Housing Sovereignty: Building Community Power and Collective Ownership

As Philadelphia braces for a potential shift in federal HUD subsidies that could impact millions of families, the city’s current housing strategy faces a critical test. According to the National Housing law Project, if the proposed rule by HUD that is rooted in racist stereotypes is finalized, an estimated 3.3 million families will be at risk of losing their HUD housing subsidy, including 1.7 million families with children and 2 million families with working members. Additionally, a recent report shows that federal housing assistance has decreased from 2.2 percent of the total federal budget in 1980 to 0.8 percent today. What type of system and housing market will our youth inherit? According to a recent article by Yahoo Finance, the cost of a house is projected to be at one million usd by 2050. 

Let’s be clear, these government housing policies have failed, us, the youth, the people! We must fight the power for future generations! 

Housing is a basic need that every human-being needs to survive and in America the housing system is failing. Not only is the housing system in America failing, but is actively working against our people and future generations. Philadelphia is a great example of the housing crisis facing communities across the United States. Recent housing data demonstrates that the affordability crisis extends beyond Philadelphia and reflects a broader national and statewide trend. Exactly how do these so-called rental protections work? People are suffering, rental prices are increasing every year and drastically at that, modestly at best. According to CBS News, rents in major U.S. cities increased by an average of 41% between 2020 and 2025, while housing costs have continued to outpace wage growth, placing additional financial pressure on working-class families and black communities.

The cost of housing increases significantly each year, creating an economic challenge. We ask, “where are our housing solutions” in the face of living in a system that clearly shows profit over people. Inflation is demanding more from our pockets, we are funding wars we do not want instead of funding housing trusts, our voting rights are being stripped from us just like our housing, and our youth are being murdered in cold blood or left homeless. We fight for jobs in an unstable job market in which we are the first to go during layoffs, all of which makes obtaining stable housing even more difficult. We must become sovereign, in this context, sovereignty meaning the radical reclamation of land and resources through collective ownership. 

Let us follow the ancient path.

Ladies and gentlemen we know how to organize states and turn out the vote, we flipped states, seats, and got the candidates we wanted elected into office but how did that benefit us, the people? Let us therefore put our money where our mouth is and lobby these elected officials in an organized and strategic manner. Position ourselves on the inside and outside of these institutions, organizations, and foundations while simultaneously building our very own that serve us, is for us, and by us. 

We have to build coalitions and work with our youth, entities, and those who are already doing the work at the grassroots and grassstop levels. There is no need to reinvent the wheel, we are building at scale, building an ecosystem at the local, state, national, and international level. Why? Because we are facing housing issues everywhere around the world ladies and gentlemen. It is time to move outside the traditional way of thinking as it relates to the solutions that address the issues that we face as a people. Yes, we should be practical and start local, but we are building a system, a system that works for us. 

Right now, we are getting people registered to vote. A great issue we can build a coalition around and get out the vote (GOTV) on is housing. Where are the organizations that are currently doing this work? Become staff, volunteer, donate, bring up these issues to your elected officials during campaign rallies and town halls. We can also donate to candidates that advocate for housing issues and once these elected officials get sworn into office, we lobby them. We rinse and repeat at the local, state, and national level. We build guesthouses, lodges, hotels, apartments, houses, and co-op neighborhoods that serve our needs, just like our ancestors. 

In response to the city’s growing affordability crisis, Mayor Cherelle Parker’s H.O.M.E. Initiative proposes a $2 billion investment to create and preserve 30,000 housing units throughout Philadelphia, representing one of the largest housing commitments in the city’s history. At the local level, Philadelphia City Council has also adopted measures aimed at reducing displacement and lowering barriers to housing access, including renter protection initiatives and an anti-displacement fund. At the state level, Pennsylvania House Bill 275 proposes the creation of the Pennsylvania Affordable Homeownership Subsidy Program to help residents access homeownership opportunities. However, research from the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia found that significant racial disparities in homeownership persist, limiting opportunities for wealth building and economic stability among Black households. 

Scholars have identified housing cooperatives and community land trusts as effective solutions for increasing Black homeownership, preserving affordability, and building community wealth through collective ownership models. Such ideas are not new and once implemented at scale would bring about solutions for our housing needs now and for future generations to come. Black Philadelphians have a long history of building communities, institutions, mutual aid networks, and neighborhoods despite segregation and exclusion. As Logan and Bellman demonstrate, our ancestors relied on collective action,

community development, and self-determination to survive and thrive. Their example reminds us that solving today’s housing crisis requires not only government action but also community ownership, coalition building, and institutions created by and for the people. We must become sovereign.

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This story is part of Generocity’s 2026 Flourishing Series, supported by People’s Media Fund