Founded by community activists in 1973, the Northern California Land Trust (NCLT) is a community-based non-profit committed to making homes and community facilities permanently affordable through the Community Land Trust (CLT) model. NCLT envisions a future where safe, high-quality homes in healthy, sustainable communities are permanently affordable to — and controlled by — residents, regardless of socio-economic status, geographic location, race, religion, gender, orientation or physical ability.
Unlike most other affordable housing developers, NCLT retains the rights to the land below the house to ensure that the home is resold at affordable, below-market rates to each subsequent homebuyer, guaranteeing low-cost housing in perpetuity. Through the land lease, the appreciation of the home value is limited, keeping it permanently affordable.
NCLT executes their mission by providing housing services, community development, and consulting/training services. They revitalize or develop properties and then sell the homes at below-market cost to residents who have been trained by NCLT for home ownership responsibilities. To meet the needs of specific housing project types, NCLT designs and implements training programs. They have a training program for their limited-equity cooperative owners, limited-appreciation condominium owners, as well as single-family CLT homeowners. They work in partnership with other financial literacy and education programs to help purchasers be ready to buy when a unit is available. The objective of these programs is to give residents the information and foster the skills they need in areas like planning reserve budgets, bookkeeping, home maintenance, earthquake safety, meeting skills and conflict resolution.
Jocelyn’s story was featured in this KQED news article.
In February 2020, Jocelyn Foreman faced the nightmare of an eviction upon the foreclosure on the Pinole house she was renting. Unbeknownst to her, the landlord was having trouble making the mortgage payments.
This house is remarkable for Jocelyn who has called it home (as a tenant). Jocelyn & her family have suffered from homelessness. Establishing tenancy in this home gave her the stability to create and implement an innovative program in the local school district –to intervene & support other families suffering through homeless & economic crisis–with a district wide food, clothing & tutoring program.
The community she has touched stepped up with nearly 1,000 people donating more than $175K to support the purchase and rehab of the home. Jocelyn is currently enrolled in NCLT’s credit & income counseling program; it is anticipated that she will be able to afford a mortgage of $275K, and be ready within 3 to 5 years.
“This house was so important to me. It was my opportunity to break the cycle, for myself and for my children.”
~Jocelyn Foreman
