Inland Equity Community Land Trust

The Inland Equity Community Land Trust is dedicated to the social and charitable development and preservation of high-quality, permanently affordable and environmentally sustainable housing, so people can thrive in the community where they work and live. We will use a community land trust as a tool to provide housing for many people in our region who fall under the HUD’s definition of “housing cost burdened.” Our aim is not only to provide housing to folks who fall under that definition, but also to create housing opportunities for the formerly incarcerated and houseless, who both struggle in gaining secure and consistent housing. By blending these disparate communities into permanent housing through our land trust, we can also economically and racially desegregate our region in the process.

Inland Equity CLT is a nonprofit organization that will obtain land and develop it to serve as permanently affordable housing. Inland Equity CLT will be part of the housing development industry. Currently, housing development in the Inland Empire is concentrated on the development of tract housing priced well out of the range of most residents who live and work here. The build-out costs for these developments runs at approximately $156 per ft2. Almost without exception, rents in the Inland Empire exceed the break-even point by 24% at $126 ft2 , according to CBRE. Developments in manufactured home technology, rammed earth and adobe make it possible to reduce two very large costs contributors in home construction: labor and materials. By working with these technologies, the Inland Equity CLT will be able to produce beautiful and environmentally sustainable housing closer to $75 per ft2. We will also be able to buy and restore existing homes and apartments, making them more safe and environmentally friendly for future occupants-to-owners.

Inland Equity Community Land Trust formed as a non-profit in 2020 to create a Community Land Trust as a way to provide long-term affordable housing. However, some of our board members do have experience in developing housing. Gerald Katz developed EcoAcre, a rammed-earth home in Perris, California and George Aguilar, who is a retired real estate agent. The coalition that has come together to build this land trust has many years experience advocating for the development of affordable housing, emergency shelter and transitional housing. During the start up of the housing campaign, it was clear that raising rents and stagnant wages are pushing more and more people into homelessness. Beverly Earl of Catholic Charities said, “If we are going to really address homelessness, we need to make homes for poor people.” The long term solution to the housing crisis is to provide housing, and much of the for-profit housing doesn’t meet our communities low-income realities. Given the unfairness and luxury expense of most new developments, Inland Equity and our partners started Inland Equity Community Land Trust to offer a real alternative. The IECLT plans to develop housing that is affordable to renters who will be able to immediately lower their housing costs and eventually become homeowners themselves, and in doing so, be able to invest in their community with the extra money that would otherwise disappear into distant-living land developers. Our primary goal is to establish the Inland Equity CLT as an endpoint for the path out of homelessness. Many of the clients our partners serve, journey through homelessness into emergency shelter, to transitional housing, to permanent supportive housing. Our hope is that the Inland Equity CLT will also make homeownership part of that path toward true and lasting liberation. Though most of the housing will be for housing-cost burdened residents, 25% of the housing will be made available to any community member who would like to own a property in the trust. A mixed income community of homeowners invested in their own community, held in trust, guarantees that housing will remain affordable for future generations, and also enshrine the beauty of diversity.

As of now, we have three smaller-scale projects under development: One in Mecca, one in the City of Coachella, and one in Riverside. In Mecca, we are raising funds for a trailer for Jesus and Anabell, a couple currently houseless and referred to us by Coachella Valley Rescue Mission. In Coachella, we are raising funds to make two apartments habitable and up-to-code for rent out at below market rate (70%). And in Riverside we are developing two ADUs on the property of Iglesia Palabra Vive. Our primary goal is to establish the Inland Equity CLT as an endpoint for the path out of homelessness in the Inland Empire. Though this is our charitable goal, our long term vision is a mixed income community of homeowners invested in their own community in housing that will remain affordable where future generations can grow and thrive.