Vernon & District Community Land Trust

The Vernon and District Community Land Trust is a not-for-profit society operating in accordance with the provisions of the BC Societies Act. The Community Land Trust is governed by a Board of Directors consisting of persons who represent the North Okanagan region’s real estate, financial, legal, and business community and who are interested in furthering the affordable housing goals of the region.

A board of eleven directors has been recruited and who will fulfill the traditional role of a Board, providing oversight, advocacy, and strategic planning. The Community Land Trust is also championed by Community Futures - North Okanagan and the Social Planning Council for the North Okanagan who provide administrative and research support.

The Vernon and District Community Land Trust serves all communities located in the North Okanagan Regional District including Armstrong, Cherryville, Coldstream, Enderby, Lumby, Oyama, Spallumcheen, and Vernon.

The vision of the Community Land Trust is:
"a permanent supply of attainable housing for individuals and families in the North Okanagan."

In order to work towards this vision, the Community Land Trust has developed its mission statement to reflect the activities it can achieve toward to goal of permanent attainable housing in the communities.

Mission Statement:
The Vernon & District Community Land Trust solicits and manages donations of land and other assets for the purpose of facilitating the development and provision of attainable housing for the North Okanagan community.

The Community Land Trust is focused on acquiring Land that is held in Trust so it will always be available for housing low-income families and individuals. The acquired land is then leased to other non-profit and community groups who will build and manage the housing development.

The objectives of the Land Trust are:

• To seek and receive donations of land, land and buildings, money, contributions, endowments and gifts of all kinds, to be used exclusively for charitable purposes; in particular for providing housing to persons of low income living in the North Okanagan, where the income of such persons falls beneath the "low income cut-off" amounts published by Statistics Canada from time to time;
  
  
• To make developed and undeveloped lands, acquired by donation, purchase or otherwise, available to other non-profit and/or charitable organizations for development as housing and related facilities and subsequent supply to persons living in the North Okanagan;
  
  
• To support research into, and the dissemination of educational information concerning, the concept of land trust use for community based low-cost housing initiatives;
  
  
• To make gifts to "qualified donees" within the meaning of the Income Tax Act (Canada);
  
  
• To engage in any ancillary or incidental lawful and charitable act or activity for which societies may be organized under the laws of British Columbia and Canada and which the Board of Directors determine ought to be carried on in furtherance of the above stated objects of the Society, and to make such management and service agreements as are advisable or necessary to implement the Society's charitable acts;
  
  
• To conduct or participate in such fundraising activities in order to support the purposes of the Society.