Here to Stay
Community Land Trust
Housing is for living, not for flipping!
¡Un hogar es un patrimonio y para vivir, no un negocio!
Our community has been greatly impacted by displacement caused by gentrification. We found a way to keep nuestra gente en el barrio! Here to Stay is a homeownership model for moderate-income, long time Logan Square/Avondale/Hermosa residents who want to stay in their community. It is an anti-displacement effort created by neighbors. Your purchase price is more affordable because the land trust is deeply discounting the sales price of the property.
Here to Stay Community Land Trust Awarded $5 M Allocation from State ARPA Funds
Thanks to the powerful advocacy of affordable housing supporters, community leaders, and legislators, the Here to Stay Community Land Trust has been allocated $5 million in the Illinois state budget.
UPDATE: These funds will become available in 2024 and must be completely spent before HTS can sell any of the homes. We are exploring options such as rent-to-own in order to get people into these homes as quickly as possible.
Homebuyer Education Classes
Homebuyer education and mortgage readiness are two of the first steps in becoming a homeowner in Here to Stay. Each of our partners offers pre- and post- purchase counseling and homebuyer education classes required for certain down payment assistance programs. Whatever your schedule, you can find a class here! Programs are offered through these HTS partners.
The Here to Stay Community Land Trust (CLT) provides single family and two flats that are affordable to owner-occupant buyers at 60% - 120% Area Median Income (AMI), or incomes between $62,520 - $125,040 for a family of four. In a two flat, two families may consider both household incomes to reach the AMI needed.
The purchase price is well below market price for this area because the homeowner is only buying the house, not the land, made possible by the fact that Here to Stay deeply subsidizes the first purchase of the home by the first homebuyer. The homeowners lease the land from the community land trust in a long-term, 99-year, renewable lease.
The homeowners agree to sell the home at a restricted price to keep it affordable in perpetuity, but they build equity through market appreciation and paying down their mortgage and pay reduced property taxes on the affordable sale price,.
Here to Stay CLT preserves naturally occurring affordable housing by closing the affordability gap so that low- to moderate-income households can remain in high opportunity, rapidly gentrifying neighborhoods, ensuring the families can remain and thrive as economic opportunity continues to grow.
Our founding organizations bring a combined 175 years of experience!
