Prefigurative Community Building (Part 13)
Reclaiming Shelter Together: Building Community Land Trusts as a Power With Strategy
Housing is not just shelter. It is the foundation of security, health, stability, and dignity. And yet, in today’s world, homes are increasingly treated as commodities rather than as a basic human need. Rents are skyrocketing, property speculation is driving displacement, and millions are forced into precarious living conditions or onto the streets. In the face of this crisis, Community Land Trusts (CLTs) offer a path forward, one rooted not in extraction and control, but in mutual care, democratic ownership, and Power With coordination.
CLTs are nonprofit, community-led organizations that acquire and hold land in trust for the common good. They ensure that housing remains permanently affordable by separating land ownership (held by the trust) from housing ownership (held by residents or cooperatives). This makes it possible for renters, owners, and even unhoused individuals to collectively reclaim power with the land, without reinforcing hierarchies or reproducing systems of dominance.
Below is a practical, step-by-step guide for starting a Community Land Trust in your area, rooted in Power With principles and designed to serve not just current residents, but also those most marginalized by the existing housing system.
Step-by-Step Guide: Starting a CLT as a Power With Coordination Pattern
1. Start With Listening and Mapping Need
Gather in community spaces, shelters, libraries, or online to co-create a listening circle. Ask:
Who is being displaced?
What housing exists but is underused or misused?
What solutions already exist informally?
Avoid assuming leadership. Begin by centering the voices of the unhoused, renters, and precariously housed, and include homeowners willing to share land or capital.
Resource: People's Action Housing Justice Organizing Guide
2. Form a Seed Group With Shared Values
Create a core group of neighbors, activists, and housing-insecure people committed to Power With values:
Non-hierarchy
Transparent decision-making
Collective responsibility
Anti-displacement
Use sociocracy or consensus methods to prevent Power Over dynamics from emerging.
Resource: Sociocracy for All
3. Study Legal and Land Use Frameworks
Understand local laws about zoning, trusts, and ownership. Look into:
Public land that could be transferred
Land banks with foreclosed properties
Churches or unused nonprofit land
Consult with lawyers who support community ownership. Many will volunteer time for just causes.
Resource: Grounded Solutions Network: CLT Technical Manual
4. Create a Legal Entity and Mission Charter
Incorporate a nonprofit entity with a mission to provide community-controlled, permanently affordable housing. Use legal tools like:
99-year ground leases
Limited-equity housing cooperatives
Mutual aid agreements with squats and shelters
Resource: NECLT’s Sample Documents Library
5. Raise Seed Funding—But Keep Autonomy
Start small. Don’t wait for large capital. Use:
Mutual aid funds
Local fundraising
Crowdfunding
Faith-based grants or community foundations
Avoid partnerships that require compromising your governance or goals. Always protect the voice of your community.
Resource: Seed Commons: A Community Wealth Cooperative
6. Acquire Land Collectively
This is the heart. There are many paths:
Buy a parcel of land with pooled funds
Accept land donations from ethical owners
Reclaim vacant lots through public pressure
Partner with city governments for land-use pilots
Ensure the land goes into trust, not into individual ownership. Use collective stewardship models that are accountable to the whole.
7. Design Housing With and For the People
Co-design spaces that work for your community—not developers. Consider:
Co-housing for shared costs
Tiny homes for formerly unhoused residents
Mixed-income models that center those in need
Everyone should help shape what’s built, not just architects or funders. Use design workshops and story-based planning.
Resource: Designing Justice + Designing Spaces
8. Implement Governance That Shares Power
Structure decision-making to protect against Power Over. Examples include:
Tripartite boards (residents, community members, public reps)
Sociocratic circles with rotating facilitators
Assemblies of residents and non-residents
Prioritize participatory governance over efficiency. Keep meetings open, transparent, and accessible.
Resource: Democracy Collaborative: CLTs and Inclusive Governance
9. Include Housing-Insecure and Unhoused Neighbors
A real CLT must include those who are currently unhoused—not just as clients, but as stewards and leaders. This could look like:
Designated housing units for emergency residency
Roles in trust governance
Paid organizing positions for people with lived experience
Ensure the CLT’s work helps move people from displacement to rootedness, not just from renting to owning.
10. Educate, Connect, and Scale Horizontally
As your CLT takes shape, share what you learn. Host workshops, walk-throughs, storytelling events. Help others form their own efforts. Federate with:
Tenant unions
Mutual aid housing groups
Public housing reformers
Resource: National CLT Network (UK)
Real World Examples
Champlain Housing Trust (Vermont, USA)
Established in 1984, the Champlain Housing Trust (CHT) is the largest CLT in the United States. It serves northwest Vermont by providing affordable housing options through a shared equity model. CHT owns the land and offers long-term, renewable leases to homeowners, ensuring that housing remains affordable for future generations. Beyond housing, CHT also supports community development by managing commercial spaces and offering services like homeowner education and financial counseling.
Website: https://www.getahome.org
Sogorea Te' Land Trust (California, USA)
Founded in 2012, the Sogorea Te' Land Trust is an urban Indigenous women-led organization based in the San Francisco Bay Area. It focuses on returning Chochenyo and Karkin Ohlone lands to Indigenous stewardship. Through land acquisition and the innovative "Shuumi Land Tax," the trust facilitates the rematriation of land and promotes cultural revitalization. Their work includes establishing community gardens, ceremonial spaces, and educational programs that foster a reciprocal relationship between people and the land.
Website: https://sogoreate-landtrust.org
Why This Matters
The global housing crisis is not just about affordability. It’s about who controls land, who makes decisions, and who belongs. Community Land Trusts are a living example of how Power With coordination can break cycles of displacement, speculation, and isolation. They let us take land out of the market and put it into collective care. Forever.
They are not easy. But they are possible.
They are not fast. But they are lasting.
And they are not theoretical. They are already being woven into the fabric of neighborhoods by ordinary people who refuse to accept the false choice between homelessness and housing as profit.
Let’s build shelter together.