Centre County Housing and Land Trust

What Centre County Housing and Land Trust does

Centre County Housing and Land Trust (CCHLT) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization incorporated in 2008 and headquartered in State College, Pennsylvania. It serves low- to moderate-income households earning 60-120% of Area Median Income in Centre County, PA, a market structurally pressured by Pennsylvania State University-driven demand. Its core service is the development and perpetual stewardship of affordable housing under the Community Land Trust (CLT) model, which separates ownership of land from ownership of homes via ground leases, removing land from the speculative market and preserving affordability across resale cycles. Flagship output is Thompson Place, completed in 2017 in partnership with Habitat for Humanity of Greater Centre County, comprising 11 single-family homes and 2 duplexes built on the former Mellott Mobile Home Park site.

Beyond direct development, CCHLT operates a free Next Steps Financial Literacy Program providing pre- and post-home purchase counseling, plus advisory services to local municipalities on affordable housing policy and to real estate developers on inclusion of affordable units in their projects. Workforce rental housing is offered in partnership with municipalities. Revenue is generated through tax-deductible donations, planned-giving vehicles (wills, retirement designations, life income gifts, real estate gifts), and proceeds from home and rental unit sales; an endowment is held with Centre Foundation. Go-to-market is community-led: referrals flow through Habitat for Humanity, the Centre County Housing Authority, Housing Transitions, Community Action of Central PA, and United Way of Centre County, supplemented by direct outreach and a basic informational website. The organization is governed by a tripartite Board of Directors drawn from residents, partner organizations, and the general public, with Missy Schoonover serving as Executive Director. Headcount is 1-10 employees and no homes or rental units are currently available for purchase or lease.

Name

Centre County Housing and Land Trust

Legal name

Centre County Housing and Land Trust

Website

https://cchlt.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Centre County Housing and Land Trust is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that develops and stewards permanently affordable homes in Centre County, PA, using the Community Land Trust model for low- to moderate-income households.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Affordable Housing Services

NAICS

Residential Property Managers (531311), Lessors of Residential Buildings and Dwellings (53111), Lessors of Real Estate (5311), Other Activities Related to Real Estate (531390)

SIC

Lessors Of Real Property, Nec (6519), Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531)

akta.pro primary industry

Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Affordable & Subsidized Housing Property Management (LIHTC, Section 8) (BPAJAFAD), Affordable & Public Housing Asset Management (BPAJAMAI)

Keywords

• Affordable housing development
• Community land trust
• Permanently affordable homes
• Financial literacy education
• Workforce housing rentals

Headquarters

HQ city

State College

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, CCHLT relies on tax-deductible donations from individuals, businesses, and organizations. The organization accepts donations through PayPal and encourages business partnerships where employers can match employee donations or provide financial support for operations and programs.
2. Planned Giving and Legacy Gifts: CCHLT offers planned giving options including: designating CCHLT as a beneficiary in wills, making qualified charitable distributions from retirement plans, life income gifts, gifts of real estate, naming CCHLT as beneficiary in insurance plans, and contributions to the CCHLT Endowment with Centre Foundation.
3. Affordable Housing Development: CCHLT develops affordable housing units (both for sale and rental) in partnership with organizations like Habitat for Humanity of Greater Centre County. Homes are sold to income-qualified buyers at prices tied to Area Median Income limits (60-120% AMI), creating perpetual affordability through the land trust model.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Centre County Housing and Land Trust develops and stewards permanently affordable homes in Centre County, PA using the Community Land Trust model, which separates ownership of land from ownership of homes to keep homes affordable across generations. The organization sells affordable homes to income-qualified buyers earning 60-120% of Area Median Income, operates workforce rental housing in partnership with municipalities, delivers a free Next Steps Financial Literacy program, and provides advisory support to local developers and municipalities on affordable housing policy and planning.

Product overview

Centre County Housing and Land Trust is a non-profit organization offering a portfolio of housing-related services rather than a unified technology product. The core offerings include affordable housing development (Develop Housing, Thompson Place community), financial literacy education (Next Steps Financial Literacy Program), developer and municipal support services, workforce housing rentals, and homeownership programs for households earning 60-120% of Area Median Income. Additional services include strategic planning partnerships and a donation/planned giving program. The organization operates as a 501(c)(3) and primarily serves Centre County, PA residents.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Develop Housing
• Next Steps Financial Literacy Program
• Support to Developers
• Support to Municipalities
• Workforce Housing Rentals
• Homeownership Program
• Donation and Planned Giving Program

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Habitat for Humanity of Greater Centre CountycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008CCHLT's foundational partnership forged after CCHLT's incorporation in 2008. The partnership developed Thompson Place (completed summer 2017) with 9 single-family homes and 2 duplex rehabilitations by Habitat, plus 2 CCHLT-constructed single-family homes. The partnership continues to create permanently affordable housing throughout Centre County.
• Centre FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCHLT has established an endowment with Centre Foundation, allowing donors to make contributions to support long-term affordable housing initiatives in Centre County.
• Centre County GovernmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCHLT works in collaborative partnerships with County government as part of strategic planning to facilitate affordable housing solutions and address housing challenges in the region.
• Local MunicipalitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCHLT partners with local municipalities in Centre County to develop workforce housing, provide expertise for affordable housing policies, and implement housing solutions that promote inclusive communities.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC): National community development financial institution that funds and supports CDCs, CLTs, and affordable housing developers. Could be a funder, capacity builder, or co-investor for an organization like CCHLT.
• Habitat for Humanity International: National umbrella of the Habitat for Humanity affiliate that CCHLT partners with directly. Operates a comparable affordable homeownership mission at scale, though its model is not the CLT ground-lease approach.
• Enterprise Community Partners: Large national affordable housing nonprofit that develops and finances affordable rental and ownership housing nationwide, with policy advisory capacity to municipalities — overlapping with CCHLT's strategic-planning and developer-support functions.

Direct peers

• Burlington Community Land Trust: Historic Burlington, VT CLT founded by Bob Kuehn — the organization that pioneered the modern American CLT model that CCHLT explicitly follows. Now part of Champlain Housing Trust.
• Northern California Community Land Trust: Multi-county CLT operating the same ground-lease, permanently-affordable model across Northern California; useful comparable for cross-regional CLT economics and pipeline management.
• Maggie Walker Community Land Trust: Prominent Richmond, VA-based CLT that stewPermanently affordable homes via the ground lease model with strong resident board representation. Highly comparable organizational structure and mission.
• State College Community Land Trust: Listed by CCHLT itself as a community resource; operates a CLT model in the same Centre County/State College region. Direct peer in geography, mission, and structure.
• Champlain Housing Trust: The largest community land trust in the United States, based in Burlington, VT. Operates the same CLT ground-lease model with shared-equity resale formula to keep homes permanently affordable.
• Habitat for Humanity of Greater Centre County: CCHLT's core co-development partner; develops affordable homeownership housing in Centre County. Operates in the same geography and serves overlapping 60-120% AMI buyer segments.

Emerging players

• Grounded Solutions Network: National membership network supporting community land trusts and shared-equity housing organizations. Provides the framework and best practices CCHLT cites when describing its model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/centre-county-housing-and-land-trust

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Centre County Housing and Land Trust