Affordable Homeownership Begins Here
Lighthouse Beloved Community CLT provides equal housing and fair opportunities for individuals and families fostering equity through shared appreciation and sustainable community development.
About Us
Start Your Journey to Homeownership
The Lighthouse Beloved Community (LBC) strives to move individuals and families from housing instability to home ownership. The LBC aims to achieve this by creating permanently affordable, community -controlled housing, plus ongoing support for successful homeownership. Through fostering healthy and supportive interpersonal relationships, another wealth is gained called community.
Advancing The Dream
Lighthouse Beloved Community will embody the dream cast by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He spoke often of a beloved community as a way of transforming people and relationships and creating communities grounded in reconciliation, friendship and human dignity.
“In the Beloved Community, poverty, hunger and homelessness will not be tolerated because international standards of human decency will not allow it. Racism and all forms of discrimination, bigotry and prejudice will be replaced by an all-inclusive spirit of sisterhood and brotherhood.”
The 3 Pillars
A special thank you to each of these organizations for their support.
LBC utilizes premier energy-efficient materials in our construction
Watch a chronicle of our first energy-efficient home build-out using steel-frames and the Rok-On© product!
We are proud to announce that The Lighthouse Beloved Community CLT is featured in a Housing Justice short-film documentary produced by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a distinguished national philanthropic organization committed to advancing health equity and community well-being. Read article here
The short film, "Roses and Thorns", tells the compelling story of Ashleigh’s journey to rebuild her family’s future—made possible through a "Community Land Trust" and the dedicated support of our partner in affordable housing, Grounded Solutions Network. Read their article here
OUR CULTURE AND POLICIES
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Lighthouse Beloved Community CLT believes that it is essential that all aspects of housing be reflective of the diversity of the communities that they serve and that LBC CLT strives to become and remain culturally and linguistically competent. A culturally and linguistically competent housing incorporates skills, attitudes, and policies to ensure that it is effectively addressing the needs of individuals and families with diverse values, beliefs, and sexual orientations, in addition to backgrounds that vary by race, ethnicity, religion, and language.
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At LBC CLT, we believe embracing different perspectives, experiences, identities, and cultures is what makes us strong. Diversity enhances our ability to better serve, connect and respect our participants. Diversity allows us to cultivate a safe and positive work environment where everyone feels empowered to bring their full, authentic selves to the workplace. Diversity also gives us the opportunity to make a positive and lasting impact in our communities. There is more work to be done in creating a culture of equity, positivity, acceptance, and respect; and we welcome your involvement with our journey.
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Lighthouse Beloved Community CLT is committed to advancing an anti-racist agenda and promoting housing equity. We affirm the importance of advocacy and recognize that racial injustice has caused trauma and harm to disenfranchised communities. We acknowledge that combating racism and inequity is an ongoing commitment. The impact of economic, clinical, and environmental disparities, including diverse linguistic needs, may hinder the opportunity to access and receive quality and equitable housing. Thus, we remain devoted to addressing discrimination, stigma, and other social and moral determinants of health, leading by example and educating our affiliates and communities. Together, we stand united in support of racial justice and the intersection of affordable housing, and the well-being care of humanity.
Ask about our FREE Home Ownership Class!
What is a CLT?
Learn more about what a Community Land Trust is and how it benefits the area, homeowners, and more.
A CLT is a community-based, non-profit organization governed by a board of residents, neighbors, and professional representatives that oversees a
parcel of land to preserve long term affordability of homes.
VA Housing has the Lighthouse Beloved Community as one of five CLT's in Virginia
ADVANTAGES OF A COMMUNITY LAND TRUST (CLT)
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You Own A House
Build up a stronger financial future.
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You Build Equity
Your ownership builds equity.
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Protection From Market Downturn
Economy ups and downs don't matter!
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Purchase a CLT Home with a Traditional Mortgage
Traditional process for obtaining a mortgage.
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Community-Shared Decision-Making
Everyone takes pride in the community and comes together to make decisions.
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Combats Displacement Caused By Gentrification
You can pass your home to your children.
Learn about a Community Land Trust (CLT)
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A CLT is a community-based, non-profit organization governed by a board of residents, neighbors, and professional representatives that oversees a
parcel of land to preserve long term affordability of homes.
VA Housing has the Lighthouse Beloved Community as one of five CLT's in Virginia
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An individual or family purchases a house where the land is owned by a CLT.
The sales price is more affordable than a traditional home because the homeowner is only buying the house, not the land.
Homeowners lease the land from the CLT in a long-term lease (example 99 years).
Homeowners must sell the home at a restricted price to keep it affordable. The home’s value may increase from improvements that are made while living in the house.
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CLTs are typically nonprofits managed by a board, dedicated CLT staff and community members. In other words, CLTs are governed by three distinct stakeholder classes. One group is the lessees: the homeowners, tenants, building owners, and businesses who actually use the land. Then there are those who live in direct proximity to that land. The third group represents the broader public—community members, grassroots leaders, etc.
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Homeowners pay a nominal monthly ground lease fee that assists in supporting the organization.
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Affordability - CLT homes are more affordable than homes purchased on the open real estate market because the ground is leased and taken out of the sales price.
Mortgage – Consistent and affordable housing payments.
Community – CLT homeowners are members of the CLT for as long as they own their CLT home. They are invited to participate in the CLT community through voting, volunteering, and becoming a CLT board member.
Support – CLT homebuyers have the support of the CLT and its staff as long as they own their home.
Stability – Homeownership provides stable housing costs and security. With this stability, homeowners have a solid foundation that can allow them to enjoy life and pursue other dreams.
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When a CLT homeowner wants to move there are several options. The home can be sold directly to an income-qualified buyer, can be sold back to the CLT, or it can be given to other qualified heirs of the homeowner.
All CLTs ensure that when a CLT homeowner sells their home, they get all of their equity (the amount of money that they used as a down-payment as well as the portion of the mortgage paid off) plus a portion of the appreciated value of the home.
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Yes, as with any real estate, you may bequeath your LBC CLT home to whomever you wish. If you leave your home to your child, spouse, or someone who has been living with you for the past year, s/he may inherit the home and live in it providing s/he is willing to agree to the terms of the lease. If you bequeath your home to someone else, and that person is income eligible, s/he may also inherit your home and live in it providing s/he is willing to agree to the terms of the lease. If the person you leave your home to is not one of these people or is not income eligible, your estate will sell the house and the person you have designated will receive the money from the sale. As with any real estate, your mortgage will need to be paid off before the house can be transferred to your heirs, so any heirs hoping to keep the house will need to be able to afford a loan of their own to pay for any portion of the mortgage that is still outstanding.
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The CLT homeowner pays all the taxes associated with the property. As with all homeowners, property taxes and mortgage interest are tax deductible.
A COMMUNITY LAND TRUST IN LYNCHBURG, VA
Steps to Ownership
View our Gallery
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Watts Street Home
Coming Soon
Our Vision
Our vision includes 90 acres of land. Twenty acres has been subdivided and is ready-to-build for affordable homeownership. We have partnered with ROK-ONTM, a building materials science company, as its supplier for energy-efficient construction. Wellington Builders is our General Contractor, and Accupoint Engineering and Surveying is our civil engineering firm.
Currently, one single-family ROK-ON home has been built and sold in 2023. Ten additional ROK-ON homes are coming in 2024. It is anticipated that our CLT portfolio will double in 2025.
Lynchburg's Lighthouse Beloved Community
Awarded VA Housing Grant
The Lighthouse Beloved Community CLT is featured in Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s recently released “From Hope to Home,” film series, part of which was shown at last month’s Policy. Practice. Power. conference. Now the Lynchburg, VA-based organization has another piece of exciting news: it has been awarded an $800,000 grant from Virginia Housing.
This transformative funding will significantly advance the organization’s mission to create permanently affordable housing in Lynchburg. The grant will be used to support the acquisition and development of eight CLT homes, ensuring that families and individuals with low to moderate incomes can remain rooted in their communities.
Martha Brown, Executive Director of Lighthouse Beloved Community CLT, called the funding “a powerful investment in housing justice” that will “allow us to expand our reach, deepen our impact, and provide secure, affordable housing for generations to come.”
The grant from Virginia Housing reflects a growing commitment across the state to support innovative housing models like CLTs. These models not only address affordability but also empower communities to shape their own futures.
Lighthouse Beloved Community CLT credits Grounded Solutions for providing the support that helped it gain the attention of Virginia Housing. With this support, the organization is poised to continue building a more just and inclusive housing landscape where everyone has a place to call home.
To view the original article blog post on Grounded Solutions, click here.