Resident Testimonial: SFCLT at the 2025 California Cooperative Conference

Earlier this year, members of the cooperative and community land trust movements came together in Davis, California for the 2025 California Cooperative Conference, hosted by the California Center for Cooperative Development. The annual gathering brought together co-op leaders, practitioners, and residents from across the state to exchange ideas, strengthen networks, and celebrate the growth of cooperative housing and enterprise models.

SFCLT was proud to contribute to this year’s conference by hosting a panel titled “Housing Co-ops on CLT Decommodified Lands.” The workshop offered a landscape of housing cooperatives emerging within Community Land Trusts. Panelists discussed the distinct challenges and opportunities in the collaboration between these two models and shared organizing stories, successes, and current developments from the field. Together, we explored how cooperatives on decommodified land can serve as a powerful pathway to creating permanently affordable, democratically governed housing for low-income and working-class communities.

This year also marked an exciting milestone for SFCLT: Meg, a resident of SFCLT’s Purple House Co-op, became the first SFCLT resident to represent our community at a statewide conference. Her participation was especially meaningful — not only as a voice from one of our housing co-ops, but also as a testament to the importance of resident leadership and education within the broader cooperative movement.

For Meg, the conference was both eye-opening and inspiring. As she put it:

“Attending the co-op conference this year was an incredibly meaningful experience. I had the chance to connect with other co-op members from different Community Land Trusts and learn how their communities are organized and supported. It was inspiring to see the many ways co-ops foster stability, shared responsibility and care.

Being a co-op resident for the last two years, I've experienced first-hand how transformative co-op living can be. Having access to stable, affordable housing in a city where that can be hard to come by, has made a huge difference in my life. The support systems within the house, especially around conflict resolution and mutual aid, have taught me so much about collective living and community care.

I'm truly grateful to be part of this network, and I encourage other residents to take part in future events like this. They're a powerful reminder of how connected and supportive the co-op community can be.”

Meg’s participation highlights the value of creating pathways for resident involvement beyond the day-to-day operations of their co-ops. Attending events like the California Cooperative Conference helps residents build connections, exchange knowledge, and strengthen the shared culture that sustains cooperative housing.

At SFCLT, we believe that resident leadership is the foundation of lasting community ownership. We’re proud of Meg and all our members who continue to deepen their understanding of cooperative and CLT principles — and who bring that wisdom back home to their communities.

If you’re interested in attending a future co-op conference, please contact Mayerling at mcastillo@sfclt.org