Most Community Land Trusts require a considerable amount of financial and technical assistance to ensure success, particularly in their early stages. It is a challenging process, to align political forces, secure financing, develop organizational capacity, and attract homeowners. For many years, the Institute for Community Economics (ICE), the organization that founded the CLT model in the 1960s, provided technical assistance, financial services and advocacy for the CLT movement.
The National Community Land Trust Network has now taken the place of ICE as the national CLT intermediary. Incorporated in 2006, the network is a coalition of Community Land Trusts and other organizations that work collaboratively to advocate and advance the CLT movement. The network is the primary source of informational materials and technical assistance for the growing national community land trust movement. It holds an annual CLT conference, provides extensive resources on its website, and actively advocates for CLTs in public policy and legislative forums. The network plans to expand its technical assistance offerings in 2010.
Lending Assistance
ICE is a Community Development Financial Intermediary (CDFI) and operates a Revolving Loan Fund that provides project financing to CLTs and other community organizations. RLF loans most often finance land acquisition or improvement and acquisition, construction, or the rehabilitation of housing. The amount, terms, rate of interest, and repayment schedules are negotiated on a case-by-case basis. Since 1979, ICE it has loaned more than $44 million to nonprofits in 30 states, representing more than 445 loans and 4500 housing units.
Relationships with Governments and Other Organizations
How do CLTs relate to other housing organizations? Many CLTs are initiated through the sponsorship of other organizations, or emerge out of other organizations as in the case of Albuquerque 's Sawmill CLT. Most CLTs cooperate with the efforts of other organizations in their community. Burlington CLT, for instance, works closely with a network of organizations that address the area's housing and community development needs. In a number of communities, CLTs have acquired housing, or the land beneath housing, that was built or rehabilitated by nonprofit and commercial developers.
Words to the wise
"Particularly if there is a public investment in housing, I think we ought to be very careful as to where that investment flows. With the land trust model, that investment remains with the community and the long-term affordability of the housing is guaranteed." - Peter Clavelle, Mayor. Burlirton, Vermout
Do local governments support CLTs?
It is common for CLTs to work in cooperation with local governments in meeting present and future community needs. A growing number of public officials recognize that CLTs can play an important role as stewards of community resources and that property and funds allocated to a CLT can benefit not only present community residents but future residents as well.
A number of states and municipalities have allocated Community Development Block Grant and HOME funds, as well as other available resources, to CLT programs. Some have allocated city-owned land.
