History & Future

History of City Roots Community Land Trust

City Roots Community Land Trust (CRCLT) began in 2016 out of community resistance, with neighbors joining together to prevent the foreclosure of their friend Liz’s home. This early act of solidarity led to CRCLT’s founding and its first property. The vision for safe, community-owned housing has since driven CRCLT’s mission to establish permanently affordable housing for Rochester.

In 2019, CRCLT expanded significantly with an NYS Attorney General grant, allowing us to acquire and rehabilitate distressed properties. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, halted local tax auctions, pushing us to enter the open housing market and acquire units with 250+ code violations. While our team has worked tirelessly to fundraise and transform these properties, significant repair costs and limited capacity have created ongoing financial challenges. These hardships have highlighted a need to restructure our role from managing rental properties directly to focusing on stewardship in partnership with organizations better equipped to provide supportive housing services.


Timeline of City Roots Community Land Trust


2024 Strategic Implementation and Growth

 This year, City Roots Community Land Trust successfully restructured its approach by transferring properties to aligned community organizations, allowing sustainable management and community residents safe homes. We made the decision to scale back, reorganize, and strengthen internal processes by transitioning to a team of dedicated board members, volunteers & part-time staff. Recognizing our limitations, we embraced strategic partnerships, learning from past challenges to fortify relationships. In collaboration with PCHO and the City of Rochester, we contributed to the development of new shelters in Peace Village. This year marks a renewed commitment to serving the Rochester community with a sustainable, mission-driven impact.