Long Beach City Council awarded a contract to fiscal sponsor Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs to establish and operate a Community Land Trust (CLT) for Long Beach Residents Empowered (LiBRE) at its Sept. 12 meeting.
Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs is a Calabasas-based nonprofit that provides progressive-minded nonprofits with fiscal sponsorships to pursue environmental or social justice projects.
A CLT is defined as a community nonprofit organization that fundraises for the acquisition and development of real estate with the intention of building and providing affordable housing.
LiBRE is a tenant-led nonprofit that unites and organizes neighborhood-based groups of BIPOC tenants to achieve systemic housing justice. The CLT contract with the City is for two years, with the intention to assist low-income residents with further affordable housing opportunities.
“Ensuring quality and stable housing for all is vital to the entire Long Beach community,” said Mayor Rex Richardson in a statement. “Through this innovative partnership, LiBRE will be able to join the City’s efforts to create more opportunities for homeownership and affordable housing.”
In December 2022, the City launched its search for a local non-profit to select for a CLT program and began accepting proposals.
LiBRE was selected for the CLT due to the organization’s qualifications and commitment to providing affordable housing, renter protections and economic development to local disadvantaged residents.
The nonprofit will be provided with up to $800,000 in start-up funds to launch a CLT and look for additional operational, housing acquisition, or development funding to increase affordable housing opportunities for low-income residents.
The Community Land Trust is funded through Long Beach Recovery Act funds, which have supported housing and tenant assistance through $5 million in allocations so far.
This article was updated on Nov. 12, 2023 to clarify the amount of money that has been spent on housing and tenant assistance through the Long Beach Recovery Act. The Signal Tribune regrets this error.
