As housing costs have surged over the past decade, preserving and developing affordable housing has become a pressing challenge across the country. Homeownership, long considered a cornerstone of wealth-building, is now out of reach for a significant portion of the population.
In response, policymakers and communities are exploring models that aim to create and sustain permanently affordable housing. These approaches seek to remove housing from speculative markets, promote long-term stability, and offer pathways to ownership, community or resident control, and wealth-building. The goal is to extend affordability for a longs as possible—protecting residents from displacement and instability.
As communities race to address urgent housing needs, many are turning to innovative, locally driven solutions to help residents remain in place. Still, there remains a gap in accessible information about the models being used today. This catalog aims to fill that gap—offering clear descriptions and real-world examples to help communities make informed decisions about their housing futures.
Released by the Cooperative Development Foundation and NCBA, the catalog introduces several models of permanently affordable housing, with plans to expand as new examples emerge. The catalog is designed as a starting point, providing foundational knowledge and resources for those interested in pursuing these models in their own communities.
Featured Models
- Limited Equity Cooperatives
- Group Equity Cooperatives
- Resident-Owned Communities (ROCs)
- Permanent Real Estate Cooperatives
- Community Land Trusts
- Perpetual Trusts