Chairwoman of Warnock’s Church Sits on Board of Firm Accused of ‘Shamelessly Profiting’ Off Low-Income Tenants

The chairwoman of Georgia Democratic senator Raphael Warnock’s church, which is under fire for evicting tenants from its low-income apartment complex, is also a director at one of the largest corporate landlord firms in the United States—a company that Democrats have accused of “shamelessly profiting” off the housing crisis.

Renée Glover is the chairwoman of the governing board for Ebenezer Baptist Church, which employs Warnock and paid him $120,000 last year, including an income-tax-free $7,400-per-month housing allowance, according to financial disclosures. Glover, a former housing administrator in Atlanta, is also on the board of directors for Tricon Residential, one of the top five companies buying up rental properties across the United States. The company has come under scrutiny from progressives who say it is “shamelessly profiting” off the “combination of low inventory and low affordability.”

The news comes as Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker has attacked Warnock, the senior pastor and CEO of Ebenezer Baptist Church, over the aggressive eviction policies and maintenance problems at Warnock’s church-owned apartment building. Experts also say the situation creates a conflict of interest for Warnock, who serves on the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, which this year has been investigating the corporate landlord industry.

“The conflicts of interest keep piling up for Senator Warnock,” said Caitlin Sutherland, executive director of Americans for Public Trust, a watchdog group. “His willingness to entangle his Senate office in his personal dealings has become a case study on how not to represent Georgia.”

“How are his constituents ever supposed to trust that he’s properly overseeing the housing industry, especially on the heels of his church trying to evict low-income tenants?” Sutherland asked.

Warnock’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

Canada-based Tricon owns 34,000 rental homes concentrated in Sun Belt states like Georgia, North Carolina, and Florida, making it one of the largest corporate landlords of single-family houses in the United States.

Housing activists and populists from both political parties have accused the private-equity-backed rental industry of causing a housing shortage by buying up tens of thousands of properties over the past few years, making homes unaffordable to first-time buyers. Critics say these corporate landlords then hike rental costs and cut maintenance expenses to turn a profit.

Tricon CEO Gary Berman last year faced social media backlash after he told 60 Minutes that wannabe homeowners who have been priced out of the market can