Island Housing Trust
Read more on our website: Island Housing Trust
What we do:
The Island Housing Trust is a non-profit Community Land Trust organization that supports a diverse and vital community on the island of Martha’s Vineyard by creating and sustaining permanently affordable housing, both rental and ownership. Our social justice roots are firmly planted in the Community Land Trust movement which began in the late 1960’s during the civil-rights-era. A CLT is a mechanism by which land is held in trust and managed by a nonprofit, used for whatever a community chooses, whether that’s housing, small businesses, cultural spaces, gardens, parks, or farms. The land is owned by a trust, which keeps it out of speculators’ hands, but residences and other structures can be privately owned and inherited, allowing community members to build wealth. For more than a decade, we’ve provided hope and opportunity to hundreds of low- and moderate-income island families seeking a dignified solution to their affordable housing needs. Together, we’re working towards a stronger, more resilient, and sustainable future for our island community.
Where and When:
Island Housing Trust is located at 21 Mechanic Street in Vineyard Haven. We are there during typical business hours, year-round.
Our Goal:
Over the past 15 years we have sold and rented 126 homes and apartments to year-round low- and moderate-income families throughout Martha’s Vineyard. Our goal is to help end housing insecurity on Martha’s Vineyard by creating 150 additional year-round ownership and rental homes and working with partners and supporters to create additional housing by the end of 2025. To accomplish this challenging goal we need to raise $60 million over the next five years by working in partnership with Island towns, the state, other housing organizations, and supporters and investors. Together we can solve nearly half of our island wide housing needs within the next five years.