Like many cities around the bay area, Vallejo is in a housing crisis. One potential solution to maintain affordable housing and prevent community turnover and homelessness is a Community Land Trust (CLT). The good news is $225,000 has been allocated for residents to start a Vallejo Community Land Trust. However, we need your help to secure this funding. 

The Vallejo Housing Justice Coalition (a Vallejo resident group) has been active for the past year and half and is eager to make a CLT a reality in Vallejo.  Community Land Trusts (CLT) allow community members to stabilize their housing situations by becoming homeowners, while the CLT itself promotes permanently affordable housing by leasing land to families for far below market rate prices. The money collected from the leasing of land goes right back into the CLT to purchase additional plots of land to grow the CLT. This innovative remedy to the lack of affordable housing has proven to be both effective and successful in allowing families to continue in the communities they call home.

Through the Strong Prosperous and Resilient Communities Initiative (SPARCC), BARHII and Urban Habitat have secured $225,000 to support the development of a pilot Community Land Trust (CLT) in Vallejo. In order to receive this support however, these funds must be matched by local donors. Therefore, in partnership with these organizations, we are reaching out to community members and organizations large and small to secure matching support.  Without matching funding, the $225,000 in SPARCC capital funds as well as several hundred thousand dollars in additional funds that may be available through national philanthropic initiatives are at risk. Everyone can play a role, from an individual donor to a large institution such as Kaiser Permanente. Together we can collectively raise these funds to give the Community the opportunity to take ownership of an innovative and community-driven approach to addressing our housing crisis. 

Please sign this letter to show your support for this effort. We will send the letter and signatures to local organizations to illustrate the community's solidarity behind this goal!