October 29, 2026

Advancing Community-Led Housing: Highlights from CRC Convenings

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What does it take for a community to own its own future? That is the question the Community Roots Collaborative (CRC) has been chasing since our June trip to Oakland with the Black Cultural Zone. Over the past three months, the cohort has kept learning from neighbors who are doing it right here in our region. 

August: Community Ownership in East Palo Alto

The CRC boarded a bus to East Palo Alto for a tour led by Ofelia Bello of Pahali Community Land Trust and EPACANDO and Iliana Nicholas of EPACANDO. Our stops showed what decades of local organizing can build:

  • Nugent Square: 32 affordable homes, built in 2006 and converted to all-electric in 2023. Ofelia shared the organizing history behind East Palo Alto’s community land trust.
  • Serenity Senior Apartments: 41 homes for low-income seniors, built with MidPen Housing and strong protections so longtime residents can return.
  • Alamo Site: One acre where EPACANDO hopes to build up to 100 affordable homes, with a focus on fair relocation and right of return.
  • 801 Donohoe St.: A future 18-home, resident-owned co-op on donated land, where young people who grew up in East Palo Alto can buy for around $300,000.
  • Youth United for Community Action (YUCA): A land trust property where youth organizing keeps neighborhood power growing across generations.
  • Colibri Commons: 136 affordable homes with green courtyards, an after-school learning center, and a walking and biking path.
  • Saint Mark AME Zion Church: A congregation planning to build affordable homes on part of its site.

Over lunch at La Cazuela, the cohort reflected on what stuck: never lose sight of the community’s mission, set clear agreements with developer partners early, and stay persistent because buying land takes time.

Finding Land in a Tough Market – Mountain View CLT 

Mountain View Community Land Trust shared how they analyze potential properties. The group traded strategies for competing in one of the most expensive real estate markets in the country: building relationships with property owners who share our values, looking beyond public listings, and lining up flexible funding from mission-driven lenders so community groups can move as fast as private buyers.

A Comprehensive Neighborhood Approach in Mayfair – SOMOS Mayfair and Mayfair Neighborhood Trust

SOMOS Mayfair hosted us in East San Jose to share how the Mayfair Neighborhood Trust and the Si Se Puede Collective work. Their message: keeping a neighborhood rooted takes more than buying buildings. It means economic justice, cultural preservation, youth leadership, and residents holding real decision-making power. SOMOS shared upcoming plans, including a community café, clinic, and performance space at La Placita and a possible partnership with Alum Rock Unified School District to bring housing for school staff to the Mexican American Community Services Agency site. And they were honest about the work: community-led development takes deep organizing before you ever sit down with a developer.

What’s Next?

From East Palo Alto to East San Jose, one lesson keeps coming back: lasting change starts with community leadership and deep cultural roots. The CRC’s recent gatherings echo the lessons learned on our tour with the Black Cultural Zone: space activation, community leadership, and deep cultural roots are essential prerequisites to lasting impact through the built environment. As we look ahead to our future convenings, the CRC remains inspired to turn these shared strategies into tangible anti-displacement solutions across Santa Clara County. The CRC meets once more in November and reconvenes in February 2027. 

Thank you to everyone who opened their doors, shared their wisdom, and showed up to learn together: