Ownership
Shared Ownership Center @ Nexus (SOC@N)

Changing the face of ownership by promoting worker cooperatives, real estate investment cooperatives, and other shared ownership models.

Real Estate Investment Co-ops

A robust body of research demonstrates that the racial wealth gap can be partially attributed to low levels of real estate ownership and significant undervaluation of assets — including housing and businesses — in predominantly Black communities.33 Community ownership models are a promising mechanism to close this gap, as community land trusts, in particular, have been shown to be successful in distributing land-based wealth intergenerationally.34 Brookings Institutue.

We help neighbors own their neighborhoods

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Denise Butler

Denise Butler

Nexus was instrumental in supporting ACER's work in building the first Black women's cooperative in MN, the Ignite Business Women Investment Group (IBWIG) Cooperative. The infrastructural support provided by Nexus speaks to their expertise in the cooperative development landscape. — Denise Butler, Associate Director of ACER

Ann J.

Ann J.

Our real estate investment cooperative would not have gotten far off the ground without the technical expertise that Nexus provided. They shared many of the basics of Minnesota law governing cooperatives, then later in the process connected us with a lawyer who specialized in co-ops and securities regulation. We learned the hard way that finding that combination of knowledge is a challenge. Every bit as important as Nexus’ guidance on the rules for co-op infrastructure were the gentle but clear reminders to hew to our social values and articulate them in our governing documents. It is easy for original aspirations to become hazy as one wrangles with the dusty details of building a new entity. Nexus helped us keep our eyes on our co-op’s goals as we worked. — Ann Juergens, Co-Founder of Taproot Investment Cooperative

What kinds of REICos do we support?

Committed groups of neighborhood residents working with their neighborhood association, and supported by local, mission-aligned nonprofits. Community engagement should connect with the full diversity of residents in a neighborhood.

  1. Located in Minnesota 
  2. At least 5 co-founders, of whom at least 20 – 27% are Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC)
  3. Have a commitment to broad-based governance, including neighborhood residents and/or tenants

“Real estate has long been used as a tool to extract wealth from neighborhoods. REICos flip the script and share the benefits of ownership locally.”

Benjamin Tsai, Director of the Shared Ownership Center @ Nexus

Community Wealth Building: benefits can be shared by all members, the community & tenants

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Anti-displacement

Prevent real estate speculation by long-term ownership of real estate that is affordable and supportive of local businesses

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Corridor Revitalization

The community knows its own needs and can guide development accordingly

Neighborhoods are at their best when owned locally

How We Can Help

We help community members create Real Estate Investment Cooperatives. Our services support alignment between multiple stakeholders for project success, and include cooperative governance design and pre-launch technical assistance. 

  • Free consultation
  • Intake and assessment
  • Developing co-op values, mission and vision
  • Stakeholder analysis
  • Strategic planning
  • Governance design process
  • Legal liaison for incorporation support
  • Funding connections

The timeline of REICos is highly variable, but on average, incorporation can take 3 – 6 months, and acquiring a property can take 6 months or more.

Are you and your neighbors interested in starting a local real estate co-op?

Local Partners

African Career Education and Resources (ACER), City of Minneapolis, City of Saint Paul, Creative Enterprise Zone, East Phillips Neighborhood Institute, East Side Area Business Association

Connect with the Shared Ownership Center @ Nexus (SOC@N).