Reclaiming Housing Together in Northeast LA

Housing and Homelessness

Other:: Northeast Los Angeles

Pilot or new project, program, or initiative

Northeast LA is rapidly changing as new investments come into neighborhoods that have long been home to working class communities of color. LA River revitalization efforts and market forces have made the region popular for land acquisition and development, leading to higher property values and rents. Meanwhile, the pandemic and inflation have exacerbated housing insecurity, with growing rental debt and household costs. With COVID era renter protections ending, we see that at its root, the housing system is not designed to support the most vulnerable. Cities like Los Angeles have been planned in ways that disinvest in the working poor and people of color, yet eagerly invest when there are opportunities for profit. As the housing crisis threatens to push entire communities out of their neighborhoods, it's imperative to reimagine another way: one that honors local knowledge and culture, restores relationships with one another, and centers those most vulnerable to displacement.

Our community has named affordability and autonomy as top priorities in addressing housing instability in Northeast LA. Grounding this in our mission to sustain cooperative ways of living and working together, LA Mas is piloting a program where neighbors practice solidarity to collectively purchase and steward housing. Activities include: (1) Identifying Buyers & Allies | Identify working class community members interested in collectively purchasing housing; Identify higher income allies who want to join a housing collective (to subsidize costs) or sell their properties at a discounted rate. (2) Partnerships | Identify and manage partnerships with realtors, lenders, community land trusts, tenants union locals, and popular education consultants (3) Collective Purchase | Help groups of buyers navigate a purchase process (ex. financing, identifying properties, making sure the process is culturally and linguistically accessible) (4) Cooperative Development | Once buildings are acquired, support housing collectives to thrive as a cooperative by establishing collective decision-making and community agreements (5) Popular Education | Facilitate education around housing policies, historical context of displacement, and cooperative living; Host cultural knowledge exchanges that honor existing communal living practices (6) Toolkit | Document collective purchase process for the pilot buyer groups; Create a toolkit to make collective housing more widely accessible

LA Mas seeks to demonstrate a model where neighbors practice solidarity to reclaim, stabilize and steward housing. Through this program, working class renters of color achieve housing stability on their own terms by cultivating relationships with allies and utilizing existing housing market tools to acquire permanent housing. While this project is based in Northeast LA, we aim to support the broader social housing movement in LA County. As we identify allies who can redistribute wealth or connect us to properties, we will also connect them to housing preservation organizations. As we help form housing collectives, we will connect them to Community Land Trusts who can offer long-term asset management. With the development of a toolkit, we will make an alternative to individual homeownership more accessible to LA residents. We see this work imparting a cultural shift that reimagines housing through a decommodified lens that prioritizes intentional relationships and collective well-being.

(1) Outreach 1a. 1,000 working class residents informed about program 1b. 500 allies informed about program (2) Partnerships 2a. Realtor, lender and contractor partners confirmed 2b. Partnership opportunities with housing justice organizations cultivated (3) Collective Purchase 3a. 3 collectives (15 individuals) participate in process 3b. 3 housing properties acquired by collectives 3c. 12 permanently affordable/owned units secured (4) Cooperative Development 4a. 3 collectives (15 individuals) participate in co-op trainings 4b. Collective members are knowledgeable of co-op model and practices (measured by self-assessment) (5) Popular Education 5a. 6 pop ed sessions 5b. Participants understand housing policies, historical context, and cooperative models (measured by self-assessment) (6) Toolkit 6a. Pilot process documented & supplemented by add'l research 6b. Development of toolkit 6c. 150 toolkit copies disseminated (50 purchased by allies; 100+ accessed free by community members)