This story appears in the May 2021 issue of the Town&Gown
Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the State College Community Land Trust has made its mission to sustain the vibrancy and diversity of the borough community by promoting affordable homeownership opportunities.
With 51 houses, 73 homebuyers, and providing financial education for more than 300 individuals, the land trust is focused on creating more inclusive housing opportunities.
“We hear a lot about affordable housing and the affordable housing crisis now, but even way back in 1996, pressure from Penn State student rentals and the growing university was driving housing costs up,” says Anna Kochersperger, the land trust’s outreach and development coordinator. “A lot of working families were leaving the borough at the time, so there was a keen interest to keep people in the borough, to keep a diversity of residents. Not just students, not just working families, but keep a good mix. So, the State College Community Land
The State College Community Land Trust (SCCLT) continues to further its mission of creating and preserving permanently affordable homes in State College after 25 years. In 1996, the founding borough staff, consisting of Lu Hoover, Carl Hess and Shari Keefe, founded the land trust and elected Matt Ford as the first executive director. The 501(c) 3 organization sold the first four homes in 1999.
Applicants to buy houses through the land trust are provided education on budgeting and applying for mortgages. The land is leased to the homeowner, reducing the ownership cost, and the house can in the future be sold to another qualifying buyer or back to SCCLT.