Our Work
Tierras Comunitarias
As a joint initiative of the FCTL and Community Power Collective, this grassroots program supports communities in reclaiming land and housing from corporate control and placing it into lasting community ownership through a land trust model. It centers membership building, tenant organizing, the formation of tenant associations, and political education to grow collective leadership and build power from the ground up.
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!
Housing & Land Justice
A FCTL program built from the ground up by and for the community, focused on creating and preserving affordable homes, restoring distressed residential properties, and prioritizing buildings organized through Tierras Comunitarias.
Properties Under Stewardship
Simmons
700 Simmons is an 11-unit community land trust property in East Los Angeles acquired through the Los Angeles County Community Land Trust Partnership Program, in partnership with Little Tokyo Service Center, with which it is currently co-stewarded. Created as an innovative strategy to take housing off the speculative market and return it to community stewardship, this project reflects our commitment to long-term neighborhood stability. 700 Simmons serves as a powerful example of how community land trusts can preserve affordable housing, prevent displacement, and keep families rooted in their neighborhood. 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
The Linda Vista Project, proposed by Fideicomiso Comunitario Tierra Libre (FCTL) in partnership with Little Tokyo Service Center’s (LTSC) Community Development Corporation, will create 47 permanently affordable homes across three sites in Boyle Heights. Linda Vista will provide both family-sized affordable rental units and supportive housing for transitional-aged youth (TAY) and unhoused students. Linda Vista advances the goals of Measure ULA by reducing homelessness, protecting low-income households, and expanding alternative housing models rooted in community control. As a community land trust, FCTL is committed to embedding resident governance in the long-term stewardship of the Linda Vista homes. The project will explore pathways for tenant participation in decision-making, building management, and collective ownership models. FCTL has been stewarding these properties for nearly a decade, and with the passage of Measure ULA, new resources have made it possible to move this vision forward.
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.