Topic: Vivienda

A group of 8 people holding cardboard keys on a porch of a house

New Lincoln Institute Resources Explore How Community Land Trusts Make Housing More Affordable

By Kristina McGeehan, Mayo 15, 2025

In celebration of World CLT Day on May 16, the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy in collaboration with the International Center for Community Land Trusts is rolling out a set of resources related to community land trusts (CLTs)—nonprofit organizations that ensure long-term affordability and security for homeowners. These tools, which include publications, case studies, and webinars, are designed to provide municipal leaders and practitioners with insights on effective CLT partnerships and evidence-based recommendations for making homeownership more affordable and accessible. 

“CLTs have proven to be an effective tool in addressing the global issue of housing affordability, and we’re eager to make some of the learnings from successful CLTs accessible to policymakers who are interested in scaling up efforts to increase affordable housing stock,” said George W. McCarthy, president and CEO of the Lincoln Institute. 

Preserving Affordable Homeownership Policy Brief 

Following the late 2024 release of Preserving Affordable Homeownership: Municipal Partnerships with Community Land Trusts, a Policy Focus Report written by John Emmeus Davis and Kristin King-Ries, the Lincoln Institute has released a four-page distillation of the full report. Both publications offer information on current policy collaborations among community land trusts, cities, counties, and states, and recommendations for working together productively.  A Spanish-language version of the full report will be available in the fall. 

International Commentaries on Preserving Affordable Homeownership 

This collection of international essays offers global perspectives on the challenges and opportunities CLTs face. With contributions from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Europe, France, and the United Kingdom, this new publication reflects on the Preserving Affordable Homeownership Policy Focus Report’s findings and how the evolving role of CLTs differs across the world.  

Still the One: Affordable Housing Initiatives in Burlington Vermont’s Old North End 

This multimedia case study features a 22-minute video and other resources examining an innovative effort to produce affordable housing and combat gentrification and displacement in Vermont’s largest city. The case highlights replicable strategies that made the project a success.   

Webinar: Municipal Partnerships with Community Land Trusts that Produce and Preserve Affordable Homeownership 

The Lincoln Institute will partner with the International Center for CLTs to host a free webinar for the public and policymakers on June 24. Moderated by John Emmeus Davis, coauthor of the Preserving Affordable Homeownership Policy Focus Report and Policy Brief and board member of the International Center for CLTs, the discussion will feature Ruthzee Louijeune, president of the Boston City Council; Evelyn Dobson, CEO and founder of the Delray Beach, Florida, CLT; Erika Malone, homeownership division manager for the City of Seattle; and Enrique Silva, chief program officer of the Lincoln Institute. Together, these panelists will explore how cities are advancing affordable homeownership and will highlight practical steps for successful municipal-CLT partnerships.   

 


 

Lead image: Mayor Kim Janey joins the Chinatown Community Land Trust to welcome first time low income homebuyers that purchased the CLT first permanent affordable condo units with a 99 year community land trust lease. Credit: Mayor’s Office Photo by Isabel Leon

Grabaciones de webinarios y eventos

How Disaster Policies Lead to Manufactured Housing Policy Disasters

Junio 3, 2025 | 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. (EDT, UTC-4)

Offered in inglés

Watch the Recording


Mobile and manufactured housing communities (MHCs) are often some of the hardest hit by flooding disasters, and the disaster vulnerability of this housing type stems from a confluence of titling, financing, and flood mitigation policies. These policies have centered single-family real property homes while explicitly excluding MHC homeowners—over time pushing these communities into floodplains and barring them from mitigation or recovery mechanisms.

This webinar will utilize recent geospatial data from a 12-county sample in Colorado to shed light on the policies that create disproportionate flood exposure and exacerbate barriers to flood recovery, basic home maintenance, and weatherization in MHCs. The webinar will conclude with a discussion about potential policy interventions at the state, local, and federal level.

 


 

Speakers

Dani Slabaugh, PhD MLA (they/them), is a community-based researcher based at the University of Colorado Denver utilizing qualitative, quantitative, and geospatial methods to further climate and environmental justice goals in planning and public policy. Their background in mutual aid disaster recovery after multiple hurricane and flood events led them to pursue a PhD focused on climate justice research in collaboration with mobile home park resident activists and community leaders in Colorado. Their work centers impacted communities’ visions of a just and thriving climate future through transformative change.

Rachel Siegel is a senior officer with The Pew Charitable Trust’s housing policy initiative, conducting original research and analysis on the availability, safety, and affordability of mortgages and on alternative financial arrangements for purchasing manufactured homes and other low-cost forms of housing. She has also worked on Pew’s consumer banking and finance teams focusing on overdraft, prepaid cards, and mobile payments. Siegel holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Vermont and a master’s in economics from Boston University.


Detalles

Fecha(s)
Junio 3, 2025
Time
3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. (EDT, UTC-4)
Registration Deadline
June 3, 2025 3:59 PM
Idioma
inglés

Palabras clave

medio ambiente, uso de suelo, diseño urbano

Grabaciones de webinarios y eventos

Municipal-CLT Partnerships that Produce and Preserve Affordable Homeownership

Junio 24, 2025 | 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. (EDT, UTC-4)

Offered in inglés

Watch the Recording


City and county governments are always looking for ways to make their investments in affordable housing do more and last longer. That is why a growing number of them are partnering with community land trusts (CLTs). These nonprofit organizations ensure that lands, monies, and regulatory measures used by municipalities to bring homes within the reach of people of modest means will remain affordable for many years, across multiple resales. A recent Policy Focus Report from the Lincoln Institute, Preserving Affordable Homeownership, documents the rise of these municipal-CLT partnerships. In this webinar, municipal leaders and CLT practitioners will discuss the report’s principal findings and describe how their own cities are supporting the production and stewardship of CLT homes with lasting affordability.

 


Moderator

John Emmeus Davis
Partner, Burlington Associates in Community Development LLC

John Emmeus Davis is a city planner who has spent much of his 40-year career providing
technical assistance to CLTs and documenting their history and performance. He coauthored the Lincoln Institute’s 2008 publication The City-CLT Partnership. He previously served as housing director in Burlington, Vermont, and was dean of the National CLT Academy. He is a partner at Burlington Associates in Community Development LLC, a national consulting cooperative. He is a founding board member of the International Center for CLTs and editor in chief of the center’s imprint, Terra Nostra Press.

 


Panelists

Evelyn Dobson
CEO and Founder, Delray Beach Community Land Trust

Evelyn S. Dobson is the CEO and founder of the Delray Beach Community Land Trust (DBCLT). Her involvement with the organization began during her tenure as a commissioner for the Delray Beach Community Redevelopment Agency. She officially joined DBCLT in January 2007 as operations manager, was appointed interim executive director in November 2008, promoted to executive director in March 2009, and has served as CEO since 2018.

In her role, Evelyn oversees all aspects of program development, policy implementation, and asset management—currently valued at $7.9 million. She works closely with housing partners and affiliates to further the organization’s mission and ensure long-term community impact. With multiple industry certifications, she leads innovative, high-quality programs that respond to evolving housing trends and community needs.

With over 18 years of experience in private property management and development, and eight years in banking, she brings a depth of knowledge and strategic insight to her work that continues to strengthen DBCLT’s mission and legacy.

Ruthzee Louijeune
President, Boston City Council

Ruthzee Louijeune, serving her second term as city councilor at-large and unanimously elected as Boston City Council president, is a grounded, thoughtful, and inclusive leader. A dedicated public servant, Ruthzee is committed to fostering shared prosperity in Boston with a focus on justice and equity. Born and raised in Mattapan and Hyde Park to working-class Haitian immigrants, Ruthzee’s journey is deeply rooted in the fabric of Boston. As a lawyer, Ruthzee fought for families facing eviction and foreclosure in Boston Housing Court. She defended voting rights in cases before the US Supreme Court, helped elect progressive prosecutors nationwide, and served as the senior attorney on Senator Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaign. A fierce housing advocate, she drafted agreements that secured millions of dollars for first-generation homeowners as a member of Massachusetts Affordable Housing Alliance (MAHA).

Additionally, she served as vice chairs of the Committee on Government Operations and Housing and Community Development. In these roles, she advocated for affordable housing and accessible homeownership, resilient, energy-efficient school buildings, teacher diversity, and more supportive services for students—all in an effort to address racial justice and equity. Ruthzee is the first Haitian American elected to municipal government in Boston, the US city with the second-largest Haitian population per capita, and she is the first Haitian American to serve as president of the council. Her multifaceted background and unwavering dedication to serving her community make her a transformative leader shaping the future of Boston.

Erika Malone
Homeownership Division Manager, City of Seattle

With over 25 years of experience in community development, Erika Malone has dedicated her career to advancing sustainable affordable homeownership solutions. As the homeownership division manager at the City of Seattle Office of Housing, she crafts and implements funding policies to support the development of equitable, sustainable, and affordable homeownership opportunities. Her past roles include director of technical assistance for the National Community Land Trust Network (now Grounded Solutions Network), executive director of the Northwest Community Land Trust Coalition, and programs director for Kulshan Community Land Trust in Bellingham, Washington. She is recognized as a national expert and a technical resource for community land trusts across the country.


Resources

Preserving Affordable Homeownership Policy Focus Report
Preserving Affordable Homeownership Policy Brief


Detalles

Fecha(s)
Junio 24, 2025
Time
1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. (EDT, UTC-4)
Registration Deadline
June 24, 2025 1:50 PM
Idioma
inglés

Palabras clave

fideicomiso de suelo comunitario, vivienda