Affordable housing
Alliance resources to introduce conservationists to fundamentals, examples and suggestions for supporting affordable housing.
Explore the Land
Travel the Affordable Housing Learning Path to discover how your land trust can engage in the issue.
Many land trusts have embraced community-centered conservation. They are working to conserve land for cultural practices, clean water, food production, recreation and climate resilience, and some are expanding this to support affordable housing. This learning path describes why land trusts are supporting affordable housing in their communities, introduces land conservationists to the history and basics of affordable housing and provides examples and suggested approaches for engaging on this issue.
Land trusts and affordable housing organizations have aligned missions and complementary skills they could leverage to create wins for all parties. By supporting affordable housing, conservationists can also advance their own goals, including around climate and meeting the needs of community. The best practices highlighted in the selected resources that follow emphasize the importance of learning and partnership building as there is an established matrix of organizations and advocates across the country who are already deeply immersed in and leading on affordable housing.
There are a range of ways that conservation land trusts can support affordable housing in consultation and collaboration with affordable housing organizations and advocates. Case studies from across the country highlight the opportunities for collaboration including not opposing new affordable housing developments, sharing information and expertise, collaborative regional planning, joint policy and advocacy work and even building affordable, environmentally friendly homes or complimentary adjacent projects that maximize community benefits. Ready to dive in?
Where available, self-guided courses are included but written guidance on practices is also available and listed. You may need to scroll down the webpage to reach the guidance for the practice element. If you are looking for sample policies and templates, they can be found under each of the practices.
The "why" and the basics
This section describes the aligned missions and complementary skills that land trusts and affordable housing organizations could leverage to create wins for all parties. It also provides foundational information and context for conservationists who are seeking to understand the need for and history of affordable housing and community land trusts.
Engaging communityCommunity land trust, land bank and conservation land trust map
Oct. 17, 2023 | Land Trust AllianceIn a joint effort to foster stronger, more resilient communities, the Center for Community Progress and the Land Trust Alliance are pleased to announce the launch of a new interactive map for leaders in community revitalization. The National Land Bank and CLT Map identifies shared service areas between land banks, conservation land trusts and community land trusts to promote collaboration between these entities and maximize their unique but complimentary skillsets.
Read press release
The "how"
The “Essentials” section identifies a variety of actions and approaches for conservation land trusts to support affordable housing and prevent community displacement. The “Dig deeper” section links to additional examples of partnerships and initiatives that blend affordable housing and land conservation expertise and outcomes.
- Engaging community
Featured Athens Land Trust protects a family’s farmland in Oconee County, provides conservation and housing services
May 4, 2024 | News articleOn March 21, Athens Land Trust announced that it permanently protected 42.5 acres of farmland in Oconee County. With the help of the Oconee County Farmland Preservation Committee and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, this was one of the land trust’s many conservation pursuits, which now add up to 20,598 protected acres of land across Georgia. ALT conservation director Joe Barbaree emphasized the importance of infusing conservation with affordable housing for the sake of those affected by construction and development.
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Engaging communityKaniksu Land Trust welcomes families to permanent affordable homeownership project
May 16, 2025 | Land Trust Alliance blog postRecognizing that housing and land conservation are deeply connected, Kaniksu Land Trust expanded its mission to include affordable homeownership. After years of listening, planning and building partnerships with LEAP Housing and Bonner Community Housing Agency, the land trust is preparing to welcome six families into The Village at River View — the first permanently affordable homeownership project in Priest River, Idaho.
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Engaging communityMassachusetts land trust to tackle affordable housing and land conservation in one project
Oct. 22, 2024 | Land Trust Alliance blog postIn Easthampton, Mass., there isn’t much open land left. The area’s housing shortage means that most unprotected areas are attractive lots for real estate developers to add stock to this post-industrial artist’s haven, where old mill buildings house studios turning out pottery and paintings and new restaurants and microbreweries. The skyrocketing demand for housing then prices out land conservationists who aim to protect wildlife and air and water quality and connect residents with nature. A new project in the city seeks to overcome the either-or narrative between sprawling cul-de-sacs and conservation, a shift rippling throughout the conservation movement. On a 53-acre parcel of land in this former mill town, Kestrel Land Trust will conserve 42 acres and will work with a partner organization to develop the other 11 acres into affordable housing.
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Join the conversation
Discuss affordable housing with other Land Trust Alliance members.