Blog

This time last year, we shared a post about the Dowling Home Maintenance Fund, which was established in 2019 to honor the retirement of CHT’s long-time Executive Director, Robert Dowling. The fund can be accessed by CHT homeowners to [...]

Maybe when you hear the word "meeting" you don't think of a party. Well, at Community Home Trust, we know how to put the party in a meeting! Nearly 200 people joined us for our Annual Meeting and Block [...]

This month, we welcomed a new team member at CHT: Sugey (pronounced soo-hey) Galvagni, who goes by Sue! Sue is our new Homeowner/Tenant Relations Coordinator whose primary role is working with our residents. So if you are a CHT [...]

By Thea Cola, Director of Philanthropy You may remember from when we shared the news earlier this year, that with all of the development that is planned for the Town in the near future, we’re expecting our inclusionary inventory [...]

On May 17 and 18, community land trusts (CLTs) around the world will celebrate World CLT Day, an opportunity to acknowledge the worldwide community land trust movement and what it means for individuals and communities. You may know that [...]

On March 1, CHT purchased five homes on Open Air Camp Road in Durham, officially making them part of our permanently affordable inventory. The residents of those homes are members of the Eno River Tenants' Association and had long [...]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, March 8, 2024 Contact: Daniele Berman, Director of External Relations dberman@communityhometrust.org, 919.967.3231 ORANGE COUNTY AFFORDABLE HOUSING ORGANIZATION LAUNCHES INNOVATIVE PROGRAM TO HELP FIRST-TIME HOMEBUYERS STRUGGLING TO QUALIFY FOR A MORTGAGE On March 15, 2024, local nonprofit [...]

At Community Home Trust, we consider partnership to be one of the most essential elements of our work. A project underway right now at the Legion Road townhomes in Chapel Hill is a great example of how our partnerships [...]

Please help us welcome our new President of our Board of Directors and three new Board members in 2024! Brika Eklund has been a member of the CHT Board of Directors for the past three years, and as of [...]

Maybe you're a Spotify user and your "Wrapped" has arrived. Maybe you're writing holiday cards to family and friends and reflecting on what your family has been up to for the year. Maybe your work requires some year-end reporting [...]

Pictured, L to R: Kevin Foy, Robert Dowling, and Roger Perry, celebrating Robert Dowling receiving CHT's Building Better Futures Award in 2023 Anyone who has ever owned a home knows that there’s much more to the cost than just [...]

I'm so excited to join the Community Home Trust team! Originally from Indiana, I grew up surrounded by the Midwest values of hard work, humility and community. This foundation set me on a path to pursue community-centered vocations. I [...]

On Friday, August 11, the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency (NCHFA) announced that the Town of Chapel Hill’s proposed Tanyard Branch Trace development was selected to receive a highly competitive 9% Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) award. According to [...]

By Ivelisse Mercado, Community Engagement and Outreach Coordinator I had the privilege of attending Racial Equity Institute (REI) Organizing Against Racism (OAR) Latinx Challenges workshop earlier this year. REI was founded and grew out of Greensboro, NC and has [...]

Last week, the entire Community Home Trust staff participated in Racial Equity Institute's two-day Phase 1 Racial Equity Workshop, some as alumni of the program, and others for the first time. The website describes the course this way: "REI’s [...]

“Home is a place to really feel settled. It’s a place to feel safe and protected and comfortable and happy to be in. It’s a place to welcome friends and family. It’s a place where I feel like my [...]

By Ivelisse Mercado, Community Engagement and Outreach Coordinator Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s dedication to using his voice to impact and spark change permanently affects American history. He is an icon for social justice, equity, and community. There are [...]

Got some time off coming up? Maybe you’re looking for your next great binge? We asked our staff members what they’re binge watching, reading, or listening to these days. Here are some of their recommendations: Community Manager Felicia Stroud [...]

By Caroline Veloso Oliveira, Deputy Director At Community Home Trust we do a lot to bring hope to our applicants and community members on their dream regarding affordable housing. With all the work that we do and the remote work [...]

When you imagine your ideal neighborhood, what do you experience? Perhaps you see beautiful homes with colorful, abundant gardens. Maybe you feel the warm summer evening air as you walk or drive down a shady, peaceful street to the grocery [...]

By Kimberly Sanchez, Executive Director Last month, my colleague Daniele and I had the opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C. for Grounded Solutions Network’s annual conference. Grounded Solutions Network works nationally to connect local housing experts, specifically community land [...]

54 years ago, the Fair Housing Act was signed into law in the United States with the intention of preventing housing discrimination and giving more Americans access to safe housing. But decades later, the prospect of owning a home [...]

We are so excited to welcome Deja Gilmore, our new Program Coordinator, to the Community Home Trust team! At CHT, Deja's role is to work with our applicants, helping them understand the application process, find a home, and complete [...]

WHAT A PARTY! Over 100 people joined us for "Keepin' It 100: a Party for Housing" this past Saturday at the Jackson Center. In addition to dancing, eating hot dogs, having their faces painted, and mingling with neighbors and [...]

Please help us welcome our new Community Engagement and Outreach Coordinator, Ivelisse Mercado! We asked Ivelisse to introduce herself to our community -- please feel free to reach out and introduce yourself to her, too! As Chapel Hill native [...]

“It’s a relay race, and it’s my turn to carry the baton. But there’s a team behind me that’s doing all the work.” That’s how Bruce Warrington, the new President of our Board of Directors, describes his view of [...]

Please help us welcome our new Deputy Director, Caroline Veloso Oliveira! “Home is essential. After recently buying my first home, I know how hard it can be. It takes a lot of work, time, and research, and prices keep [...]

We are ready to say goodbye to 2021 and ring in the new year…and with it, the opportunity to make more affordable homes available to more neighbors than ever. Will you make a gift to help us start the [...]

The holiday season is a time for joy, gratitude, and generosity. As the leaves change color and the temperature drops, we start thinking about what we’re grateful for. Our homes become the center of safe, fun holiday gatherings with friends [...]

Today is Giving Tuesday, and in honor of the day, we’re launching our “Home for the Holidays” campaign. And we’re SO excited to share that a generous donor has pledged to match all donations now through the end of [...]

Here's what "home" means to the Community Home Trust staff this time of year

Do you wonder about the impact CHT is having on the community at large? Did you make a donation to Community Home Trust this past year, and you’re wondering how your donation was put to work? Are you a [...]

For most people who live in Chapel Hill or Carrboro, Jay Street is just another street in town. But at Community Home Trust these days, saying "Jay Street" means so much more. For us and our partners at Taft-Mills [...]

By Calvin Burton, Development and Donor Relations Manager, cburton@communityhometrust.org. Everyone wants to feel like they “belong” somewhere. Whether that’s at home, with friends, or at work, people want to feel included and heard, and they want to know their [...]

Mayor Pro Tem and Carrboro Town Council member Barbara Foushee has lived in Carrboro since 1991 -- and in that time, she has seen the town go through quite a bit of change. She says that "change is growth, [...]

Maybe you saw our staff photo in our newsletter this week and wondered, "Who are all those masked CHT staffers?" It's been a while since we've all (well, almost all) been in the same place, and our team has [...]

We talk a lot about Community Home Trust as stewards of homeownership opportunities, but did you know that we also own low-income rental housing and are preparing to invest in more? We know that this is the best way [...]

What is Aura?  Aura is a project that is proposing to build almost 400 units of rental housing and approximately 59 units of homeownership in the form of 3-story townhomes on the corner of MLK Blvd. and Estes Drive. This [...]

This past Saturday, our Board of Directors spent the day at a virtual retreat. During their time together, they celebrated CHT’s successes over the past year, talked about this year’s celebration of our 30th birthday, and laid the groundwork for our work over the next [...]

Last week, we welcomed a new member of the CHT team: Calvin Burton, our new Development and Donor Relations Manager. In this role, he is responsible for developing strategies and implementing programs to raise funds in support of CHT's mission [...]

A year ago today, we lost a member of the Community Home Trust family. Deanna Carson began her work advocating for affordable housing in Orange County in 2007, and she was a valued member of the Community Home Trust team [...]

As our country is yet again wrestling with a very public and devastating hate crime, this time targeting members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community in Atlanta, our team at Community Home Trust is reminded of the power of words – both to harm and [...]

It's our 30th birthday -- we know, we don't look a day over 29! *blushing* -- and we're planning a party on YOUR porch! Here's what you need to do to make sure you don't miss it: Save the [...]

If you're a CHT homeowner, you may remember learning about our Stewardship Program during your contract meeting. Even if you're not a homeowner, you may have read about the program on our website and wondered what it was all [...]

2020 was quite a year! Here are our CHT #bestnine stats for 2020 -- and cheers to even more growth together in 2021!

By Kimberly Sanchez, Executive Director “What I can say about Community Home Trust is that it’s a blessing.” That’s what Priscilla told us recently, after she purchased her CHT home in October of this year, nine years after she [...]

2020 has been a challenge for all of us in so many ways. Thankfully, Community Home Trust (CHT) residents have had the security of their homes during these uncertain times. These residents include individuals like Kyong M., a nurse and [...]

Our work is guided by these core values: Dedication to our mission: We care about our homeowners, tenants, and the community we share. We seek out new and innovative opportunities and solutions to partner and serve. Focus on inclusion: We [...]

As we enter the holiday season, the Community Home Trust team is thankful for each other, for our family and friends, for our community, and for so much more!

By Kimberly Sanchez, Executive Director Welcome to our brand-new blog -- and not a moment too soon! What a wild ride 2020 has been, culminating in what was apropos, a wild ride of a presidential election. Community Home Trust (CHT) [...]

This fall has been a season of transitions at CHT!

We are committed to doing whatever we can to ensure all members of our community are treated fairly in their pursuit of affordable housing.