Affordable Housing Solutions in Operation
Check out the benefits and how to start a Community Land Trust Village Model with a Co-op overlay in these links.
Hybrid Model Feasability
Village Model Ownership
Community LT Co-op Lease
SquareOne Villages
An NPO in Eugene, OR has modeled the template. From their website:
The advantages for residents:
Accessible: The financial limitations and risks of owning and maintaining a home are reduced in cooperative housing, because participants share the costs and do not need to qualify for a mortgage individually.
Affordable: Buy-in equity can be modest and members experience lower monthly costs compared to low-income rental housing.
Stays Affordable: Members are collectively acting as their own landlord and therefore have no reason to substantially increase monthly charges unless taxes or operating costs increase, and therefore monthly charges remain reasonable and stable.
Stablility: Members have security of tenure, meaning they are able to stay in their homes for as long as they wish as long as they follow the co-ops rules, and are protected from arbitraty rent hikes or evictions by speculative landlords.
Control: As mutual owners, members participate at various levels in the democratic decision-making process, and have a vote in how their housing is operated and managed.
Safe: Statistics show that crime and vandalism are lower in co-ops compared to rental housing because of resident engagement.
Tax Deductions: For income tax purposes, the cooperative member is usually considered a homeowner and, as such, can deduct his or her share of the real estate taxes and mortgage interest paid by the cooperative.
Cultural Diversity: Many co-op members say that the possibility for interacting with people from different backgrounds and cultures is a positive factor in their decision to become a member.
