What Are Community Land Trusts?
The Community Land Trust (CLT) model of affordable housing was created over thirty years ago by the Institute for Community Economics in response to the rising costs of housing, limited space for new construction, growing number of abandoned buildings and an aging housing stock in eastern U.S. cities. The CLT model was born out of a search for a creative and innovative way to address the housing problem at the time. Since that time, unfortunately, the same housing problems that plagued the eastern cities have spread across the country. In response, the CLT movement has spread as well, and there are now approximately 200 communities across the U.S. that currently operate or are forming CLTs.
The purposes of a Community Land Trust are to provide access to land and housing to people who are otherwise denied access; to increase long-term community control of neighborhood resources; to empower residents through involvement and participation in the organization; and to preserve the affordability of housing permanently. Though the program specifics vary among different CLTs, the basic model is the same. CLTs offer a balanced approach to ownership: the nonprofit trust owns the land and leases it for a nominal fee to individuals who own the buildings on the land. As the home is truly their own, it provides the homeowners with the same permanence and security as a conventional buyer, and they can use the land in the same way as any other homeowner.
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Click here for a video to learn more about CLT’s.
Report: 10 Years of Community Land Trusts in South Florida
- Community Land Trust of Palm Beach County
The Community Land Trust of Palm Beach County, Inc. (CLT of PBC) is a countywide housing non-profit organization created for the purpose of providing permanently affordable housing opportunities for residents of Palm Beach County. Click here for a list of available homes. - Delray Beach Community Land Trust
The Delray Beach Community Land Trust (DBCLT) is one of several affordable and workforce housing initiatives created to provide a middle ground where both individual families and the community at large share in the long-term affordability and wealth creation that results from the wise investment of public funds in privately owned housing. - Habitat for Humanity South Palm Beach County
Habitat for Humanity of South Palm Beach County enters into partnerships with people who qualify to build and/or rehabilitate simple, decent, and affordable homes. The homes are built and/or rehabilitated using volunteer labor, professional contractors, and materials that are donated or purchased locally. - Housing Partnership Group
Housing Partnership, Inc. is one of the partner organizations of Community Partnership Group, which also includes Parent Child Center. Begun in 1986, Housing Partnership has come to believe that finding impactful solutions to complex community issues requires an approach that is both holistic and focused. In all that we do, we strive to work with the person in the context of their family, and with the family in the context of their community. - Neighborhood Renaissance
Neighborhood Renaissance is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit community development corporation dedicated to breathing new life into economically distressed neighborhoods. We do so by creating workforce housing opportunities, jobs, and small business prospects for low- and moderate-income persons. Click here for information on available homes. - South Florida Community Land Trust
The South Florida Community Land Trust, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, was formed in 2006 out of a regional planning effort led by the Broward Housing Partnership to provide a permanent source of affordable housing in the South Florida region. It is the only organization in Broward or Miami-Dade County focused on long-term affordability. As part of its mission “to provide and preserve quality, sustainable, affordable housing for underserved populations,” the South Florida CLT is currently purchasing foreclosures and transforming blighted structures into quality affordable housing.