Community Home Trust’s mission is to provide permanently affordable housing to diverse populations in partnership with communities. CHT has provided affordable homeownership and rental opportunities in Orange County, NC, for over 30 years, and they currently have 334 homes in their inventory. CHT residents earn anywhere from 30 to 115% of the area median income (AMI), and 50% of those residents work in the public sector at the University of North Carolina, UNC Hospitals, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, Orange County Schools, or in local government. CHT homes usually sell for 30-50% of the market rate.

Community Home Trust’s vision is a world in which barriers are removed for those wanting a home they can afford, where the supply of those homes keeps pace with the demand, and all individuals have long term access to a safe home where they can thrive, work, and grow. Their work is guided by three core values: dedication to mission, focus on inclusion, and commitment to positive culture. CHT is a community land trust, which means the homes in their inventory remain so permanently, allowing the organization to ensure permanent affordability. CHT homeowners purchase their homes from CHT and then resell them to CHT at a fixed price, earning a controlled amount of equity determined by the organization instead of by the market. Similarly, CHT’s rental units remain available to qualified applicants at a fixed rate, well and permanently below market rate. If you’d like to learn more about CHT’s model, check out this two-minute video that explains how land trust homeownership works. 

CHT recently shared TJ’s story on their blog. Having grown up in a mobile home park in Chapel Hill, TJ now works as an EC (Exceptional Children) Resource teacher and basketball coach in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro School System. After finishing his degree at UNC Wilmington, TJ came right back to Chapel Hill to get to work. He says he knew there were lots of places he could have gone, but this was the right place for him. What he didn’t know, though, was that he would soon be able to purchase his own home. TJ learned about CHT from friends, and he applied to the program. While he worked on his credit and savings, his name remained on a waiting list – and once he was ready, he was surprised to learn he was eligible to buy a condo at 140 West Franklin Street, a beautiful building in the heart of downtown and within walking distance of the school where he works.  “I never thought I was capable of doing something like this,” says TJ. “It was surreal, really just like shock and awe. Considering where I grew up, we don’t make it up to Franklin Street to live.”

Questions? You can learn more about programs that support first-time homebuyers like TJ by signing up to receive CHT’s monthly email newsletter or make a one-time or monthly tax-deductible contribution. You can also keep with with CHT by following them on social media: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 

Contact Daniele Berman at dberman@communityhometrust.org or 919.967.3231 or visit https://communityhometrust.org/.