Generally, most community land trusts are committed to maintaining affordability for local residents and are created as 501(c)(3) nonprofits.

These nonprofits operate with tripartite boards, consisting of resident, leaseholder representatives (the people who live on the land owned by the community land trust), public representatives (people who are part of the community but not residents of the land owned by the trust), and public representatives (people who are local elected officials, nonprofit leaders, or others who are trusted to speak for the public interest).

This crisis demands more than incremental solutions—it requires a fundamental reimagining of housing as a community resource, not a speculative asset.

Today, with the federal government making drastic cuts to the Department of Housing and Urban Development that are sure to deepen our housing crisis, we’re calling on funders to join us and keep housing affordable – and in the community’s hands.

Community land trusts are becoming increasingly popular in Oregon, one in a patchwork of partial solutions to a deepening housing-affordability crisis.

Even prior to this week’s announcement, Govenor Ferguson’s proposed cuts have drawn sharp criticism in the legislative arena.

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