The Community Land Trust Brussels (CLTB), named after the American low-income housing initiative, will receive the United Nations' 'World Habitat Award' on 29 October.
As the capital's initiative marks its tenth anniversary, it will be recognised for its contribution to popularising the CLT model in Europe, which provides low-income families with access to affordable housing.
The concept first appeared in the United States towards the end of the 1960s, following the civil rights movement, with Democratic Senator and former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, then Mayor of the City of Burlington, deciding to make it a fundamental component of his city's housing policy in the 1980s
Related News
- Bruss'help calls for more support for hotel accommodation for the homeless
- Flanders to help low-income households with energy-efficient renovations
The idea is simple: CLT owners do not own the dwelling, which remains the property of the CLTB. As a result, low-income people have access to inexpensive residences.
CLTB, for its part, has guaranteed that residents have a prominent role in the administration of their accommodation and the organisation's governance to "create resilient communities that are able to manage their habitat," explained Geert De Pauw, the project's coordinator.
