Completed Projects
For more than forty years, our team has been committed to expanding affordable homeownership opportunities through the proven Community Land Trust model. Through our merger with Bread and Roses Housing, we proudly carry forward their legacy of successfully constructing 48 homes and helping more than 50 families secure a stable, affordable place to call their own creating a foundation for long term security and generational opportunity. Each completed project reflects our belief that strong communities are built when families have the chance to thrive.
Our Model: Community Land Trust
Our Community Land Trust (CLT) model is central to how we protect affordability and expand opportunities for generations to come. In a CLT, a nonprofit organization like ours owns the land and sells the home to an income-qualified buyer, allowing families to purchase at a significantly lower price. It produces:Affordability That Lasts Forever Every home stays affordable for the next family and the one after that.More Than Housing It's Transformation Helps families rise out of poverty and build generational opportunity.The American Dream for Everyone Makes homeownership possible regardless of income or background.Stronger, More Engaged Communities CLT homeowners become stable, present, and civically involved neighbors.
Homeowners Network
Our homeowners are at the heart of everything we do. More than half are single mothers and immigrants who have worked tirelessly to create a better future for their families. The opportunity to own a home provides stability, dignity, and a sense of belonging that strengthens their overall well-being.Our commitment to them:We’re With Families Every Step of the Way Long-term support before, during, and long after move-in.Education That Empowers Courses like Credit Building, Home Insurance Basics, Homeownership 101, and Consumers’ Rights help families thrive.Partnership That Lasts We stay connected for years, ensuring families have the tools and confidence to build generational stability.
Lawrence
Bread and Roses Housing began its work in Lawrence in the late 1980s, inspired by the city’s powerful history. The 1912 Bread and Roses Strike led largely by immigrant women textile workers demanded not only fair wages (“bread”) but also dignity and quality of life (“roses”).
Guided by that legacy, our organization adopted the Community Land Trust model to ensure Lawrence residents could access stable, affordable homeownership. Over the past 40 years, we have built 35 homes serving families earning as low as 30% of the Area Median Income. Lawrence is where our story began, and we continue to partner closely with the city to expand opportunities for families seeking a lasting foundation through affordable homeownership.
North Andover
In 2014, we expanded our work to North Andover, extending the same pathways to affordable homeownership to low- and moderate-income families in our neighboring community. Since then, we have built and renovated six homes, each designed to serve families who otherwise face significant barriers to homeownership.
Our upcoming Brown Court project represents a significant milestone: six attached homes in the historic Machine Shop District. This development not only increases access to permanently affordable homeownership but also supports the town’s revitalization of a culturally and historically significant neighborhood. The Brown Court project exemplifies our commitment to thoughtful, community centered growth and will play a meaningful role in shaping the future of affordable housing in North Andover.
Haverhill
Our work in Haverhill began in 2019 with our most ambitious project to date building seven homes simultaneously to form an entirely new cluster of Community Land Trust homes in the Mount Washington neighborhood. Known for its historically low homeownership rates and high concentration of cost-burdened renters, Mount Washington has long been an area where access to stable, affordable housing is limited. Our investment in this neighborhood created new opportunities for families to build wealth, stability, and community belonging.
We are continuing this effort with the Curtis Street project, where we are developing two attached homes that will expand our footprint and offer additional permanently affordable ownership opportunities. This project builds on our long-term vision for Haverhill: strengthening neighborhoods by increasing homeownership, fostering generational stability, and ensuring families of all incomes have the opportunity to thrive.
Join Us!
Your support makes this work possible. Every contribution helps us create permanently affordable homes, guide families through the homeownership journey, and strengthen the communities we serve in Lawrence, Haverhill, and North Andover. When you invest in our mission, you are investing in stability, opportunity, and generational change for families who need it most. We invite you to join us whether through a one time gift or ongoing support in expanding access to the American dream of homeownership. Together, we can ensure that affordability, dignity, and opportunity remain within reach for generations to come.