Report

Communities In Action (CIA), funded through the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and County Health Ranking & Roadmap, recently created a report citing the Springfield Community Land Trust as an example of What Works for Health strategy. The following is what they reported:

What Works For Health Strategy: Community Land Trusts

Springfield, MO creates affordable homes via Community Land Trust

To help address a shortage of affordable housing for local families, the City of Springfield, MO started the Springfield Community Land Trust (SCLT) in 2012, in collaboration with Community Partnership of the Ozarks. SCLT helps families with low to moderate incomes purchase remodeled or newly constructed homes on SCLT land. As a community land trust, SCLT retains ownership of the land, reducing the purchase price of the home and allowing families to purchase homes with a smaller down payment.

Homeownership through SCLT allows families to build financial capital. Through a shared appreciation model, when a family decides to sell, they regain their initial investment and receive a portion of the value their home gained over time. SCLT also helps families develop skills, providing housing maintenance and repair workshops, credit counseling, and assistance arranging loans. SCLT families also have the opportunity to participate in a shared governance model through member meetings.

SCLT’s first sale was in January 2013. As of Summer 2017, SCLT has helped fifteen families become homeowners. Today, SCLT continues to build and renovate homes to create options for affordable local homes for more Springfield families. Like other CLTs, SCLT also helps to maintain affordable housing options over the long-term by limiting sales to families with low or moderate incomes.

To learn more about this effort, visit Springfield Community Land Trust’s website. To connect with Springfield Community Land Trust, contact LeeAnn Camey, Director at lcamey@springfieldclt.org. A video highlighting one family’s experience as SCLT homeowners is available here.

Communities in Action provide examples of strategies or tools in action. Their purpose is to connect like-minded communities in their implementation efforts, giving insight into how others are tackling key challenges and what they’ve accomplished. To learn more about the evidence supporting this strategy’s effectiveness or resources to help move towards implementation, see the What Works for Health summary of Community Land Trusts.