City of Lakes Community Land Trust's (CLCLT's) first lease holding family, Schuyla Moore and her sixteen-year-old daughter, Alixus, moved in to a new home at 22nd and Portland in Minneapolis at the end of March. They came to the city twelve years ago and shared a one-bedroom apartment in South Minneapolis until the move to their new home.

Space, privacy, and quiet are high on Schuyla's list of reasons for looking to home ownership. She had hoped for years to buy a home, but-as a postal worker and a single mom-she struggled to save enough for a down payment. As a self-described eternal optimist, she kept looking for an opportunity, and last fall she learned about the CLCLT through Powderhorn Residence Group, a Minneapolis Housing Counseling Agency homebuyer education and counseling program. By November, she'd signed a purchase agreement for the three-bedroomcarriage house in Lakes.

All community land trusts include CLT homeowner representation on the board of directors; in December 2003, Schuyla joined the CLCLT board to fill the first of five slots (or one-third of the board) reserved for CLCLT homeowners. She brings to the board not only her perspective as a new homeowner and CLCLT leaseholder, but also a background in real estate and a strong interest in housing.

HUD supports CLTs in Minnesota though technical assistance funding, new organization capacity building aid, and training scholarships. "The support of the local HUD office has been invaluable", according to Jeff Washburne, CLCLT Director.

For more information about Minnesota's CLTs, please visit the following websites:

• First Homes (http://www.firsthomes.org)
• West Hennepin Affordable Housing Land Trust (WHAHLT -- http://www.whahlt.org)
• Northern Communities Land Trust (http://www.landtrustduluth.org)
• Rondo Community Land Trust (CLT -- http://www.rondoclt.org)
• Chaska Community Land Trust (http://www.hra.carver.mn.us/homebuy.htm)
• City of Lakes Community Land Trust (CLCLT -- http://www.clclt.org)
• Woodbury Community Land Trust (http://www.woodbury-clt.org)

OR CALL
United Housing Services - (651) 298-1903
White Bear HOME - (651) 653-0249
Woodbury Community Land Trust - (651) 714-3523
Greater Frogtown CDC - (651) 848-2021
Two Rivers Community Land Trust - (651) 994-9194 ext.201
City of Northfield - (507) 645-3006

For more information from HUD's office in Minneapolis, call or email Anita Olson, Chief, Customer Service Branch, (612) 370-3000 x2289, email: anita_olson@hud.gov.