The Quiet Engine for Affordable Housing in Red and Blue States

Hawai‘i lawmakers are considering SB 332, a "community opportunity to purchase" policy that would give tenants, community land trusts, housing nonprofits and local governments up to 45 days to match or beat bids on foreclosed homes. This legislation is aimed at preserving affordable housing and preventing displacement and is modeled after similar successful policies in Washington, D.C. and San Francisco.

The Community Receiver Program works with real estate professionals of color to rehabilitate vacant and foreclosed properties. These properties are then resold to local homebuyers — to preserve generational wealth — or rented out at affordable rates. The program trains people to be community receivers for free, teaching them how to acquire and rehabilitate the buildings, as well as how to leverage grants and local funding programs. Since 2020, the Program has trained about 520 people, rehabilitated 16 buildings and contributed about $4.5 million in restored property value.

Moms for Housing reclaim vacant homes owned by investors to provide a place for single mothers to live. Advocating for housing as a human right, 13 organizers are currently living in these unoccupied houses and through civil disobedience, managed to negotiate temporary housing as they continue fighting for permanent solutions to the area’s housing crisis.

Parity Homes is an equitable development company that is working to rehab properties that will be available for legacy residents to buy or rent for an affordable price in 2023. The organization aims to prevent residents — specifically people of color — from being pushed out of the neighborhood by supporting wealth creation through homeownership.

The Downtown Crenshaw group was inspired by the success of community land trusts, a model that keeps ownership of land and housing in the hands of the community, who can choose to keep it permanently affordable while providing tenants a pathway to wealth building. Since May 2021, the group has purchased 10 parcels of land, which will be developed into residential and commercial space that’s affordable for longtime residents and businesses.

In Washington D.C., the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase act, gives tenants the right to be the first in line to buy the building they live in, if it goes up for sale. The city, also has a trust fund that finances affordable housing, and provides funds for people looking to purchase a building and create a co-op. Together, these things make it easier for tenants to access affordable housing, and fight gentrification. So, far the city has 137 co-ops. "Now we get to choose our neighbors, we get to set our own rules, and we’re in control of our living conditions.”

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.

Community land trusts help preserve affordable homeownership across generations by separating land and home ownership. With Milwaukee’s trust, the trust owns the land, and residents own their homes at a capped 1.25% annual appreciation. This helps keep housing prices stable while still allowing residents to build wealth. Research shows community land trusts nationwide achieve 95%+ foreclosure prevention rates.

unBlocked Englewood, in collaboration with the Chicago Bungalow Association, works to help Black people own and keep their longtime homes in their families by addressing the racist practices that prevent Black home ownership and helping provide funds to cover costly home repairs.

KC Tenants is a tenant union that connects renters to put pressure on landlords and local government to protect tenant rights. With the help of the group’s political arm, KC Tenants Power, they have blocked thousands of evictions, received millions of dollars in funding to secure affordable housing for those in need and have grown to about 10,000 members. Outside of blocking evictions and securing long-term affordable housing, the group also has four members who won City Council seats.