What is a community land trust?
A community land trust (CLT) is a nonprofit organization designed to ensure community stewardship of land. The current model was first established in the 1970s by civil rights advocates in Georgia to address racial inequity related to community land ownership. In the same vein, the primary mission of a CLT is to take away barriers to homeownership and provide affordable housing opportunities by removing the cost of land from the price of a home. This way, houses remain affordable for future buyers and community members, regardless of market fluctuations.
How community land trusts work
Community land trusts operate by separating the ownership of the land from the ownership of the buildings on it. Homebuyers purchase the homes, but the CLT retains ownership of the land under the homes. Homeowners lease the land from the CLT through a long-term, renewable lease—some even lasting 99 years. This model helps stabilize communities by promoting long-term housing affordability and preventing displacement due to rising property values.
This arrangement significantly lowers the cost of homeownership, making it more accessible to lower-income families. When homeowners decide to sell, the resale price is subject to a formula that ensures the home remains affordable for the next buyer. At Habitat DC-NOVA, some of our projects operate in this ground lease structure.
Douglass Community Land Trust
Douglass Community Land Trust specifically aims to address racial and economic equity in D.C., aligning with the racial justice origins of CLTs. Their mission is to prevent the displacement of residents and businesses, develop both community-owned and individual/family-owned assets, and support the empowerment of communities in their decision-making abilities. The organization looks to secure lasting affordability of rentals, ownership housing, and small businesses through the CLT model to ensure everyone, especially low-income, black and brown residents of D.C., can thrive in their communities.
Our project at the Towns of Skyland Terrace in D.C. was made possible in part by Douglass Community Land Trust. These homes will remain affordable forever due to the land trust owning the land on which the homes were built.
Virginia Statewide Community Land Trust
The Virginia Statewide Community Land Trust (VSCLT) is an initiative aimed at expanding affordable housing across the state of Virginia. By leveraging the CLT model, VSCLT works to provide stable and affordable homeownership opportunities, ensuring that housing remains within reach for low- to moderate-income families.
VSCLT collaborates with various stakeholders, including local governments, nonprofit organizations, and financial institutions, to acquire land, develop housing, and manage properties. Their efforts help create a sustainable model of affordable housing that benefits communities in the long term.
Partnerships with Habitat for Humanity
One of the key strategies of the Virginia Statewide Community Land Trust is its partnership with Habitat for Humanity affiliates across the state. By partnering with Habitat for Humanity, VSCLT can leverage Habitat’s expertise in construction and volunteer mobilization, while Habitat can take advantage of the CLT model to ensure the homes they build remain affordable for future generations. This collaboration enhances both organizations’ ability to serve more families and address the affordable housing crisis more effectively.
Habitat DC-NOVA’s Groveton project from 2023 is the first from our affiliate to enter the VSCLT. Habitat homeowners often build lasting relationships with our affiliate, and this will extend to the community land trust as well, as these homes will remain affordable for future generations of owners. As Amelie Rives, former CEO of VSCLT, put it, “Virginia Statewide CLT will continue to work hand in hand with these families through the life of the home and their homeownership journey.”
The future of affordable homeownership lies in innovative models like community land trusts. As housing prices continue to rise, the need for sustainable solutions becomes increasingly urgent. CLTs such as the Virginia Statewide Community Land Trust and Douglass Community Land Trust offer a promising pathway to stability by ensuring that homes remain affordable over the long term, and are setting precedence for how collaboration and innovative thinking can address the affordable housing landscape across the country by working alongside partners like Habitat for Humanity of Washington, D.C. & Northern Virginia.