CALICO - Care and Living in Community

The Brussels-Capital Region (BCR) faces a significant and ongoing housing crisis, largely driven by a shortage of social housing. In 2018, the number of people on the waiting list reached 48,000, representing a 29% increase from 2012[1]. Adding to these challenges is the sharp rise in real estate prices and rents over the past decade. Between 2010 and 2020, rents have risen by 83% - five times more than inflation and three times more than the average wage[2]. This surge in costs has made housing increasingly unaffordable for many, placing further strain on the already struggling housing market. Several vulnerable groups are disproportionately impacted by the housing situation, including the elderly, women, migrants, and low-income families. The housing crisis is further exacerbated by the issue of low-quality housing. Many of the available dwellings lack essential facilities, which significantly impacts the quality of life for those who reside in them. All of these challenges highlight the need for urgent improvements in the existing housing stock.

[1] Community Land Trust Financial Case Studies | Interreg NWE

[2] La crise du logement à Bruxelles : la comprendre et en sortir ! – Rassemblement bruxellois pour le droit a l’habitat. Available at: http://rbdh-bbrow.be/IMG/pdf/Analyse-RBDH-Anne-Sophie-Dupont-Crise-du-logement-decembre-2022.pdf

The CALICO Community Land Trust (CLT) offers a promising solution to these housing challenges in Brussels. One of the primary advantages of a CLT is its ability to create and sustain affordable housing by keeping sale and rental prices below market rates. Unlike the traditional housing market, where property values and rents can skyrocket, CLTs use mechanisms like resale price restrictions to keep homes affordable over the long term. By holding land in trust for the community and separating land ownership from property ownership, CLTs can mitigate the impact of increasing real estate prices and rents that have intensified the housing crisis in the Brussels-Capital Region. This model ensures that housing remains affordable for future generations, addressing the ongoing shortage of affordable homes in the area. The CLT model has been recognised as best practice in the Habitat III UN’s New Urban Agenda and the EU Urban Agenda on Housing[1].

In addition to these practical benefits, CLTs empower communities by involving residents, community members, and public representatives in decision-making. This innovative governance model ensures that housing solutions are tailored to the specific needs of the community, fostering a sense of ownership and long-term commitment to neighbourhood well-being. This approach reflects the "Care" dimension of community living, where co-living arrangements can improve both physical and mental health by reducing loneliness and boosting social connections.

[1] European Community Land Trust Network, A vehicle for European CLTs to scale and deepen their social and environmental impact. Available at https://static1.squarespace.com/static/62a1f10a62a5e9291081c078/t/6581f1bc1afc776aae7fe8dd/1703014850761/European+CLT+Network+Presentation.pdf

In practical terms, the CLT acquires ownership of the land and then separates the ownership of the land from that of the buildings constructed on it (see step 1 from Figure 1). It grants a real property right through an emphyteutic lease[1] to legal entities that acquire and finance the ownership of these buildings, whether they are individual homebuyers or collective structures like cooperatives or foundations (see step 2 from Figure 1). This separation of property rights, specifically through the emphyteutic lease, enables the CLTB to enforce anti-speculative measures, to which the building owners must adhere. The CLTB ensures long-term price control over the housing developed on its land, providing a level of stability comparable to that offered by public ownership of housing stock. The CLTB provides affordable housing to individuals who meet the same income criteria as those required for social housing, making it accessible for low-income families[2].

Beyond making homeownership accessible to low-income families, the CLTB prioritises the integration of its projects within the neighbourhood. To achieve this, it organises various activities that bring together future residents and local community members throughout the project's development. As a result, by the time the new households move in, they are not only partially integrated into the neighbourhood’s social fabric, but have also cultivated the skills needed to manage their future shared property through collective action.

When selecting sites for CLTs, it is important to identify available land and understand the legal and financial pathways for acquisition. Several options are possible and will depend on the local context. For example, municipal land may become available, offering opportunities for CLTs to collaborate with local governments. Alternatively, CLTs may be integrated into existing sites, maximising the use of available space. The CALICO project acquired a site that already had a permit and a contracting company in place, simplifying the development process. Site selection was based on specific criteria, including proximity to a hospital to support its "birth-to-end" care model, and affordability to fit within budget constraints. Located in the Forest municipality of the Brussels-Capital Region, CALICO is part of a district that, over the past 15 years, has transformed from an old industrial area and wasteland into a mix of private, public, and social housing. The project is integrated into a new real estate complex purchased as a turnkey solution.

The design and implementation of the CALICO CLT was relatively straightforward, largely due to the involvement of the Community Land Trust Brussels (CLTB) a central organisation managing the different CLTs across Brussels and a partner in the project. Having a central CLT organisation acts as a hub of expertise, streamlining processes and offering support to individual sites. By coordinating efforts, CLTB enhanced overall efficiency, facilitated the sharing of best practices, and contributed to the development of a more sustainable and replicable model. In addition, such an organisation plays a crucial role in navigating regulatory challenges, securing financing, and managing stakeholder relationships—critical factors that often hinder successful land development and the implementation of CLT models.

The CALICO CLT sought to provide 34 affordable homes low and moderate-income families. The homes are organised into three co-housing clusters offering both ownership and rental options. Housing costs and ownership arrangements are tailored to each resident's financial circumstances, ensuring affordability by scaling payments to household income. The resident community exhibits the following key demographic characteristics:

• ¾ of the households are eligible for social housing.
• 50% of the adults are over 50 years old in each cluster.
• 82.5% of the adults in the project are women, of whom about 39% are single and 42% are heads of single-parent families.
• 55% of the adults were born in a foreign country of which 35% were born outside Europe.

Initial upfront investment & funding sources

Given the high cost of land and property in Brussels, developing a project with this level of social housing and long-term price control relies on public subsidies or grants for land acquisition. The CALICO project relied on significant public intervention, particularly through UIA funds. The primary source of financial support—about two-thirds of the total investment—comes from public funds granted to the CLTB. The CALICO project also received funding from the Brussels Capital Region (about €100,000) and from a philanthropy foundation (€30,000).

The budget breakdown for the IFS is summarised in the table below.

In the CLT model, a unique aspect is that maintenance costs are covered by the owners rather than public authorities. In the CALICO project, cooperatives and owner-occupiers manage these costs independently, with no involvement from public authorities. However, during the first two years of the project's occupancy, the Brussels region provided CLTB with an additional grant of €61,000) to support resident training, empowerment, and other assistance.

The governance of the Community Land Trust Brussels (CLTB) follows a tripartite structure, with its board of directors consisting of three groups: one-third are representatives from public authorities, one-third are members of the general public connected to the project’s neighbourhood, and the final third are CLT residents. This structure is commonly used among CLTs across the world.[1] All members of the board are elected by a general assembly, ensuring a democratic and inclusive decision-making process. This tripartite governance model is a common feature among most CLTs, promoting balanced representation and accountability across stakeholders.

The CALICO project is led by a consortium of local & regional governments, non-profit organisations and academics. The primary coordinators are Bruxelles.Logement (Brussels Capital Region) and the CLTB, who lead the project's development and implementation. To ensure the project's successful execution, legal experts are consulted to verify that the CLT model is feasible and compliant with Belgian housing law. The different units of the CALICO CLT are separated between CLTB (12 units), Pass-ages (10 units), and Angela.D (10 units), and are illustrated in the Figure 2 below. Both Pass-ages and Angela.D are community-led cohousing initiatives that were partners in the project. Angela.D’s focus was on gender-sensitive housing solutions, while Pass-ages developed a cohousing model integrating facilities for both childbirth and end-of-life care.

• Financial support: The CALICO CLT model benefited from grant funding. Public subsidies or grants for land acquisition are essential for projects involving a high level of social housing and long-term price control. Approximately two-thirds of the total investment in CLT Brussels (CLTB) projects comes from public funds, which is critical for enabling community-led housing developments. However, some initiatives, such as Fair Ground Brussels[1], operate as cooperatives with the goal of functioning without public financial support, demonstrating the potential to replicate the CLT model without relying on public funds.
• Strong partnerships: Collaborations between CLTs and building developers are crucial, particularly for projects requiring a specific percentage of affordable homes. CLTs ensure these affordable housing obligations are met, maintaining long-term accessibility for lower-income residents. Additionally, partnerships foster community-led governance, ensuring socially and economically sustainable housing.

[1] A real estate cooperative with a social purpose - Fair Ground Brussels

To ensure the effectiveness of the CLT, it is important to consider the regulatory framework. In this case of CALICO, it was only recently that the government adopted a decree defining the conditions for the approval and financing of a Community Land Trust (Regional Land Alliance) as provided for in Article 2 of the Brussels Housing Code. It can be seen here that the feasibility of the project's financial set-up is dependent on the CLTB being recognised upstream as a public housing operator, which itself is the result of a long process of institutionalisation of the CLTB, independent but parallel to the CALICO project. On 17 November 2021, the CLTB was officially recognised as a regional housing operator. This recognition allowed the CLTB to finally guarantee the sale of the housing units to the 8 CLTB buyer households at a 6% VAT rate. This approval establishes the legitimacy of the CLTB as a public operator.

Moreover, recognition from public authorities is crucial for the effectiveness of the CLT. This recognition legitimises the CLT as a formal operator within the housing sector. This is important to establishing partnerships with various stakeholders, including public institutions, financial institutions, and the community. Recognition from public authorities can bolster the CLT’s capacity to advocate for and influence housing policy. It provides the CLT with a platform to engage in policy discussions and contribute to shaping housing strategies that address the needs of the community.

An important societal factor in the success of the CALICO project is the buy-in from the future occupants, with the community dimension being central to its model. From the outset, CALICO placed strong emphasis on involving residents in every stage of the project, from planning and design to governance. This active participation creates a foundation for mutual care and shared decision-making, which is essential for maintaining the social fabric and long-term sustainability of the community. Without this buy-in, the project's goals of creating a socially inclusive, cooperative living environment would be difficult to achieve.

The CALICO experience shows that when designing CLTs, cities should be mindful of several key obstacles, which need to be addressed to ensure that CLTs can effectively function, remain financially sustainable, and continue to foster inclusive, community-driven housing solutions. They include:

• Tackling budgetary and urban planning trade-offs that often arise between competing housing policies
• Professionalising the growing cooperative housing sector
• Establishing procurement procedures that prioritise and support community-led governance.
• Securing Pre-development financing. In some countries, securing pre-development financing before obtaining planning permission is a significant challenge for CLTs, as it is essential for covering critical early-stage costs like feasibility studies, site assessments, legal fees, and other pre-construction expenses. However, due to the inherent risks of this stage, banks are often reluctant to provide loans. To overcome this obstacle, CLTs can explore alternative funding sources, such as grants, subsidies, or partnerships with public authorities. A practical solution, as seen in the CALICO project, is acquiring a site that already has permits and a contracting company in place, which simplifies the pre-development process and reduces the need for substantial early financing. This approach can help CLTs bypass the financial barriers typically associated with the pre-development phase.
• Addressing regulatory challenges: CALICO faced a specific challenge whereby local regulations required the construction of parking lots for new housing projects. Given that CALICO's tenants are typically low-income individuals who often do not own cars, the project needed to seek an exemption from this requirement to align with the community's needs and financial realities. This highlights a common tension in urban development where standard planning policies may work against affordable housing goals. Parking requirements, though well-intentioned for managing urban infrastructure, can burden affordable housing projects with unnecessary costs and waste valuable space that could provide more housing units or community facilities. The fact that CALICO needed to seek an exemption point to a deeper issue in urban policy-making: regulations designed for general urban development may need to be reconsidered to better accommodate diverse community needs, particularly in affordable housing contexts.

CALICO has successfully delivered this innovative model of housing policy. At the end of the project implementation, the land and common spaces were purchased by Public Utility Foundation Community Land Trust Brussels (PUF CLTB) and 34 adapted affordable housing units were delivered. All spaces were purchased from the developer and then either sold or rented by CLTB to the respective occupants. In total, 8 sales and 26 rental agreements were finalised, with all households selected and settled in the newly completed building.

The project achieved almost all of its objectives, with one of its key successes being the provision of permanently affordable, high-quality housing. While the construction of homes was a significant accomplishment, the project’s impact extended well beyond housing. It successfully integrated innovative facilities like the birth and end-of-life care centre and the “Le Delta” community space, which have thrived largely due to their integration within a community-led housing model. This structure played a crucial role in their success. The project also significantly raised awareness of gender and housing issues in Brussels.

In terms of community building, the project exceeded expectations, fostering mutual solidarity among residents across the three housing clusters. Although the original plan to establish formal care networks was ultimately set aside, residents have consistently shared how informal exchanges and mutual support now define the CALICO community.

The CALICO project provided CLTB with the opportunity to test some innovations that were not possible within the traditional framework of Regional funding, enabling several ideas to be realised and tested. Notably, CLTB integrated rental housing into one of its projects for the first time, facilitating an intergenerational project that allowed older residents—who often cannot obtain mortgage loans—to participate. Another significant innovation was the inclusion of a gender dimension in the project’s design, a feature that would have been impossible under the usual framework. Additionally, this project marked the first cohousing initiative developed on CLT land in Brussels, alongside the creation of Belgium’s unique Birth and End-of-Life facility. New approaches also included integrating two housing-first units within a CLTB project. The project played a pivotal role in launching Fair Ground Brussels, a social real estate cooperative that CLTB had initiated years earlier, and enabled the establishment of the "Villages de Passages" cooperative, revitalizing interest in housing cooperatives in Brussels. Overall, the project fostered stronger collaboration between partners, particularly between CLTB and the Brussels Capital administration, leading to a sustainable and productive partnership. The CALICO CLT, like many other CLTs, introduces an innovative approach to governing funds by involving citizens directly in the financial decision-making process. This model allows residents to actively participate in setting budget allocations and funding priorities, fostering a transparent and inclusive management of CLT resources. By aligning financial decisions with the community’s needs and values, this approach ensures that resources are directed towards initiatives that are meaningful to residents and support the community’s shared goals.

While CLTs typically require initial grants, their structure is designed to ensure the long-term sustainability of the project by creating a framework that delivers enduring community benefits. The residents of CALICO have continued to focus on communal living and mutual care through their working groups. Although EVA Bxl Project Partner, which was responsible for launching the community care strategy, is no longer involved, the other key partners remain actively engaged. The three principal partners—Community Land Trust Bruxelles (CLTB), AngelaD, and Pass-ages—continue to oversee their respective clusters, maintaining regular contact with residents and offering support as needed. While these partners are committed to supporting the CALICO project, their aim is to gradually step back, allowing residents to take an active role in cultivating a self-sustaining community to ensure the project's long-term sustainability.

The most prominent outcome in this area is the "Housing Deal" initiative by the Sohonet network, which brings together a diverse array of stakeholders in housing—from private developers to public bodies and community associations. Based on the experience of CALICO, Sohonet advocates for adapting its non-speculative, affordable housing model to create a new sector of housing policy in Brussels. Central to this campaign is the principle that public land should no longer be sold on the open market; instead, regional and local authorities should lease land with non-speculation clauses, like those developed by CLTB. This approach would enable both non-profit developers, such as Fair Ground Brussels, and private developers willing to meet these conditions, to provide a sustainable stream of permanently affordable housing. While this campaign has garnered substantial attention, it has yet to yield concrete outcomes. Additionally, CALICO is now at the heart of the European Innovation Transfer Network “Cities4cohousing” (URBACT), where, over two years, cities from Spain, Italy, Portugal, Greece, and Montenegro will participate in a program to adapt and implement CALICO's learnings in their own urban contexts.

Drawing on the experience of CALICO, several key insights can be drawn for cities looking to implement CLTs as a sustainable solution to housing challenges. While they need to be adapted to local contexts, these can help guide cities in establishing successful CLTs, ensuring that housing remains affordable, community-driven, and socially inclusive.

• Strong Partnerships: The success of the CALICO project was rooted in its partnerships between public authorities, non-profits, and community organisations. Collaboration ensured that each partner brought specific expertise and resources, which would not have been as easily available otherwise.
• Resident involvement at the Inception: From the very beginning of the project, CALICO prioritised resident involvement, ensuring that future occupants were active participants in the planning, design, and governance of their housing. This early engagement fostered a sense of ownership and collective responsibility among residents, empowering them to co-create a community that catered to their needs.
• Adapting to Local Urban Planning Regulations: Each city operates under its unique set of zoning laws and regulatory frameworks that dictate land use and development processes. Navigating these complexities is essential for any CLT seeking to secure land and create social housing.
• Community-led Governance: The project was governed by a tripartite board that included residents, local community members, and public authority representatives, ensuring that all voices were heard and balanced.
• Involvement of Central Organisation: The involvement of a central organisation, such as the Community Land Trust Brussels (CLTB) in CALICO, was important in coordinating the various aspects of the project. CLTB acted as a facilitator, leveraging its experience and resources to manage land acquisition and navigate regulatory challenges. Having a central body helped ensure continuity and efficiency, reducing the complexity and risks involved in establishing a CLT.

• Eurostat (2024). Population (regional level) database
• Impact Report 2023. Community Land Trust Brussels
• La crise du logement à Bruxelles : la comprendre et en sortir ! – Rassemblement bruxellois pour le droit a l’habitat
• Community Land Trust Financial Case Studies | Interreg NWE
• European Community Land Trust Network, A vehicle for European CLTs to scale and deepen their social and environmental impact
• CALICO Recommendation Report on Replicability, Scaling-up and Dissemination
• CALICO End Evaluation Report      
• CALICO Application Form, Internal document, made available by UIA Permanent Secretariat
• CALICO Project Closure & Sustainability Fiche, Internal document, made available by UIA Permanent Secretariat
• CALICO Final Qualitative Report, Internal document, made available by UIA Permanent Secretariat
• Interview with Thibault Leroy, CLTB Coordinator and Laura Parker-Tong, Head of Strategy at the European Community Land Trust Network.