December 20, 2022
A year ago, when Workers’ Dignity and the Southeast Center for Cooperative Development started to engage decision-makers around funding affordable housing projects that combined community land trusts with housing cooperatives, we were told that Nashville had never funded cooperative housing projects before and that it was unlikely that the city would approve one in the near future. Well, the 2023 Barnes Fund budget has allocated $7M for housing co-ops built on public land or land trusts for residents experiencing a housing crisis regardless of immigration status. Below is the story of how we got here and an ask to fund our vision to house the people.
The CLT/Co-op Model
(A big shout-out to the Southeast Center!)
We believe that an ignored factor behind our city’s housing crisis has to do with the fact that the Nashville’s already limited investment in affordable housing every year is being funneled away from any projects that would address the power imbalance between developers and working-class residents or that would ensure that the housing remains affordable in the long run.
The Southeast Center taught us that combining Community Land Trusts with Limited Equity Cooperatives may solve that problem. Community Land Trusts (CLTs) are democratic nonprofit organizations that own and develop the land, removing it from the speculative market. Housing cooperatives are legal entities where the residents own and control the buildings and their living situation. In other parts of the country, combining these two models has shifted power dynamics to center resident agency while protecting affordability.
The Mosaic Warriors and DRUS tenant unions paved the way towards political power
When we first pivoted our work to support housing campaigns, many questioned our reasoning that supporting tenants to form tenant unions that could seize real victories against exploitative landlords and developers would translate into political power (instead of simply asking the city to listen).
But we were right. Capitalists dominate our society and their interests dominate our governments. Last year, two working-class communities – the Mosaic Warriors and Dickerson Road United in Struggle– organized and won against two bougie out-of-state capitalists to get back some respect. Suddenly, our community was taken seriously within the housing arena and our capacity had grown.
Built on Faith: First Congregations and Affordable Housing Summit
We know that housing the people will take diverse tactics and allies. After joining forces with the Southeast Center, we partnered with groups with the expertise and resources to fill our gaps, such as non-profit developers, faith groups with surplus land, and other community groups. Eclectic coalitions get the goods!
In November, Workers’ Dignity, the Southeast Center, Belmont United Methodist Church, Urban Housing Solutions, Elmahaba Center and NOAH organized the Built on Faith Summit, an all-day gathering of congregations interested in offering their unused land (faith groups own approximately 1800 acres of land in Nashville!) and/or financial assets for affordable housing projects. We were so energized by the amazing turnout and reception! Faith leaders, nonprofit developers, labor leaders, and city officials were among the ~100 attendees who wanted to #HouseThePeople!
The fight continues
And here we are! The city approved funding for housing coops, but we won’t stop there. Our fight won’t be over until Nashville fully funds affordable housing for all and the housing that gets built upholds the dignity of the workers that build it and the residents that live in it.
Also, do you know how many grants we get specifically for our housing work? ZERO. This is why grassroots fundraising is essential. Help us raise $30k before the end of the year so we can continue to build power until all of our people are housed. Working-class people have a right to the city.Fund our housing work today.
Solidarity,
Workers’ Dignity