Empowering Residents Through Cooperative Housing: A Grassroots Approach
A Talk by Craig Saddlemire (Cooperative Manager, Raise-Op Housing Cooperative)
About this Talk
The Raise-Op Housing Cooperative was started in downtown Lewiston, ME, in response to the devastating fires, lead poisoning, and abusive practices in the rental housing market. Low-income tenants and housing advocates organized together to form a grassroots housing organization that is cooperatively owned and democratically managed by its residents. It is the only urban, multi-unit housing cooperative of its kind in Maine. Craig Saddlemire, co-founder and longtime resident, will discuss the organization's grassroots approach to housing justice, and its implications for community-based housing development.