A Look at Community Land Trusts and How They Work.

This article focuses on Community Land Trusts (CLTs) as a model for affordable housing in the United States. CLTs are nonprofit organizations that acquire land and provide long-term, renewable leases (often 99 years) to low-income residents, ensuring housing affordability and community control. The model emphasizes resident participation in governance through tripartite boards and preserves affordability by limiting resale prices based on local median income. Originating from efforts during the Civil Rights Movement to combat discriminatory housing practices, CLTs have grown in number and scope, offering stability, lower foreclosure rates, and pathways to market-rate homeownership. Examples include Proud Ground in Portland and the East New York Community Land Trust in Brooklyn, which also promote cooperative living and tenant empowerment.