The Irsv Blog

I’ve lived in this community for over 30 years. I’ve seen friends pack up and leave, not because they wanted to, but because the rent climbed too high or the mortgage became a weight they couldn’t carry. I’ve watched neighbourhoods shift from places where kids played on the street to rows of houses bought by … Read moreThe Case for Community Land Trusts Over Market Housing

Walk with me through our streets for a minute. You’ll see families who’ve been here for three generations taping up the last box and pulling out of the driveway. You’ll run into young people with solid jobs who still can’t afford a one-bedroom in the town that raised them. The market shrugs and says that’s … Read moreOur Land, Our Future: Why Community Land Trusts Beat Market Housing Every Time

Over the years I’ve spent knocking on doors, sitting in cramped kitchens, and walking the blocks of this neighborhood, I’ve seen too many families box up their lives and leave. Not because they wanted to—because the rent shot up overnight, or a speculator bought the building and handed them a notice. The market treats housing … Read moreWhy I’m Betting on Community Land Trusts Over the Open Market

I have been organizing in neighborhoods for over fifteen years, and I keep seeing the same mistake repeat itself. Well-meaning people show up to a community with a clipboard, a petition, and a cause. They have identified the problem. They have the data. They know which city council member to call. And then they wonder … Read moreWhy Neighborhood Organizing Starts With Relationships Not Issues

Why We Need to Talk About Mutual Aid When the pandemic hit, my neighbor Mrs. Okonkwo didn’t wait for a stimulus check or a hotline. She organized a group chat with forty families on our block and made sure everyone had groceries. No forms. No verification hoops. No six-week wait. That’s mutual aid—people helping people … Read moreHow Mutual Aid Networks Outperform Government Services

What We Used to Have, and Why We Need It Now There’s something we’ve collectively lost in most American neighborhoods over the past couple decades, and it’s not dramatic enough to make the news but real enough to reshape how cities actually function. It’s the simple fact of neighbors deciding together how to spend money … Read moreGetting Your Neighbors to Actually Show Up for Participatory Budgeting: A Practical Guide

The December Deadline Nobody Talked About (Until It Was Too Late) If you weren’t paying attention in December 2024, the U.S. Treasury was. That’s when the final deadline hit for cities and states to spend or commit the $350 billion that came through the American Rescue Plan Act. It sounds like a lot until you … Read moreThe ARPA Money’s Gone—Now Your City Has to Deal With What It Built (Or Didn’t)

The Numbers Nobody’s Celebrating Your city council probably passed a budget sometime last fall. Maybe you saw a headline. Maybe you didn’t. Either way, there’s a good chance a specific line item about affordable housing got buried on page seven of a document that reads like it was written by someone who learned English from … Read moreWhat Your City Council’s 2025 Budget Actually Says About Affordable Housing (And Why Nobody’s Talking About It)