect for my mother now.”

Her experiences growing up in poverty laid the foundation for her strong work ethic, a trait that would carry her through many adversities.

At the age of 15, Kai became a mother herself, a life-changing event that only deepened her understanding of the hardships her mother faced. By 18, she had moved out of her mother’s house, determined to provide a better life for her children. At 19, Kai finally managed to get her own place, a modest rental home, while juggling the responsibilities of raising three children.

“There’s a saying I heard growing up: You gotta sometimes rob Peter to pay Paul. Sometimes you had to be short on one bill to make sure you have money for other things. I would pay my rent in two-week increments — pay half now so I could have money for food as well. And that’s how I avoided paying 30 days late to avoid eviction.”

She worked at an insurance company for just $6 an hour and relied on public transportation to get to work, take her children to daycare, and attend night classes. For four years, she pursued an associate’s degree, driven by the hope that education would help lift her out of poverty. All the while, she continued to live in poverty, stretched thin by the demands of work, school, and parenthood.

“You’ve gotta work hard, work fast — now you’re overwhelmed and burned out, but you’ve gotta keep working to take care of your kids,” Kai recalls.

When she finally earned her associate’s degree, she felt a sense of pride and accomplishment. It was a significant achievement, one that signaled the possibility of a better future. However, life remained unpredictable.

“After a situation with my kid’s father got uncomfortable — very uncomfortable — I had to get out, so I left the state and ended up in Missouri.”

She lived in Joplin, Bolivar, and eventually Springfield, where she settled for the next 14 years. During this time, she faced the challenges of low-wage work, earning just $10 an hour, which barely covered basic living expenses. 

Racism soon became another obstacle. When she lived in Bolivar, her children began experiencing racial discrimination in school, prompting Kai to move her family to Springfield in search of a more inclusive environment. Unfortunately, her first apartment in Springfield came with its own set of problems. 

“I was on the second floor of this apartment complex. And my youngest daughter was only one year old. So sometimes, she would cry at night or run around during the day, playing like a kid should be doing. Even so, I found a lot of ways to limit how much noise we made in the apartment, but this all felt like I was walking on eggshells because the neighbor downstairs would bang their ceiling with a broom and yell through the walls.”

The police were called on her multiple times, and the management company consistently sided with the neighbors. “This isn’t fair,” she thought as violations continued to pile up, despite the baseless nature of the complaints. Even when her youngest daughter wasn’t home and was at Kai’s sister’s house, the neighbors would still call management to complain. After enduring a year of this treatment, Kai’s lease wasn’t renewed, and once again, she found herself in housing limbo.

COVID-19 hit, and Kai, like so many others, lost her job. She was forced to live with a friend because she couldn’t afford rent. When she finally secured another job and moved into a house, it was poorly maintained, infested with pests, and plagued by plumbing issues.

Kai’s life journey through housing instability and discrimination has left a lasting impact. Her experiences have fueled her activism, particularly in advocating for affordable housing and renters’ rights. Kai now works tirelessly to spread awareness about domestic abuse and provides support to single mothers.

“I too am a survivor of domestic violence, and I set money aside and help provide these single mothers with financial assistance and resources as much as I can.”

As the president of the Springfield chapter of the NAACP, Kai has dedicated herself to fighting for racial justice. She currently works with Jobs with Justice (JWJ), helps people register to vote, and advocates for policies that benefit marginalized communities. Affordable housing remains one of her top priorities.

“Everyone deserves to live in a quality home, regardless of their income level,” she says. She believes that all housing units should be well-kept and safe, and she advocates for a tenants’ rights board in Springfield to ensure that renters have a voice.

She sees a natural partnership with Springfield Tenants Unite (STUN), a grassroots organization fighting for housing justice. Kai hopes to share space with STUN, joining forces to create a stronger, united front against the systemic housing issues in Springfield. She believes that by working together, they can amplify the voices of all tenants.

“STUN is doing amazing work,” she says. “And I’ve kept up with their progress since I’ve known about them. Not only are they advocates for affordable housing, but they also know how to organize and engage with the community about these issues many renters face. They are making changes quick, and I cannot wait to see what we can do together.”

As Kai looks ahead, she is thrilled that more and more people in her community are standing up to fight for the right things. For her, this is not just a fight for herself or her children — it’s a fight for every renter who has faced discrimination in their housing crises.