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.
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!
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, with the support of our development partner, Little Tokyo Service Center.
Properties Under Stewardship
Simmons
700 Simmons is an 11-unit community land trust property in East Los Angeles and the first property acquired in May 2021 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.
After years of neglect and deferred maintenance by previous owners, the building was rehabilitated so residents can now live in safe, dignified homes. At the same time, we work alongside tenants to build collective governance and create a pathway toward collective ownership, strengthening resident leadership and long-term community control.
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
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.