In summer 2023, The Guild formally launched the Peoples Community Land Trust (PCLT) in partnership with Housing Justice League and the Atlanta chapter of the American Friends Service Committee. The PCLT’s strategy involves both partnering with residents facing displacement and identifying properties where residents face high displacement risk.

The PCLT aims to purchase those properties, remove them from the speculative market, permanently preserve the affordability of the units and convert units to ownership where possible.

Although Community Land Trusts have traditionally focused on permanently affordable homeownership, CLTs are increasingly acquiring and preserving of presently affordable rental properties. These properties are often targeted by investors who seek to increase the rents, often resulting in high rates of displacement among low and moderate income renters in Atlanta. Georgia’s lack of renter protections, including rent control and just cause eviction policies, often allows these practices to occur unabated.

The strategic partnership of the PCLT signifies a commitment to addressing the myriad challenges low and moderate-income residents face in Atlanta, and of the growing, strengthening housing ecosystem in the city. Currently, there are two properties in the trust.