Come dance for community-owned housing
What does permanently affordable housing have to do with salsa, bachata, cumbia, and a night on the dance floor? Quite a lot, actually.
On August 15, join us for Get Down for Down Payments—a night of live Latin music, dancing, and community in support of permanently affordable homeownership. We'll be joined by ¡ANDE ALE!, Adriana Pericchi Domínguez, and DJ Domo for Salsa, Bachata, Merengue, Cumbia, Afrobeat, Reggaeton, and plenty of time to dance. But this isn't just a party. It's a celebration of what becomes possible when we think differently about land, housing, and community.
Get tickets + learn more about the August 15 fundraiser →
The story behind the celebration
The fundraiser supports TapRoot Community Land Trust, a community-led organization creating permanently affordable homeownership opportunities in Kingston and throughout Ulster County.
And TapRoot's story is one that we're especially proud to share.
As an urban land trust, the Kingston Land Trust has long explored how land can be held for community benefit. While much of our work focuses on ecological health, stewardship, and community access, we also recognized that permanently affordable housing is one of our region's most pressing land needs.
Beginning in 2017, KLT began exploring the Community Land Trust model, connecting with housing organizations, community members, land banks, consultants, and national CLT experts. We supported community conversations, shared resources and expertise, and helped build relationships among people working toward housing justice.
Eventually, what began as a Kingston Land Trust CLT Organizing Group grew into something larger: TapRoot Community Land Trust.
With support from KLT and organizational partner RUPCO, TapRoot developed into a separate organization with its own mission, governance, and operations. Today, TapRoot leads its own work to create permanently affordable homeownership opportunities, while KLT continues to collaborate and support its efforts.
This is what we mean by an incubation and collaboration model: an idea can grow through relationships, shared knowledge, resources, and organizational support—and eventually become its own community-led organization.
KLT didn't set out to become TapRoot. We helped create the conditions for TapRoot to emerge.
Why Community Land Trusts?
Let's celebrate what we're building. Community ownership doesn't have to be an abstract idea. It can look like a family gaining access to a home.
It can look like land being held for the long-term benefit of a community.
And sometimes, it looks like getting together on a summer night, listening to great music, dancing with your neighbors, and raising money for a different future.
Join us August 15 for live music, dancing, and community in support of TapRoot Community Land Trust and permanently affordable housing. Can't make it? Sponsor a Neighbor and help someone else join the celebration. Every ticket helps support TapRoot's work to create permanent, affordable homeownership in our region. Come dance for community-owned housing.
Get tickets + learn more about the August 15 fundraiser →
Learn more about KLT's role in developing TapRoot →