Community Land Trusts

Conversations about how to fix Canada's housing crisis often focus on one idea: the accelerated building of more affordable units. But, in the absence of a coordinated response to housing shortages and rising rents, communities — big and small — are taking matters into their own hands. Local organizers have created Community Land Trusts (CLTs), non-profits that buy up land within a given neighbourhood and keep it affordable and accessible for everyone in the community — indefinitely. This model gives stability to longtime renters, especially in areas facing the threat of displacement, gentrification and “renoviction.”

Sumeet Kapila’s animation explains how community land trusts work and differ from co-op housing.

The full episode of The New Reality focusing on community land trusts can be viewed below: