2009-2010 and 2010-2011 Board Members at Annual Meeting

Members are named in our latest newsletter. If you have not already received our newsletter, please email your request.

CLCLT Receives Generous Gifts from Members

In May 2010, some retiring members of our board of directors contributed funds paying half of the outstanding balance on the construction loan for CLCLT's first permanently affordable home. Our membership joins them in the hope that others would come forward and contribute to the goal of retiring this loan. Paying this debt will free the land trust to take on new projects that are well-suited to first-time homebuyers. It is our goal to build a portfolio of permanently affordable homes to serve low- and moderate-income families. Please help us with a generous gift if you possibly can. We encourage your ideas, suggestions, efforts and contributions to help us reach the goal of $10,000 raised during the course of the next year. Your generous gift will help not only those families served today, but will assure affordable housing options in Evanston in perpetuity.

Evanston Community Development Director Addressed Annual Meeting

Nearly 50 members attended our Fourth Annual Meeting. New board members and officers were elected. Former board members and affordable housing advocates Sue Carlson and Fran Seidman were recognized by the board for their long and outstanding service as advocates of affordable housing and efforts on behalf of our organization as board members and contributors to our efforts. Mary DeJong was also recognized for her on-going contributions and work with committees and fund raising efforts.

Mr. Lehman Walker

 

Lehman Walker, Evanston's Community Development Director, addressed those present. He provided an overview of the department's efforts to improve the delivery of affordable housing services and described the city's goals for this work. He noted that a review of CHDOs' operations and capacity is called for by city plans. Walker responded to the audience, answering a variety of questions about city plans, their consequences and aims. We appreciated his willingness to engage the community in dialogue and his openness to considering various points of view.

NSP Funding Provides Opportunity for Permanently Affordable Homes in Evanston

CLCLT proposes including some NSP-funded homes in the community land trust portfolio. This will provide prospective buyers several options not otherwise available.

First and foremost, they will participate in a homeownership model that provides for affordable homeownership for as long as the family wishes to own the home. Second, the home will remain affordable for the next buyers based on the use of funds to purchase the land under the house to be included in a land trust. Because the homeowners lease the land, they are eligible for reduced property taxes.

"Preserving the Affordability of NSP Funded Foreclosed Properties" is a report written by Rick Jacobus. He is one of the Partners of Burlington Associates, national experts in community land trust organization.  His colleague, Michael Brown, consulted with CLCLT organizers and met many city officials when our organization was establishing its policies and procedures.

North Shore Community Bank Donation Received

We are happy to acknowledge a donation from North Shore Community Bank and Trust Company. The gift, in the amount of $1,000, will be used for administrative purposes. The gift is just one aspect of the bank's on-going commitment to developers of affordable housing opportunities in Evanston.

We are especially grateful to the bank for its on-going attention to applications from Evanston residents for home mortgages. The bank works effectively and efficiently with Evanston's community housing development organizations (CHDO) and City of Evanston staff. This cooperation assures that affordable home loan applications are promptly and personally considered.

Evanston CHDOs are able to work closely with buyer and banker to smoothly complete the sale of affordable homes.

The bank also facilitated financing for our first home sale. Last year, we were pleased to acknowledge North Shore Community Bank and Trust for its support of Evanston homebuyers at our Annual Meeting.

We look forward to continued cooperation with the bank. Together we look forward to creating more permanently affordable homes in Evanston.

CLCLT Acknowleges Donation

We are pleased to receive a generous donation from Morgante-Wilson Architects. We especially appreciate the support of an Evanston business. As we work to adapt our operations to new and frequently changing market conditions, this gift helps us to make orderly changes in our plans and methods. Despite challenging conditions, we remain focused on providing affordable housing options for low- and moderate-income families who live and work in Evanston.

Success Never Tasted So Sweet!

Thanks to Carol Balkcom and Betty Ester, who baked dozens of sweet potato, pumpkin and apple pies. Jill Graham and Vicky Daugherty joined forces to bake almost two dozen apple pies with marvelous lattice crusts.

Thanks to all those who purchased and enjoyed the pies. We appreciate the donations from those who could not pick up their fresh, home-made pies. Through the efforts of board members, staff and volunteers, we gained nearly $500.00.

Among her many talents, Jill Graham conducts pie baking classes from time to time. Anyone interested in learning the secrets to fine baking should contact our office. We received many requests for information about additional pie sales. We need more bakers to meet the demand!

2212 Washington Street House Sold

We are happy to welcome the family of Sharon Weeks as the first owners of a land trust home in Evanston. The sale was completed in early July. North Shore Community Bank provided funding to CLCLT to assure the smooth transition to ownership.

We continue to work with interested persons and families to make affordable homeownership a real option in Evanston. Feel free to contact us at office@citizenslighthouse.org to find out how you can own an affordable home in Evanston.