Using Multi-Sectoral partnerships to create affordable housing

Many community land trusts in Canada are responding to local housing affordability issues. This includes gentrification, displacement and the risk of eviction. Many small urban neighbourhood-based land trusts, however, have challenges expanding their operations and acquiring land or housing. They need a way to increase their impact without sacrificing community-based governance and direct accountability to the communities they serve.

This project will demonstrate how a community land trust can successfully expand its impact through diversified land securement strategies and multi-sectoral partnerships. The Neighbourhood Land Trust will work with partners from different sectors to expand its work in Toronto’s Parkdale neighbourhood. This innovative approach will help NLT secure land and preserve existing housing on a larger scale for the communities it serves.

Project scope and expected outcomes

Laying the groundwork for more equitable development in Toronto’s Parkdale neighbourhood

The Neighbourhood Land Trust is the charitable arm of the Parkdale Neighbourhood Land Trust, the first community-based land trust in Toronto. Community Land Trusts are non-profit corporations created to acquire and hold land for a community. The land is perpetually held in trust for community use, such as affordable housing. Land trusts are membership-based organizations, governed by an elected board of directors and often made of community members and non-profit organizations.

The Neighbourhood Land Trust and the Parkdale Neighbourhood Land Trust work together to serve communities across the West End of Toronto, including Parkdale. Real estate in South Parkdale has long been one of Toronto’s most affordable. Lately, however, it has become the focus of intense speculation. Many low-income and racialized tenants have faced above-guideline rent increases, evictions and displacement pressures. Despite this, discussion is shifting to the possibility for more equitable development that meets everyone’s needs.

This project builds on that possibility. It will demonstrate an approach to growing a community-based land trust through diversified acquisition strategies and multi-sectoral partnerships. This will expand the Neighbourhood Land Trust’s reach and increase the impact of its work to address housing affordability in South Parkdale and beyond.

Demonstrating how community-based land trusts can expand to a sustainable operating level

With support from the National Housing Strategy Demonstrations Initiative, this project will demonstrate how community-based land trusts can scale to a sustainable operating level. It will do this through rigorous business planning and a diversified land securement strategy. That strategy has 3 distinct elements:

• The preservation of at-risk private rental housing.
• The retention and renewal of existing social housing assets.
• The development of purpose-built, non-market affordable housing.

The Neighbourhood Land Trust has already enjoyed success pursuing the first element. Now it will adapt its acquisition model and tools to achieve the other 2 elements.

An important part of the project’s approach is the use of multi-sectoral partnerships for affordable housing. While the Neighbourhood Land Trust owns and stewards land and housing, it does not operate properties. Instead, it partners with charitable organizations, who then provide affordable and supportive housing and support community development. That means partners are crucial for both scaling up its acquisitions and operating them efficiently.

This project will bring together:

• 2 social housing providers
• 1 social bank
• 1 private development partner
• 1 social contractor
• 1 sustainability partner.

This collaborative approach will help expand the Neighbourhood Land Trust’s activities and extend its impact to more priority populations. This includes National Housing Strategy priority populations, such as women and children fleeing violence, racialized groups and people experiencing homelessness. The different partners will provide the specific services and expertise needed to deepen the benefits to the community.

Developing guidelines and practices to support future property acquisitions

The project will assess and build its acquisitions and stewardship readiness. It will prepare development proposals for 2 potential new developments and attempt to secure funding/financing for new affordable housing projects. It will also research and develop a set of portfolio-based asset management practices and technologies. These approaches will help guide future acquisitions and stewardship.

The project will also develop best practices guidelines and long-term M&E frameworks for partners operating long-term housing. This includes policies on eviction prevention, social procurement, tenant engagement and more. A tenant advisory committee model will be created to help tenant members collaborate with NLT and its partners.

Finally, the project team will create new communications material to introduce new tenants to the Neighbourhood Land Trust and its community governance model. This includes a leadership development program for tenants.

Helping new community land trusts identify opportunities, challenges and strategies for growth

Over the short-term, the project will benefit emerging and start-up land trusts with a strong emphasis on community-based commitments and governance. The demonstration will help them identify opportunities, challenges and strategies for growth. It will also help affordable housing providers, housing policy-makers, funders and others with planning. In particular, it will help them develop and renew their organizational practices, funding programs and public policies.

Over the long-term, the project’s scaling approach could use the community land trust model to provide different affordable housing types and strategies. This includes preserving existing small-scale buildings, renewing community housing portfolios and creating new developments. This could benefit vulnerable tenants by stabilizing the affordable housing continuum and offering more options.

The project’s engagement with multiple partners is potentially useful for emerging community-based land trusts and housing policy planners across Canada. This means it is potentially replicable across Canada to help address the affordable housing crisis. It is particularly applicable to urban neighbourhoods facing pressures of speculative real estate investment, acquisition of mid-century rental housing and renovictions.