The Downtown Eastside Community Land Trust (DTES CLT) was founded in spring 2020 in response to the ongoing housing crisis in Vancouver’s DTES. Emerging from a coalition of non-profit organizations that had been working closely together to address the health and social challenges deepened by the COVID-19 pandemic, the DTES CLT was created as a community-driven solution to the widespread displacement of low-income residents, particularly those living in SROs. Inspired by successful land trust models across Canada and the US, the organization was established to remove at-risk housing from the speculative market and preserve it under permanent community ownership.
In January 2023, DTES CLT formally incorporated as a Non-Profit Society, following years of foundational work, including securing seed funding and developing a strategic vision.
The original coalition members include:
- Aboriginal Front Door Society;
- Vancouver Aboriginal Community Policing Centre Society;
- Downtown Eastside SRO Collaborative Society; and
- Powell Street Festival Society.