In a proactive effort to maintain housing affordability and longtime residents’ ability to remain in the neighborhood, Slavic Village community leaders officially launched the Slavic Village Community Land Trust at a public meeting Monday evening. The nonprofit organization will acquire properties and lease the land beneath them to homeowners and affordable housing developers, effectively removing land costs from housing prices while retaining community control over how properties are used in perpetuity.
The land trust model has gained traction nationally as a tool for combating displacement in gentrifying neighborhoods, and Slavic Village organizers believe it’s particularly suited to their community’s needs. The Southeast Cleveland neighborhood faced severe foreclosure and demolition crises during the 2008 housing crash, losing nearly a quarter of its housing stock. After years of stabilization efforts, property values have begun rising sharply, with median home prices increasing 34% since 2023. While longtime residents welcome the renewed interest in the neighborhood, many worry that escalating prices and property taxes will push out working-class families who have anchored the community for generations.
The Slavic Village Community Land Trust has already secured $1.2 million in funding from the Cleveland Foundation, the Cuyahoga County Land Bank, and a coalition of local churches to acquire its first properties. Board president Maria Gonzalez, a 40-year Slavic Village resident, explained that the trust will prioritize purchasing vacant lots for new affordable construction and acquiring occupied homes from sellers willing to work with the organization. Homebuyers who purchase houses from the land trust will pay only for the structure while leasing the land for a nominal fee, reducing purchase prices by 25-30% compared to conventional sales.
The initiative has received support from Cleveland City Council member Anthony Hairston, whose ward includes much of Slavic Village, and from housing advocates who see community land trusts as an important complement to traditional affordable housing programs. The land trust joins similar efforts in the Glenville and Buckeye-Shaker neighborhoods, suggesting a growing movement among Cleveland communities to take control of their housing futures. Organizers plan to acquire 15-20 properties within the first two years and have begun working with residents interested in forming cooperative ownership arrangements for multi-family buildings.