About

A community-led housing solution

Private real estate speculation is fueling a crisis of rising rents, evictions, increasing homelessness, and the unacceptable loss of affordable housing and other vital community assets. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

The Parkdale Neighbourhood Land Trust, alongside our charitable arm, The Neighbourhood Land Trust, secures land under community ownership to preserve, improve, and expand access to essential community assets—including affordable housing—for the benefit of current and future generations.

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We acquire land and place it under community ownership, permanently removing it from the real estate market and ensuring it serves community needs in perpetuity.

Since 2014, the Parkdale Neighbourhood Land Trust (PNLT) has strengthened our community by bringing land and homes into community ownership, promoting long-term community benefits and housing affordability through community-based research and education, and fostering democratic local planning and control. Along with our charity, the Neighbourhood Land Trust (NLT), we have preserved housing affordability for over 200 households in Toronto’s west end.

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The Parkdale Neighbourhood Land Trust (PNLT) is a community-controlled organization of residents and local agencies that seek to build a just, healthy, and inclusive neighbourhood. The PNLT will acquire and manage land under the unique community ownership model of a community Land Trust (CLT), promoting long-term community benefits, affordability, and enabling democratic local planning.

The Land Trust was created as a response to gentrification, by local residents and agencies seeking to protect the social, cultural and economic diversity of Parkdale in a period of significant change.

“Community land ownership models empower communities to make important decisions about their neighbourhoods that result in tangible impacts.

Keeping Parkdale open and accessible to everyone is a priority and that’s why we are protecting and preserving our existing affordable housing stock,”

— Teresa Portillo, former Board Chair of Parkdale Neighbourhood Land Trust

2010: The Seed is Planted – The idea for a community land trust (CLT) in Parkdale began to take root when PARC (Parkdale Activity-Recreation Centre) received a grant from the Metcalf Foundation to engage local residents and organizations in discussions about creating a CLT to combat the growing threat of food insecurity and gentrification in Parkdale.

2014: PNLT is Born – After several years of community organizing and planning, the Parkdale Neighbourhood Land Trust (PNLT) was officially incorporated as a non-profit. The Land Trust was established as an “organization of organizations,” with a provisional board including representatives from seven key community groups. This marked the beginning of a new chapter in Parkdale’s fight to preserve its social, cultural, and economic diversity.

2015: Community Takes the Helm – In October 2015, PNLT held its first official Annual General Meeting (AGM), where the community-elected Board of Directors took over governance. This milestone solidified PNLT as a democratically run organization, directly accountable to the residents of Parkdale. This year also saw the development of an initial strategic plan, and connecting to a network of CLTs in Canada and the US.

2017: Parkdale Rooming House Study – The Land Trust completes a major community-action-research study documenting a crisis of rooming house loss and eviction, proposing a neighbourhood-wide affordable housing preservation strategy.

2017: First Land Acquisition – The Land Trust achieved its first land acquisition, securing 87 Milky Way as an urban agriculture space for Parkdale, demonstrating that the community could acquire land.

2017: Dual Organizational Structure – the Land Trust incorporates as a charity (the Neighbourhood Land Trust or NLT), and registers a new non-profit arm (continuing as the PNLT).

2019: 1st Affordable Housing Acquisition – The Land Trust completed its first residential acquisition: a 15-unit at-risk rooming house in Parkdale, now leased to housing operations partner Parkdale Activity Recreation Centre. This milestone marked the beginning of a dedicated effort to combat displacement by preserving at-risk rooming houses and small rental buildings as permanently affordable housing.

2021: 2nd Affordable Housing Acquisition – The Land Trust completed its second residential acquisition: a 36-unit apartment building now leased to housing operations partner St. Felix Centre. This acquisition was initially funded through impact investments from nine foundations and later refinanced with public funding from the City of Toronto’s MURA program.

2022: A Historic Acquisition of 82 scatterhomes – The NLT acquired 82 single-family homes and small buildings from Toronto Community Housing Corporation. Through a partnership with the experienced social housing provider YWCA Toronto, the Land Trust ensures effective property management and tenant services. This landmark achievement highlights the power of the community land trust model in preserving the affordability of at-risk social housing.

2022-ongoing: Home Repair Program – The NLT is implementing a major portfolio-wide capital repair and improvement program, supported by over $25 million in funding and financing from CMHC and the City of Toronto. This program aims to bring NLT’s aging portfolio into a state of good repair while enhancing accessibility and energy efficiency.

Today: A Growing Movement – the Land Trust continues to expand its impact, with a growing portfolio of properties that we are renewing and renovating, and an ongoing commitment to preserving Parkdale’s unique character. The Land Trust has become a beacon for other communities looking to mitigate the forces of gentrification, demonstrating that with determination and collective action, communities can indeed take control of their futures.