Brattleboro Area
Community Land Trust

192 Canal Street
Brattleboro, VT 05301

(802) 254-4604

Laterre House, Wilmington.

Single family home, Brattleboro.

Single family home, Whitingham.

Single family home, Brookline.

Single family home, Whitingham.

Our Programs

Rental Housing Development | HomeOwnership Center of Southeastern Vermont

To keep up-to-date with BACLT's projects and programs, subscribe now to our monthly e-newsletter.

Since its incorporation in 1987, BACLT has held firm to its belief that quality, affordable housing is an essential component of family and community stability and a basic human right. This fundamental belief has guided the Land Trust's housing programs and projects throughout the years, helping the region's communities meet the affordable housing needs of their citizens.

BACLT strives to create a stable, residential environment and to promote sustainable communities in which low and moderate income families and individuals can thrive. Moreover, BACLT works to protect and enhance the social, aesthetic and historic fabric of the region.

Rental Housing Development Program

In BACLT's Rental Housing Development Program, multi-family properties are purchased by the Land Trust and renovated into decent, safe, and affordable rental units. Once the housing is rehabilitated, Land Trust staff provide comprehensive property management services, as well as special supportive services designed to help residents maintain housing stability. These supportive services create an essential "safety net" for Land Trust residents, which ensure that our residents have adequate opportunities, skills, and resources necessary to maintain stable housing and prevent family crises.

For current vacancies, look at our Apartments for Rent page. For further information, call Lorelei at 254-4604 or email info@baclt.org

Our Homeownership Center offers a variety of programs to help homebuyers achieve homeownership and help homeowners keep and maintain their homes.

For homebuyers, we offer monthly Homebuyer Education Workshops, along with one-one-one homebuying counseling services. Income-eligible buyers may have an opportunity to buy a home at a reduced price through our HOMELAND Program.

We offer one-on-one Foreclosure Prevention counseling services to Vermont families finding themselves in a tough financial situation. We offer low or no interest Rehab loans to income-eligible homeowners for repairs necessary to make their homes safe places to live.

Homebuyer Education

Homebuyer Education Workshop
We offer monthly homebuyer education workshops. These 8- hour workshops are held either on a Saturday or split into two 4-hour sessions, held on Monday and Tuesday evenings. Click here to see upcoming workshop dates and times. This course will help you determine if homeownership is right for you and take you through the steps of the home buying process. Topics covered in the workshop are:

Money management and budgeting

Credit reports and scores

How to qualify for a mortgage

The role of the real estate broker

Home Inspections

The role of the real estate attorney

Information about buying a home through BACLT's Homeland Program

In order to attend one of our workshops, you must register in advance and submit to us a confidential personal profile and an authorization form that allows us to pull your comprehensive credit report.

Workshop fee: $50
This covers the cost of materials and for pulling your comprehensive credit report. This amount will be returned to you when you purchase a home.

One-on-one Homebuyer Counseling
Once you have completed one of our homebuyer workshops, we offer one-on-one counseling services to further assist you through the home buying process. Whether you are three months or three years away from actually purchasing a home, we are here to help you achieve your goal. We will sit down with you to develop your personal home buying plan, discuss which financing options will work best for you, assist you with completing paperwork, and prepare you for closing.

For more information on Homebuyer Education, please contact Melanie Gaier, Housing Counselor, at (802) 254-4604 extension 102 or via email at mgaier@baclt.org.

Return to HomeOwnership Center

HOMELAND Program

BACLT is a participant in the state-wide HOMELAND Program, a homeownership program run by community land trusts across Vermont. The HOMELAND Program makes affordable homeownership available to low and moderate income homebuyers. For program details and to learn if you are eligible, please see our income eligibility guidelines .

There are two ways to purchase a home through this program:

Purchase a home on the real estate market
Income-eligible homebuyers can receive grant funds to help subsidize the cost of a home for sale on the real estate market. Here is how it works: Income-eligible homebuyers first locate a single family home of their choice selling for less than $230,000. If the home passes BACLT's structural and systems inspection, BACLT provides a grant of 20% of the sale price up to $40,000 toward the purchase of the land under the home, thereby lowering the total cost of the home to the buyer. In return for this grant, the Land Trust retains ownership of the land, which assures long-term affordability to future homeowners of that property.

Purchase an existing HOMELAND property
Income-eligible homebuyers may buy a home that is already part of the Land Trust system. When a current Land Trust homeowner decides to sell their home, the Land Trust helps the seller find another income-eligible buyer. The home is sold to the new buyer at below market value. View homes for sale in BACLT's HOMELAND program.

In addition to this purchase subsidy, HOMELAND homebuyers can:

Get a below-market rate VHFA mortgage

Attend our Homebuyer Education Workshop

Receive one-one-one home buying counseling services

Receive financial assistance with closing costs

For more information, please see our HOMELAND Program fact sheet . If you are interested in purchasing a home through the HOMELAND program, fill out a HOMELAND Application .

Contact: Cathy Semans, Homeownership Coordinator, at (802) 254-4604 extension 109 or via email at csemans@baclt.org.

Return to HomeOwnership Center

Rehab Loan Fund

If you are a homeowner, does your home need any of the following repairs?

Plumbing

Weatherization

Electrical

Roofing

Lead Paint

Septic System

Well and Spring Improvements

Health and Safety Hazards

Other Necessary Repairs

You may be eligible to receive a low or no interest loan through the Southeastern Vermont Rehab Loan Fund! We provide loans to low and moderate income families to make repairs necessary to bring their homes up to code and make them safe places to live.

How does the loan fund work?
BACLT's Rehabilitation Specialist inspects your home for health and safety issues and determines what repairs are necessary. Then we help you plan your project by getting quotes from reliable contractors. Finally, we finance the project at a low interest rate or no interest rate, depending on your income level. As you repay your loan, your payments are returned to the fund, making them available for future homeowners in need of home repair.

Who is Eligible?
All homeowners that live in our service area and have household incomes at or below 80% of the area median income are eligible to borrow funds for critical home repairs through BACLT or their town program. If you meet our income eligibility guidelines and are interested in this program, fill out an eligibility form.

Return to HomeOwnership Center

Foreclosure Prevention Counseling

We also offer counseling services to homeowners who are having trouble making their mortgage payments. If you are a homeowner experiencing such difficulties, we will work with you to get you back on track and in good standing. For more information on Foreclosure Prevention Counseling, please contact Melanie Gaier, Housing Counselor, at (802) 254-4604 extension 102 or via email at mgaier@baclt.org.

Return to HomeOwnership Center