Essex Community Land Trust

There is a crucial need for permanent affordable housing
in Essex County, New Jersey. Essex County consists of a very diverse set
of cities, townships, and boroughs. These communities all differ in
culture, social economic statuses, school systems, and much more.
Although these communities may share the same county name, they are
separated by invisible income and ethnicity lines that prevent
low-to-moderate income citizens from living in high income areas which
creates a need for permanent affordable housing throughout the county.
In
response to the growing need, in 2011, community leaders eager and
equipped with CLT knowledge were inspired into action to create the
Essex Community Land Trust.The
ECLT pursues strategic partnerships with community development
corporations, municipalities, banks, government, and other nonprofit
organizations who share the belief that there must be permanent
affordable high quality housing options available throughout the county.
These partnerships will allow the CLT to acquire land in its portfolio,
work with community developers to build new or renovate old housing,
locate qualified low-to-moderate individuals interested in
homeownership, assist organizations in providing homeownership
education, and assist the potential buyer in finding a mortgage. By
using a CLT model, state and local subsidy will be captured long-term
and new subsidy can go to production of more permanently affordable
housing. CLTs have a %90 success rate against foreclosure!
A
community land trust is a community organization. While the ECLT will
hold the title to the land; it is the community who owns it as a whole.
The ECLT will help to empower community members to ensure that their
streets are no longer plagued with burned down homes and toxic lots
rather with renovated affordable living space. The ECLT will help to
ensure that the children of the community members will always be able to
afford to live in the neighborhood alongside new development. The ECLT
will also help to ensure that permanent affordable homeownership
opportunities within the more luxurious of communities is available for
low-to- moderate income people giving them the option to live in any
municipality they would like regardless of their income and/or
ethnicity.