This month, we’re reading Safe and Sound: A Renter-Friendly Guide to Home Repair by Mercury Stardust, the Trans Handy Ma’am. Stardust, a certified repair technician, collaborated with Habitat for Humanity International to promote our Home Is the Key fundraising campaign and also has expressed her appreciation as a trans person for the acceptance and support she has felt from Habitat.
Homeownership is at the core of Habitat’s mission, but we also realize that for a variety of reasons, not everyone is able to purchase a home. Like other affiliates, Pikes Peak Habitat receives many more applications to our homeownership program than we can accept. Some applicants live with family or friends, but many rent their current homes.
We’ve heard stories of property owners who are absent or unresponsive, don’t adequately address problems, or fix issues but then retaliate by raising the rent. In addition, rental prices have skyrocketed over the past several years, so a place that may have been affordable in 2019 no longer is, even to long-time tenants. And for anyone who spends 30% or more of their monthly income on rent, saving up for a deposit and moving expenses — even to relocate to a less expensive rental — can be impossible.
Stardust’s book offers wraparound advice for renters, including tips on choosing the best place to rent, as well as troubleshooting and minimizing damage for the highest return of the security deposit. Our hope is that this book empowers and supports renters in knowing their rights, maintaining their spaces, and feeling secure in their homes!
Discussion Questions
Why does Stardust specifically target this book to renters rather than homeowners? What’s different for renters doing home maintenance vs. homeowners?
How does Stardust incorporate her experience as both a renter and a maintenance technician into the book? Why do you think she does this rather than taking a more fact-based approach?
How do her observations about the rental market and the demographics of renters connect to other books we’ve read, such as The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein, Race for Profit by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, and Arbitrary Lines by M. Nolan Gray?
Why does she say renters are often shamed for their financial situation? Have you found this to be true in your own experience?
What is the five-step Mercury Method? Why is each step important?
What standard tools does she recommend, and why?
Why does she include information about electrical fixes? What cautions does she offer?
This book is different from others we’ve read because it’s a how-to manual, not meant to be read from cover to cover. Is there one section or repair area that you’re especially interested in? Any processes or advice that are especially helpful for you?
Throughout the book, Stardust offers “emotional resets” and affirms readers in their current situations and life experiences. Why do you think she does this? How did these sections impact you as a reader?
What’s one practical takeaway from this book for you if you are
- a renter?
- a homeowner?
- a landlord coordinating repairs for tenants?
