Celebrating 50 Years, Decade by Decade

As we continue to celebrate 50 years of affordable housing in the Twin Cities, we’re looking back to how it all started, and how our history can help guide the path ahead. Every month through December, we’ll be sharing a piece of CommonBond history from each decade, starting with the 1970s.

So how and why did CommonBond Communities form in 1971? We were conceived out of the realization that racial and economic disparities and injustices were growing across the United States. President Johnson’s Kerner Commission recommended action in the area of affordable housing, and faith communities in the Twin Cities rose to the occasion with multi-faceted social justice initiatives.

CommonBond was founded as the “Urban Affairs Commission” as part of these initiatives, and affordable housing quickly became its sole focus. Our founders believed housing was the best way to have both an immediate and long-term positive impact for families and individuals—and a starting point in building a more equitable and just society. Stay tuned each month as we share more #CBC50 history!