It can be confusing with so many nonprofits having similar names, so let’s tease out the differences and some of the similarities. Community Land Trusts are nonprofit organizations whose mission is to create and manage affordable housing. Community Land Trusts use a model of homeownership that has been successful throughout the country: the CLT retains ownership of the land upon which a home sits and the home itself is owned by a qualifying homeowner. 

A Community Land Trust is able to offer a home at below market value by removing the value of the land from the home’s sale price.The CLT keeps homes affordable through grants, partnerships and relationships with builders and local jurisdictions. 

Both Land Trusts and Land Conservancies are basically the same kind of organization. They have a mission to protect land for wildlife and plant habitat and other natural resources. 

Examples of these organizations are The Nature Conservancy (the largest conservation organization in the world) and Southern Oregon Land Conservancy, our local land trust that works with landowners who voluntarily want to protect their property. 

In Oregon, there are over 20 land trusts (the name used for both land trusts and land conservancies), each working in their respective counties to preserve and protect important land. There is also a statewide organization, the Coalition of Oregon Land Trusts, that provides outreach, education and other services to the local land trusts. 

In this way, Conservation Land Trusts and Community Land Trusts are similar; they both offer a permanent solution that benefits the communities in which they serve. In Oregon there are 5 Community Land Trusts including Trusted Homes, which formed two years ago and is actively involved in creating affordable housing opportunities in the Rogue Valley, starting with Ashland. For more information on how Community Land Trusts work, check out our website: trustedhomesCLT.org