REINVEST BALTIMORE SPOTLIGHT: South Baltimore Community Land Trust

Reinvest Baltimore Brings Critical Financial Boost to South Baltimore Community Land Trust, Curtis Bay Neighborhood

As part of the Reinvest Baltimore initiative, the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development has begun a series highlighting DHCD’s work with its partners to transform the city. For more information, please visit our Reinvest Baltimore website.

South Baltimore Community Land Trust was created with a clear mission: to create people first, community-owned development without displacement and zero waste in Baltimore.

“SBCLT believes that people directly impacted by environmental, economic and racial injustice must be in the lead to create development that regenerates our communities and our planet,” said Melany Thomas, executive director of the South Baltimore Community Land Trust. “Building on this belief, we take land out of the extractive speculative sector and put it into the hands of the community to advance a proactive vision for development without displacement and zero waste.”

In July, SBCLT received critical funding to its mission to reshape Curtis Bay in the form of a Baltimore Vacants Reinvestment Initiative award, through a unique funding partnership between the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (MD DHCD) and the Maryland Community Investment Corporation.

On July 7, Governor Moore announced $30 million in BVRI funding that will go toward 16 community development organizations – including SBCLT – and their development partners.

A home created through the South Baltimore Community Land Trust. (Photos courtesy South Baltimore Community Land Trust)

The funding given to SBCLT will support its “Rise, Reclaim, Rebuild Homeowner and Renter Initiative” in Curtis Bay, which focuses on stabilizing housing for local residents.

“What makes our model unique is the ongoing stewardship we provide to homeowners,” Thomas said. “We help residents navigate the challenges of homeownership — everything from property maintenance and budgeting to understanding property taxes and accessing available resources. We also work closely with partners to offer continued education, ensuring families are supported well beyond the purchase of their home.”

The before and after work of the South Baltimore Community Land Trust. (South Baltimore Community Land Trust photos)

Thomas added that money from BVRI and other state funds will be forever connected with the neighborhood.

“The grant dollars invested in each home stay with the property, not the individual, which helps keep it permanently affordable for future buyers,” she said. “This approach not only benefits the initial homeowner but ensures long-term affordability for generations to come.”

The plan is for this award to help springboard SBCLT into additional help in the future, Thomas said.

“We also hope to leverage this BVRI award to secure additional funding, expanding access to permanently affordable homes and building a stronger, more resilient South Baltimore,” she said.

Thomas said the work to transform Curtis Bay is a long-term project and one that will require help from many places, including MD DHCD.

“Collaborating with MD DHCD has been a meaningful step in that direction. Their partnership on projects aimed at eliminating concentrations of vacant properties and revitalizing neighborhoods has helped move important work forward,” she said. “While there is still much to be done, having MD DHCD at the table allows for more coordinated strategies and the potential for long-term, community-centered impact.”

Thomas said the overall efforts of Reinvest Baltimore have been crucial to create momentum for groups like SBCLT in their work to eliminate vacants and revitalize Baltimore’s neighborhoods.

“Initiatives like Reinvest Baltimore are an important start in addressing the deep-rooted challenges of vacancy and disinvestment in our communities. They help align resources and bring attention to the need for targeted reinvestment in neighborhoods that have long been overlooked,” she said. “For our work, Reinvest Baltimore supports the broader vision of community ownership, permanently affordable housing, and equitable development.

“But it’s just the beginning — we need continued collaboration, sustained support, and bold policy and banking reform to ensure that housing is treated as a right for all. Only then can we truly eliminate concentrations of vacant properties and revitalize neighborhoods in a way that benefits current residents and legacy residents that want to return to communities they once grew up in.”

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