House and home: When housing works, tribal communities win

The Squamish Nation is building Senakw, a 6,000-unit, 11-tower residential development on 10 acres of ancestral land returned to them in Vancouver, one of North America's least affordable cities. Freed from the city's restrictive zoning and land-use laws, the Squamish completed the first three towers in 2025, putting 1,408 rental apartments on the market, including several hundred subsidized units for lower-income families. The first tenants moved in at the end of May, and the project has prompted Vancouver to begin loosening some of its own housing rules.

Milwaukee nonprofit Acts Housing is addressing the city's homeownership gap with a comprehensive model that combines HUD-certified education, one-on-one financial coaching, alternative lending and a property acquisition arm that competes with investors to preserve housing inventory for buyers. Over three decades, the program has helped more than 4,000 individuals and families purchase homes.

Community organizations in Milwaukee's Metcalfe Park neighborhood are tackling the city's homeownership crisis through lease-to-own programs that convert foreclosed properties into affordable homes for long-term renters. Metcalfe Park Community Bridges' Reclaim and Restore initiative purchases foreclosed homes from the city, rehabs them using donor and foundation funding, and transfers ownership to neighborhood residents through an equity-based lottery system with monthly payments as low as $901.

Several California cities have adopted a new approach to clearing homeless encampments that prioritizes housing over displacement, called Inside Safe. The model involves spending 6-8 weeks getting to know each encampment resident individually, matching them with appropriate housing, moving people gradually and minimizing police involvement. Los Angeles's Inside Safe program has moved 5,200 people indoors over three years, with approximately 25% securing permanent housing.

Indigenous communities confronting poverty, loss of traditional land, and marginalization in Malaysia are finding support through PACOS Trust, a faith-based group focused on community organizing. By providing structured leadership training, advocacy skills, and livelihood development initiatives, PACOS empowers young Indigenous leaders to address pressing issues in the community, advocate for land rights, and preserve their cultural practices.

Project:HOMES bought a local mobile home park, Bermuda Estates, to renovate the units and provide higher-quality, affordable housing. The group raised $4.2 million to repair each unit, build a new community center and host events in the park, all while not increasing rent costs.

Building Ukraine Together (BUT) gathers volunteers across the country to help rebuild homes, cultural centers and repair public facilities that were damaged or destroyed as a result of the war with Russia. With a team of more than 6,000 volunteers from several walks of life, BUT has repaired or created comfortable, safe living conditions for more than 5,000 people impacted by the war.

The best way to grow generational wealth in the United States is by owning a home, so the Portland-based collective Taking Ownership is fighting the effects of gentrification in Black neighborhoods by helping homeowners do necessary home improvement work. Volunteers and licensed contractors do the work, and the projects are funded with donations from mostly White and wealthy donors.

In response to managing the homeless crisis, several Safe Rest Villages have emerged throughout the city. These are small, individual units on city-owned land, separate from nearby neighborhoods. There are currently seven active Safe Rest Villages in the city and they have created 350 transitional housing opportunities for the local homeless population.

The Seattle Indian Center, originally started by the matriarchs of the American Indian Women’s Service League, provides Native people in need with resources like food, clothing, financial and employment assistance, community outreach services and a sense of community where their heritage and culture are recognized.