Member Stories: Supportive Housing Community Land Alliance

Transforming Housing in Oakland with SHCLA

While our coworking space has a strong tech/inventor flavor, innovation is a driving force on multiple fronts at Port Labs. July’s Member Story is a prime example: The Supportive Housing Community Land Alliance.

Founded in 2021, the SHCLA is a nonprofit on a mission to provide groundbreaking, compassionate, holistic solutions at the intersection of housing scarcity and mental health care here in Oakland. As a burgeoning land trust–a real estate structure that can help create stability and affordability in a fluctuating market–they are hard at work raising awareness and funds to create sustainable housing for Oakland residents experiencing severe mental health issues–aiming to build sustaining and stabilizing living spaces that incorporate support networks and services to facilitate recovery and long term well-being for future residents.

The SHCLA’s approach is, in part, about what CEO Teslim Ikharo calls “democratizing beauty.” Community members housed in their land trusts will be empowered with a sense of pride, stewardship, and belonging in their homes.

On any given weekday, you can see Teslim and his team at Port Labs hard at work, securing their first Oakland properties in partnership with service providers, funders, and potential residents. In May, Teslim and SHCLA’s Board hosted “Out of the Shadows” at the Oakland Museum of California–a community discussion and reception to raise awareness about creative solutions to the housing crisis in Oakland. Port Labs is excited to partner with SHCLA on future awareness-raising events in the coming months.

Keep your eyes on our calendar for upcoming dates, and check out SHCLA’s newsletter HERE!

Learn more about The Supportive Housing Community Land Alliance HERE!