Excerpted from www.LongIslandAdvance.net, April 13, 2006 issue. pg. 6

The idea to create a land trust originated in 2003 with the area’s
hamlet study undertaken together with New Directions, Community- Based
Research Institute, Inc., Superintendent Michael LaFever, the Town of
Brookhaven, and members of the community. A non-profit corporation, New
Directions brings a team of university researchers to partner with
stakeholders interested in finding ways to effectively lay claim to
their communities.

The hamlet study viewed the entire school district as a community,
established its needs, and discovered an overarching theme: the need
for decent and affordable housing in neighborhoods burdened with
abandoned structures, absentee landlords, and a high number of
overpriced and often substandard rentals.

The land trust was adopted as a way to address these problems by bringing home ownership home. Miles Malone, a North Bellport resident and vocal community activist who has mixed feelings about the impact of Habitat and LIHP homes on his neighborhood, explained that the point of the land trust is to put stewardship in the hands of the community, not outsiders.

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....For 35 years, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development has worked hard to draw attention to the plight of those suffering from long-term systemic poverty and its effects by supporting efforts that address the causes of poverty…One such initiative in our diocese is the South Country Community Land Trust, organized by a group of residents in the Bellport area.  The land trust is a way for a community to create and administer a permanent stock of affordable homes for low-income people, and have a voice in the development and revitalization of their neighborhood at the same time…
For the complete text go to http://www.usccb.org/cchd/

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Articles:

Newsday- January 21, 2007
A Man on a Mission: A lifteime of experieince has convinced Bob Mulvey that lan trusts are the route to afforadable housing.
To read PDR - Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4

The Long Island Advance - February 8, 2007
SC Land Trust Inches Forward - Fledgling group awaits non-profit status and first property transfers

Community in Need of Help - North Bellport deemed most economically distressed community on Long Island.

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