Our Work
Tierras Comunitarias
This program empowers communities to reclaim land and housing from corporate control and place it into community ownership through a land trust model. As a joint initiative of the Community Power Collective and FCTL, it combines membership development, tenant organizing, the formation of tenant associations, and political education to build collective power.
The Tonalli Project
The Tonalli Project is a community ownership initiative between Fideicomiso Comunitario Tierra Libre (FCTL) and the Tonalli Tenants Association, aiming to preserve a historically and culturally significant building in the Unincorporated East Los Angeles area.
Residents at the Tonalli building formed the Tonalli Tenants Association in 2024, when they faced the threat of possible displacement. The building, which had been their home and workspace for many years, was suddenly listed for sale without prior notice, putting their livelihoods and community at risk. The group mobilized and received early support from Inclusive Action for the City and Self-Help Credit Union, who acquired the building on behalf of the tenants and removed it from the speculative market. Now, the Tonalli Tenants Association are looking to establish the first housing cooperative in Unincorporated East Los Angeles, with the support of Fideicomiso Comunitario Tierra Libre, to secure permanent affordability and resident control in the community.
Our Wins
Coalition Power
In 2021, in response to the housing inequities exacerbated by the pandemic, our sister organization CPC helped form the Keep LA Housed (KLAH) Coalition. During the pandemic, the coalition helped establish emergency tenant protections that helped keep many tenants from losing their homes during the height of the crisis. Emphasizing the success of tenant protections in keeping Angeleos housed, they then established a proposed Tenant Bill of Rights, and to date have won many of the outlined protections including protections around Just Cause, Nonpayment, Anti-Harassment, Relocation Assistance, Code Enforcement, and Right to Counsel.
Measure ULA
In 2022, we won Measure ULA- a one-time tax on mansions that sell for $5 million or more that will generate ongoing revenue to help reduce homelessness, support low-income seniors, make housing more affordable, and protect renters. CPC and FCTL held down the Eastside Caucus, which contributed to the recruitment of almost 1,000 volunteers that engaged 30,000 voters. This win was made possible by collective grassroots community organizing!
Vivienda y Más
Focused on real estate development, housing preservation, and the acquisition and rehabilitation of distressed residential buildings, with a priority on Tierras Comunitarias-organized properties. Additionally, the program includes non-housing development projects such as community gardens.
Properties Under Stewardship
Simmons
700 Simmons is an 11-unit community land trust property in East Los Angeles. After years of deferred maintenance by previous owners, the property underwent rehabilitation to ensure that residents can now enjoy their dignified homes.
This project marks the first property acquired in May of 2021 in partnership with Little Tokyo Service Center under the Los Angeles County Community Land Trust Partnership Program; an innovative strategy aimed to remove properties from the speculative market for the benefit of our community. This project exemplifies a creative model for preserving affordable housing, preventing tenant displacement, and ensuring dignified living conditions.
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The project was made possible through grants from the Los Angeles County CLT Pilot Program, NeighborWorks, Wells Fargo; and a loan from the Nonprofit Finance Fund.
Linda Vista
Linda Vista is a new construction project by Fideicomiso Comunitario Tierra Libre (FCTL), in partnership with Little Tokyo Service Center (LTSC). This scattered-site development will provide 47 units of social housing for the community and consists of three sites located in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles.
The Linda Vista lots were previously used as parking for a previous redevelopment project that were never built upon. FCTL has long sought to develop these sites for community benefit. After earlier development efforts, LTSC joined as a partner in 2023. FCTL and LTSC are currently collaborating to secure financing for the project.
Our Wins
Pilot Program
In 2021, FCTL within the Los Angeles Community Land Trust Coalition successfully advocated for the Community Land Trust Partnership Program that secured $14 million for acquisition and rehab across all five Los Angeles Supervisorial Districts. The policy explored the community Land Trust (CLT) model to address long term housing affordability challenges and systemic racial inequities for immigrant, working class, communities of color. Most importantly, this program created pathways to collective ownership models and ensured that housing is permanently affordable for our communities.
Simmons Rehabilitation
In 2024, after years of deferred maintenance by previous owners, FCTL in partnership with Little Tokyo Service Center (LTSC)- completed rehabilitation of the Simmons building, an 11 unit community land trust property in East Los Angeles. Today, its tenants have a safe and stable home and are engaged in community governance projects, including managing a community-run garden. This project marks the first property acquired under the Los Angeles County Community Land Trust Partnership Program.
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LA Housing Training Hub
Empowering Resident-Led Social Housing
Fideicomiso Comunitario Tierra Libre (FCTL) has been actively involved in the ULA Coalition since its inception, evolving from grassroots initiatives like door knocking and signature gathering to now focusing on implementing Capacity Building funds from ULA. These funds, amounting to 1%, are dedicated to facilitating tenant participation in building management, providing training and resources for tenants and community organizations, and supporting sustainable land trust, cooperative, and resident-led management models.
In partnership with organizations such as Liberty Hill Foundation, the LACLT Coalition, Urban Homestead Advisory Board, ACT-LA, SCANPH, Public Counsel, and the California Center for Cooperative Development, FCTL is proud to lead the development of the LA Housing Training Hub. This Hub will create essential training programs, tools, technical assistance, legal support, and outreach services vital for the success of resident-led social housing initiatives.
Mission
The LA Housing Training Hub is a collaborative effort aimed at providing technical assistance and training programs that enhance LA’s social housing ecosystem. Our mission is to empower historically marginalized, low- to moderate-income, and BIPOC residents to collectively govern and make decisions about their housing in partnership with land stewards, housing developers, and property managers.
Vision
We envision a Los Angeles where homes are not treated as commodities but are governed by principles of resident-led decision-making, cooperative economic benefits, healthy living conditions, and long-term financial stability.
Principles
Continual Learning and Cooperation: Ongoing education and training strengthen the housing ecosystem through co-ops, tenant associations, and community land trusts.
Democratic Resident Governance: We promote democratic governance by developing leadership among tenants and affordable housing developers, ensuring diverse resident participation.
Stable Social Housing: Our programs foster financially stable, permanently affordable housing by educating residents on building finances, enabling informed collective decisions about management and operations. This collective stewardship of land ensures affordability and accessibility for future generations.