Saint Joseph Community Land Trust (SJCLT) is...
A 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, that was founded in 2002 in response to the rising housing costs and the negative impacts of these costs to the broad social fabric, well being, and sustainability of communities around Lake Tahoe.
SJCLT is organized as a community land trust. The foundations of the CLT model include:
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Dual ownership: CLT retains ownership of land/sells homes to income-qualified homebuyer subject to 99 year ground lease to remove land from specullative market
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Perpetual affordability: resale restrictions in ground lease preserve affordability
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Stewardship: homebuyer education & support to preserve assets for future generations
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Community participation: board of directors include CLT low and moderate-income beneficiaries and community representatives
SJCLT's Mission is...
To provide high quality dignified, permanently affordable homes and supportive programs to Lake Tahoe's low and moderate-income employees and residents...
To provide SJCLT resident and community participation in management of the organization and leadership opportunities for low and moderate-income residents of the Tahoe Basin.
Why a Community Land Trust In Lake Tahoe?
You hear it all the time – Lake Tahoe, like most of California, is one of the most expensive places to live in the country – but have you ever stopped to think how this affects our friends, neighbors, family or even the community at-large?
Sadly, many hard working Lake Tahoe residents and employees can no longer afford to live here and reasonably cover medical, nutrition and other necessities, so they move to outlying communities that are more affordable. This leads to long commutes, increased transportation costs, traffic congestion, degraded quality of life and an economic drag for employers through lost productivity.
Permanently affordable housing not only provides close-in homes for these individuals and families, but can stabilize neighborhoods, increase educational attainment for children, improve health, provide an opportunity for wealth accumulation and reduce dependence on public services.