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Douglass Community Land Trust

Lasting Affordability Through Community Ownership

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Our Mission

The Douglass Community Land Trust (Douglass CLT) plants the roots of affordability, security, and prosperity for current and future generations. We enable the inclusive and equitable development and preservation of permanently affordable housing, local small business, and other public assets through community ownership of land, today.

Available Homes

Frequently Asked Questions

Why was the Douglass Community Land Trust formed, what is its purpose?

The Douglass Community Land Trust (Douglass CLT) is a nonprofit membership organization centered around racial and economic equity that was created to prevent displacement of current and future residents, create community-held assets, and build assets for individuals and families, while ensuring decision-making resides within the community. Fundamentally, Douglass CLT aims to make DC an equitable place where everyone can stay and thrive – and specifically low-income, black and brown residents who have contributed to making DC the thriving community it has become but have not benefitted from the economic prosperity in nearly the same proportion as their white counterparts. Douglass CLT drives toward this equity by securing lasting affordability of rental and ownership housing, as well as local small business, through community ownership of land and collective stewardship.

Why the name “Douglass” CLT?

Douglass Community Land Trust or “Douglass CLT” is named after Frederick Douglass, an iconic resident of Anacostia and famed statesman, writer, orator, and abolitionist who was himself formerly enslaved. Douglass CLT is not affiliated with any private development entity. The name also reflects the name chosen for the 51st state of the US, as our mission is to serve the entire “Douglass Commonwealth” (DC).

How do I get involved?

Anyone who has an affiliation with the District of Columbia and agrees with the mission and values of DouglassCLT may become a member, who will then receive updates on the organization’s activity, opportunities to volunteer and promote the organization’s goals, and vote and run in annual elections. Learn more about membership & how to join HERE.

What is a Community Land Trust (CLT)?

Community land trusts (CLTs) are nonprofit organizations governed by a board of community members, including CLT residents and public representatives, that address the need for affordable spaces while ensuring that the affordable units governed by the land trust will be maintained at an affordable price. CLTs can provide lasting community assets, along with shared equity homeownership opportunities, rental housing, locations for small businesses, cultural institutions, farms and more, that remain affordable for generations. This is done by guaranteeing low, stable cost of real estate, as well as post-purchase stewardship for lessee members. The location and population the land trust serves usually determines how it operates — CLTs can operate as independent nonprofits, as a part of a larger nonprofit, or as part of a local government. Douglass CLT chose to be an independent organization, after a period of incubation by sponsoring nonprofits, so there would be no restrictions on who could be part of the governance of the organization and to ensure decisions would be made by community members.

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What is the link between CLTs and racial justice?

CLTs were developed during the Civil Rights movement to allow individuals to exercise their right to vote in a deeply racist environment, and are used today to fight the displacement of minority communities that follow years of disinvestment. As Tony Picket, the Executive Director of Grounded Solutions Network eloquently summarizes for Urban Institute’s ‘Housing Matters’:

“The CLT model was intentionally created and first implemented during the late 1960s by African American leaders in rural Albany, Georgia, who were responding to the harsh reality of oppression, violence, and eviction endured by Black tenant farmers across the American South. The historic roots of the CLT model are intimately linked with the goals of the national civil rights movement: supporting African American families to own and control land, achieve greater economic security, and fully exercise their legal voting rights without obstruction. Today’s model is based on nonprofit organizations serving as the vehicles for collective community ownership of land, governed by a board of directors, including community resident representation. Modern CLT organizations are part of a broader shared-equity housing sector typically developing, selling, and stewarding affordable homes that provide security and stability for low- and moderate-income families. A 2019 study of shared equity housing performance includes evidence that CLT homes (which comprised 73 percent of the over 4,000 homes analyzed) significantly contribute to family wealth creation and are increasingly serving families of color, with the potential to narrow the racial wealth gap.”

https://housingmatters.urban.org/articles/how-community-land-trusts-can-advance-racial-and-economic-justice

How does a Community Land Trust Operate?

The primary way CLTs secure lasting affordability is to separate ownership of the land from the buildings atop the land. The CLT takes title to the land and issues a Land Lease back to the owner of the buildings (this can be housing, commercial space for small businesses and nonprofits, etc.) that incorporates a covenant to ensure lasting affordability for low-income persons. In situations where is it not feasible to separate ownership of the land, CLTs can employ other legal mechanisms to retain affordability in perpetuity and community control, notably a Deed Restricted Affordability Covenant. In all cases, CLTs provide ongoing stewardship. Douglass CLT uses a Pay-It-Forward model, balancing wealth creation and affordability for each generation of residents.

Learn More.

 
If I own a CLT house will my equity in the house grow?

Yes! Homeowners are never asked to share the money they’ve paid down on their mortgage; building equity by paying down the loan is a critical component in a CLT household’s wealth building. What CLT homeowners do is forgo a portion of the speculative increase in the market, which is spurred by gentrification.

CLTs use a Resale Formula, built into the Land Lease and outlined in the Permanent Affordability Covenant, to determine the maximum price for which a CLT property owner can sell the house. This Resale Formula is designed to provide a fair amount of wealth creation for the selling household/ owner while at the same time keeping the spaces affordable for subsequent buyers/occupants. Subsidy initially invested in CLT properties is retained over time, serving generations of homeowners and occupants without requiring increasing subsidies at each successive sale to keep them affordable. This formula, which provides growth in equity without allowing home prices to balloon, is how the home can be made affordable for the next purchaser – what we call “Pay-It-Forward.”

 
Why do you call it the Pay-It-Forward model?

We use the term “-It-Forward” to keep our focus on serving more than one generation of families/ households that lives in a CLT home (or operates a local business, etc.) over the years, and how that impacts the community as a whole. Rather than take all the appreciated value with them when they leave, each owner chooses to leave part of that increased value in the property, so a family like theirs can benefit from it in the future. That household, family, business, owners, etc. is paying it forward – or providing the same opportunity to benefit – to the next owner/occupant as they had.

 
What is Stewardship?

Stewardship is about securing the CLT community’s physical assets and building the assets of those within the community. It’s what we call the suite of services provided to ensure the properties in the CLT are well-maintained and remain affordable for many generations of occupants – and the services that help the individual residents/ occupants thrive.  This can include homeownership education and maintenance workshops for individual homeowners, and post-purchase technical support for multi-family buildings that cover asset management, physical maintenance, proper governance, grant applications, and collective purchasing opportunities. We use this term to remind ourselves that each property in the land trust doesn’t just belong to just one person or company, but is a community asset that is our responsibility to maintain.

Our Board of Directors

Our board reflects that of a traditional community land trust with a tri-partite board consisting of 1) resident representatives, 2) general community representatives, and 3) public representatives. Control of the CLT’s board is balanced to ensure that the community as a whole considers and determines the priorities of the organization and all interests are heard but no interest is predominant.

Lessee Representatives

Lessee Members, whose primary residence or place of business is a property owned, in whole or in part, or is otherwise being stewarded by the Corporation.
Silvia-Salazar2
luwam
PaulineMoore
Gwen Lowry
Houry Kandoyan
Michelle Mitchell Pic

General Representatives

General Members, who “live, work, or have a demonstrated community affiliation in DC” and who share in and affirm the purposes of the corporation

Coy McKinney_d
Jay Forth-sm
Kymone
Corzann Headshot
DeJuan Mason sm

Public Representatives

Public Representatives, who bring particular technical expertise such as development finance, deep knowledge of the CLT structure, housing development and policy, organizational management, and other such professionals

Keiva
Sheldon
Jade
Brett

Our Committees

Committee members participate in leadership roles to advise the Board of Directors to address key issues

Join a Committee

Are you a member interested in making a difference in your community while increasing your network?

Property Acquisition & Stewardship

Membership Development

 

Policy & Advocacy

Organizing & Events Ambassadors

Upcoming Events

Training Archive

Gratitude for our Funders

Legacy Funders

Douglass CLT In the News

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Want to learn more?
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