Housing Initiatives

West Broadway Community Land Trust

A Community Land Trust is in the works!

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What is a Community Land Trust?

Community Land Trusts (CLTs) are entities that can acquire and hold land under community ownership. Because ownership changes from an individual to a community group, land and properties are treated as community assets instead of personal assets or private investments.

The first example in North America, New Communities Inc., pooled resources and land for Black-run agriculture. Many land trusts today focus on keeping housing affordable and in good condition!

Why a West Broadway Community Land Trust?

West Broadway is a wonderful neighbourhood! It has always been a diverse and eclectic neighbourhood with a tremendous effort placed in community-building. People love to live here because of the tight relationships residents build with their neighbours, the services, and the places that they live in. However, real estate speculation puts our neighbourhood stability at risk as people get pushed out and squeezed for higher rents.

92% of West Broadway's households are renters, and 72.7% of households live in buildings that were constructed before 1980. This means that our community faces high rates of mobility when their housing suffers - rent increases, disrepair, fires, and unresolved pest issues can all force people to leave their homes with little notice. Sometimes, this causes people to leave West Broadway completely.

Unfortunately, very little new development is meeting our community's housing needs. For example, a new 102-unit development on Sherbrook promises to create 38 affordable housing units, but even these "affordable units" will cost up to $1,100 for a bachelor unit. The average West Broadway resident would have to dedicate half their income to rent one of these new affordable units.

Recognizing that new housing development isn't adequately serving our needs, the West Broadway Land Trust would take steps to preserve naturally-occurring affordable housing in our existing housing stock.

Do Community Land Trusts actually work?

Community Land Trusts have a long history of success! The Milton Parc Society is a collective of co-operatives that are held by one neighbourhood-wide land trust. They've kept housing at low prices in the heart of Montreal since 1979. West Broadway had our very own land trust in the early 2000s that rehabilitated housing and offered a rent-to-own model.

A new wave of CLTs is gathering momentum across Canada:

The Parkdale Neighbourhood Land Trust started by purchasing a 15-unit Rooming House in 2019, and has since acquired and repaired nearly 200 units of affordable housing.
The Downtown Eastside Community Land Trust has developed a tenant-led and decolonial governance model and is close to acquiring their first SRO hotel.
The Kensington Market Community Land Trust has acquired two properties since 2021, including 12 affordable rental units.

See the Canadian Network of Community Land Trusts for a wide range of examples across the country!