About Us

The Home Trust is a non-profit organization whose members and supporters care about the future of San Juan Island and are committed to community preservation through forever affordable homes. We serve people who live and work in San Juan County and cannot afford to purchase a market rate home.

HOW WE DO IT

The Home Trust is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, which can apply for grants and accept tax-deductible contributions from individuals, foundations and agencies that support home ownership. With these funds, the Home Trust can subsidize the cost of land, infrastructure and construction of new homes. Homebuyers must obtain a mortgage for the affordably priced home and also agree to limit the eventual resale price of the home to insure that it is perpetually (i.e., forever) affordable to working people. The increase in resale price is restricted by a formula tied to the area median income. (A statistic issued annually for each county by the federal housing agency, HUD.)

The Home Trust is a community land trust (a CLT), a type of organization that separates the cost of land from the cost of a home. The land is held in perpetuity by the nonprofit organization, while the homes are sold to qualified buyers. Islanders are able to achieve the long term security of home ownership, to build equity, and to pass the ownership of the home on to one's heirs, through our program.

For more information, read through the FAQs.