Protecting homes, activating community
2026 Civic Hub grantee
Emma, North Carolina sits just outside the popular tourist and retirement city of Asheville, but life in the communities are worlds apart. While Asheville has one of the most expensive real estate markets in the state, Emma residents face barriers to affordable housing and a high risk of displacement. PODER Emma aims to change that reality from the ground up. The cooperative ecosystem of grassroots organizations and cooperatives works to protect affordable housing, combat displacement, and build a vibrant community where families and future generations can thrive.
A Civic Hub for local action
PODER Emma centers the belief that neighborhoods should be designed and led by people who live there. Using participatory action research, the organization surfaces the real needs of community members. The findings drive efforts around community-controlled economic development, local policy advocacy, and cultural work.
Participatory action research also supports collaborative planning and problem-solving, bringing together community members and member organizations. The ecosystem’s programs include a neighborhood council, home repair program, worker cooperatives, housing and real estate cooperatives, a lending program, and more.
“The foundations of our Civic Hub are popular education, cultural organizing, and solidarity economics. We bring residents together to analyze issues and create solutions. Our ecosystem operates democratically, creating places to practice civic skills like active listening, managing conflict, and collective decision-making.”
—Becky Brown, Cooperative Developer
PODER Emma (2026 Civic Hub grantee)
Community impact in practice
PODER Emma’s neighborhood council brings together cooperative members, organizational members, and residents to identify priorities and advocate with developers and local government. Through this process, the community recently helped influence plans for an affordable apartment complex, which will notify existing community members first about available units.
The opportunities ahead
Trust for Civic Life funding will support capacity-building for PODER Emma’s commons model, which provides community-led development, technical assistance, and financial, operational, and HR resources for organizations and cooperatives. Funding will also support member organizations providing direct services such as mutual aid, home repair, resource navigation, and cultural organizing.
Photos courtesy of Camille Nevarez-Hernandez.