Northwest Florida Community Land Trust Homebuyer Applications Now Open!

PENSACOLA, Fla. – Pensacola Habitat for Humanity announced that homebuyer applications are now open for the Northwest Florida Community Land Trust (CLT), bringing another affordable homeownership solution to Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties.

The CLT is a shared equity model designed to make homeownership attainable for low-income households. It is an effective alternative to renting for qualified households by separating ownership of the land from the home. Each homeowner in the CLT will own their house but not the land on which the house sits. Instead, they will sign a 99-year ground lease for the land. Removing the cost of the land from the mortgage creates affordability for buyers as they build shared equity. 

“Our goal is to create and maintain affordable homeownership beyond a closing date,” said Alicia Popper, Pensacola Habitat for Humanity’s CLT Program Manager. “The stewardship of land through the CLT provides not just a solution today but creates permanent affordability for generations to come.”

Local stakeholders and partners have been eagerly awaiting this day since Pensacola Habitat for Humanity’s President and CEO Sam Young hosted a special luncheon in September unveiling how the CLT would help transform affordable housing locally. With many elected officials, community leaders, and influential voices in the room, it was a powerful display of innovative community-wide solutions.

 “The CLT model will create new, permanent affordable housing in our community, and will have the greatest impact on the most amount of people,” said Betsy McDonald, Pensacola Habitat for Humanity’s Vice President of Programs. “This will allow us to serve a wider range of households and help people build strength, stability and equity.”

 Interested applicants will apply online via Pensacola Habitat for Humanity’s Programs Application Portal. Eligibility criteria include a minimum credit score of 640 and a minimum income of $35,000 for Escambia County homes and $30,000 for Santa Rosa County homes. Currently, CLT homes are available for purchase in Milton, Gulf Breeze, Ensley, and West Pensacola, providing an exciting opportunity for affordable homeownership in these communities.

 To learn more about the Northwest Florida Community Land Trust and to start an application, visit pensacolahabitat.org/nfclt.

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