Community Land Trusts (CLTs)

A St. Louis organization goes above and beyond providing homes for communities

An interview with Chris Krehmeyer, President and CEO of St. Louis' Beyond Housing

The killing of Michael Brown by a police officer in Fergsuon, Missouri, and the subsequent wave of protests illuminated for a national public the deep racial inequities in greater St. Louis. We sat down with Chris Krehmeyer, head of Beyond Housing, a local community development corporation founded in 1975, to learn about how they've been building a comprehensive approach blending affordable housing, community land trusts, public health, and business development aimed at changing the systems that perperuate disinvestment in African-American communities in the St. Read more about A St. Louis organization goes above and beyond providing homes for communities...

Essex Community Land Trust

In response to the need for permanent, affordable housing in Essex County, a group of community leaders created the Essex Community Land Trust in 2011.  The CLT now focuses on acquiring land/housing, partnering with community developers to build or renovate housing, identifying low- to moderate-income individuals interested in homeownership, assisting organizations providing homeownership education, and helping buyers get mortgages.  In 2014, it sold its first home, redeveloped 3 vacant two-family homes, and provided financial and homeownership education to over 50 low- to moderate-income people.

Key Facts & Figures: Community Land Trusts

Infographic representing the key facts and figures of community land trusts (CLTs).

Community land trusts (CLTs) are nonprofit, community-based organizations that help create permanently affordable housing, build equity, and reduce the displacement that can accompany rapidly rising or falling property values. CLTs are a key strategy for helping low-income communities build assets through home ownership while mitigating the destructive consequences of speculation and large fluctuations in housing markets. For more information on CLTs, please visit: http://bit.ly/communitylandtrusts Read more about Key Facts & Figures: Community Land Trusts...

Community Land Trusts and Rural Housing

Housing Assistance Council

Published in 1993, this study, although somewhat dated, provides a very useful overview of the community land trust model as well as containing four case studies.

Building the Case for Racial Equity in the Food System

Anthony Giancatarino and Simran Noor
The Center for Social Inclusion

This report from The Center for Social Inclusion examines the effects of housing, school, land, and wage policies on access to healthy food in communities of color. It offers recommendations to surmount these challenges, such as investing in cooperatively owned food enterprises and leveraging dollars from the Affordable Care Act’s community benefit requirements for nonprofit hospitals. The report also includes several reference guides to help community groups identify and confront the particular institutions, policies, and practices that promote structural racial inequity in their food systems. 

Community Land Cooperative of Cincinnati (CLCC)

Founded in 1981 by an ecumenical association to prevent the displacement of low-income, African-American residents from their neighborhood, the Community Land Cooperative of Cincinnati (CLCC) was the first urban community land trust in the United States. In addition to helping community residents secure affordable housing, the organization works to empower families and enhance the community.  For example, CCLC supports a community garden and runs a summer camp for area children. Read more about Community Land Cooperative of Cincinnati (CLCC) ...

Roots and Branches

Long-time community land trust advocates John Emmeus Davis and Greg Rosenberg have created a new resource, Roots and Branches, to chronicle the evolution of community land trusts and to foster thinking on the movement’s future development. Read more about Roots and Branches...

Sharing Revolution

Jessica Conrad

The recent rise of the commons and the sharing economy seems to suggest a growing recognition of the fact that our health, happiness, and security depend greatly on the planet and people around us.Sharing Revolution: The essential economics of the commons  highlights the many ways, new and old, that people connect and collaborate to advance the common good and develop greater economic autonomy.  The Cleveland model is also featured.