Help Rochester City Roots Prepare a Home!

Another victory for the Housing Justice movement is upon us!



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Success!!!! Thanks to your support, we've raised over $10,500 in GoFundMe and offline donations! 
Thank you for helping to make development without displacement a reality in our city!
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For the past two years City Roots Community Land Trust has been working to secure permanent affordability and community control, while advocating for development without displacement within our neighborhoods here in Rochester, NY. Thanks to a grassroots movement powered by people like you, we’re continuing to gain momentum!

We are thrilled to share that we have our first CLT Rehab House, thanks to a budding partnership with the Rochester Land Bank. Utilizing the community land trust model, this house, located in the Beechwood neighborhood, will be sold to an income-qualifying, first-time homebuyer when the rehab is complete.

We need your help in order to cover our biggest expense - a new roof, soffit, and gutters. We’re asking for the community to once again rise up and show its support!

Last year dozens of donations, both large and small, allowed City Roots to help a courageous homeowner fight back and win against an unjust foreclosure in a huge victory for our community.  This fall, the community rallied to support some of Rochester's  most vulnerable, which resulted in the establishment of Peace Village - a self-governed homeless encampment where the land is stewarded by our Community Land Trust.   Now we are asking the community to help us take this next step toward housing justice!

The new house is a great find. It has three bedrooms, lots of natural wood, a stained glass window, beautiful staircase, and an inviting front porch from which to greet neighbors and watch the world. The furnace, electricity, and windows have all been updated or replaced.

The big fix is the roof. The roof is currently leaking and the soffit and gutters are completely gone. Luckily, right now the water damage is minimal, but it’s crucial that we get a new roof on there ASAP, so that we can stabilize the house and get to work!  
 

 We're counting on all of our supporters to give what you can and to help spread the word. We'll also be asking for those who can, to come out and lend a hand so that we can keep costs down while still providing a high-quality level of improvements to the house (no previous experience with home rehab projects needed!).  Sign-up to volunteer here .

If you're willing to help, let us know. Once the closing takes place, we'll be having a kick-off event at the house, so stay tuned for details!

Aren't able to volunteer or donate at the moment, but still want to support our efforts?  One quick and easy way is to vote for City Roots Community Land Trust to receive $50k in assistance through the new Participatory Budgeting process ----> https://pbstanford.org/rochester2019

Thank you for supporting permanent affordability, community control, and development without displacement!



FAQ

What is a Community Land Trust?

CLT’s are community-controlled non-profits that acquire land and hold it in trust for the community. By owning the land, the community residents are able to make their own decisions about how it should be used and ensure that their neighborhoods remain affordable places to live.


How does a CLT work?

In the case of a single family home, the CLT provides a subsidy in order to sell the house at a below-market price. The CLT also retains ownership of the land, which further reduces the cost of homeownership, and then leases the land to the new homeowner for a nominal fee. The new homeowner goes on to live in the house just as they would if they’d bought a house on the traditional market. If and when they decide to sell, they pass along that subsidy to the next person, thereby keeping the house permanently affordable.


How do you define “affordable”?

Great question! Some programs consider affordable to mean that a person can afford it if they earn 80, 90, or even 100% of the Area Median Income which is roughly $57,000/year! That AMI is based on the multi-county area surrounding Rochester. In the City itself, the median income is closer to $29,000. That means most of these “affordable” places are completely unaffordable for a large percentage of city residents. We are pricing this initial CLT house so that it will be affordable to a household making 50% or less of the AMI (~$28,500/year). As we progress, we’re looking at innovative ways to make the houses even more affordable.

Is City Roots Community Land Trust a 501.c.3?

Yes! Your donation is tax deductible.




Thank you for supporting this important work!