Jorge Benitez Perez

Jorge Benitez Perez
Tenant Services Program Manager

[email protected]

Jorge's background in organizing comes from organizing immigrants and working-class people in Prince George's county. Jorge is a Salvadoran born immigrant who grew up undocumented and eventually aged into the DACA program. It is his lived experiences that have shaped how he organizes working class communities. In 2019, Jorge was part of a triumphant effort that turned Prince George's county into a sanctuary county. In 2021, Jorge organized immigrants in Howard County to successfully shut down the Jessup immigrant detention center. That effort led to the state of Maryland passing the Dignity not Detention Act which ended the private detention of immigrants in local jails.
 
Most recently Jorge led the efforts in forming the Prince George's County Housing Justice Coalition (PGCHJC), a diverse coalition made up of community organizations, labor unions, and faith groups. PGCHJC successfully advocated for a 3% rent stabilization bill in Prince George's county to temporarily halt the massive increases renters experienced in the county. With his background in organizing tenants in advocating for better living conditions, Jorge was selected to be a part of the Prince George's County Rent Stabilization Workgroup which concluded and presented their results in hopes of passing the best permanent rent stabilization bill in the county. 
 
Jorge now joins LEDC to continue expanding his knowledge in housing organizing and advocating with tenants in the district.