Community Housing Land Trust of Rhode Island

I bought my first home through the CHLT two years ago.  As a first timer buyer, it was a little overwhelming, but Melina was so helpful and patient answering my questions and walking me through every step of the process.  It really made me feel very comfortable and confident in getting to the closing.  I love my home and am so grateful for the opportunity this program offered me. 

I have worked with Melina Lodge and the CHLT for over a decade and I cannot think of a single person who does more to advance affordable housing in the State. The CHLT is a critical partner to municipalities in their efforts to create affordable housing and ensure these housing units are maintained and occupied in accordance with applicable local, state, and federal laws, ordinances and regulations. Melina and the CHLT constantly go above and beyond expectations in fulfilling their role. I have worked with Melina to solve a number of issues with monitored properties and I am always grateful for her involvement, without which, it is safe to say that many of these issues would need to be solved in court rather than through diligence and cooperation with the affected property owners. Having worked with representatives from other monitoring agencies in Rhode Island, I can confidently say that the CHLT is unmatched in their attention to detail, knowledge of the entire process, and dedication to the mission. 

I have worked with the Community Housing Land Trust for over 5 years and they have consistently demonstrated a high level of expertise, diligence and commitment to ensure the success of the applications of our prospective residents. Their attention to detail when processing and reviewing those applications has proven invaluable.

The CHLT team has always been very knowledgeable, accessible and helpful with our projects.  They consistently go above and beyond, and have even helped us out by coming to neighborhood meetings to assist with community outreach, engagement and education on forthcoming projects.                              

Melina’s thorough understanding of lending standards and underwriting practices as well as being an affordable housing content expert (there is nothing is this space that she doesn’t know!) has been so critical to ensuring we can get clients through the process and have a smooth closing transaction.

We really enjoy doing closings with the CHLT. They are proactive in their communication and go out their way to ensure the closing process is seamless.

We have been homeowners for the last 5 years.  Last year we experienced the need for a major home repair and had no idea where to turn.  We ended up calling our monitoring agent and boy, are we glad we did!  Melina was able to direct us to grant funds that could help lower the cost for us, helped us navigate the process and even chased down answers when we couldn’t get them ourselves.  She genuinely cared that we had a good experience and it was so nice to know we had such a powerful advocate in our corner.

In my role as a Realtor, I have had the opportunity to work with the CHLT over the last few years. Their professionalism, attention to detail, and deep understanding of the affordable housing process consistently stand out. Whether they are assisting buyers, sellers or agents, the CHLT team is always responsive, thoughtful and timely in their communication. One of the most commendable aspects of working with the CHLT is their willingness to field a wide range of questions from potential applicants, ensuring that all parties feel informed, supported and empowered to move forward confidently. Their clear communication and deep commitment to accessibility have helped demystify what can be a complex and intimidating process. Melina and her team strike an excellent balance between upholding the program requirements and working collaboratively with all parties to facilitate successful transactions.

Melina is probably one of most knowledgeable people I’ve ever met when it comes to the Comprehensive Permit process and deed restricted housing! She is more than willing to share what she knows with anyone and I learn something new every time I talk to her.

Melina is probably one of most knowledgeable people I’ve ever met when it comes to the Comprehensive Permit process and deed restricted housing! She is more than willing to share what she knows with anyone and I learn something new every time I talk to her.

The CHLT has been such an asset to us on our projects.  Melina is a great problem solver – her ability to talk through issues and imagine/propose alternatives is really superior.  The number of people that she has relationships with is truly impressive and she is more than willing to leverage those relationships to help you.  In our most recent project, we got hung up on receiving Certificates of Occupancy because there was some miscommunication within the Town as to what was needed to proceed.  Melina offered to call the Town staff person, explain the process and see if was possible to find a way forward.  Two hours later we had a email from the town staff person releasing the CO’s!