Valley Community Ownership
Technical Assistance Program
Available to preselected SJV Community Ownership organizations
Welcome to the Valley Community Ownership TA Program. This Program is available to preselected SJV organizations for use on community ownership projects from housing to agricultural worker co-ops and more.
Each organization participating in the Valley TA Community Ownership Program has access to up to 4.5 hours of consultations with experts in each of the TA areas: real estate, legal, business planning and organizational capacity building. We will be adding TA for agroecology, small farming side soon. Requests for additional hours will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
TA provided through this program will consist of a 90 minute introductory session (online) with an expert consultant followed by up to three hours of follow-up work with the consultant. The follow-up work can consist of subsequent coaching meetings, or hands-on assistance from the consultant such as document review.
For more information:
- Review 05/14/2024 program launch materials: Slide deck | Recording (English and Spanish)
- Para escuchar en Espanol, apriete el globo abajo del video y seleccione Espanol
If you are unsure about whether your organization is a SJV TA Program participant, or would like to learn more about becoming one, please reach out to Jacky Rivera at [email protected].
REAL ESTATE TECHNHICAL ASSISTANCE
An organization may find this program helpful when…
- Developing an acquisition strategy
- Trying to determine the feasibility of a specific acquisition opportunity
- Planning or implementing rehab
- Other real estate-project related issues.
LEGAL TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
An organization may find this program helpful when…
- Incorporating and drafting bylaws
- Applying for 501c3 status
- Developing a ground lease
- Drafting a partnership agreement
BUSINESS PLANNING TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
An organization may find this program helpful when…
- Creating a working business plan
- Revising an organizational budget
- Projecting staffing and project needs
ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY BUILDING TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
An organization may find this program helpful when…
- Taking an idea for community ownership into an operational plan
- Educating staff, boards, and stakeholders about community ownership or CLTs with solid examples
- Taking your CLT into its next chapter of growth with staff and board
- Creating governance and membership structures in the organization, creating bylaws
- Strategizing with you about your vision or next steps
Meet Our Providers

Land & Liberty - Francis McIlveen
About Francis
For the past 19 years, Francis worked at the Northern California Land Trust in multiple capacities: handling various real estate transactions—from helping low-income families buy and sell CLT homes, to acquisition & development of new projects (including financing & subsidies), to handling donations of property. Francis also served as the Real Estate Broker for NCLT’s Community Realty Brokerage.
Francis oversaw almost all aspects of the acquisition and rehab process for NCLT’s anti-displacement projects, including providing technical assistance and training to housing coops and homeowner’s associations. He also provided technical assistance and coaching to emerging CLTs.
Francis also has experience handling various organizational and fiduciary responsibilities such as reviewing, negotiating and executing various contracts, financial instruments & similar obligations; participating in the annual audit process; and handling various director level organizational needs.
Areas of Assistance/Coaching:
- One on One (i.e. One on organization) assistance with your specific needs in the following areas:
- Assessing the feasibility of potential new projects
- Assembling financing & subsidy needed for new projects
- Plotting a plan—or process—for navigating acquisition & starting development/rehab
- Special considerations for co-op conversions, small site (non-LIHTC) projects, rehab of occupied properties, community driven projects
- Special considerations for CLT ownership models

CTY Housing
About CTY Housing
CTY Housing is a consulting firm based in Los Angeles that works with affordable housing developers, public agencies, and CDFIs in every stage of the development process, from concept to completion. For our CLT clients, we provide financial feasibility analysis and business planning assistance. Specifically, we have helped CLTs develop a framework for growth that includes evaluating the financial feasibility of different product types, setting development goals, identifying potential partnerships, staffing levels, and job descriptions to enable the CLTs to achieve those goals, identifying strategies for supporting organizational growth, and forecasting organizational revenue and expenses.
Areas of Assistance/Coaching:
- One on One (i.e. One on organization) assistance with your specific needs in the following areas:
- Assessing the feasibility of potential new projects
- Assembling financing & subsidy needed for new projects
- Plotting a plan—or process—for navigating acquisition & starting development/rehab
- Financial statement analysis
- Strategic planning

Christina Oatfield
About Christina
Christina is an attorney specializing in legal issues affecting cooperatives, nonprofits, and small creative businesses. For the last 5 years she has had her own law practice in which she provides general counsel to dozens of nonprofit organizations, including about five community land trusts and several other organizations engaged in stewarding real estate for charitable purposes. Many of her clients are led by and serve people of color in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. Her nonprofit organization clients range from those in the early steps of formation to those with multiple decades of history and tens of millions in real estate assets.
Prior to her starting her own law practice, she worked at the Sustainable Economies Law Center (SELC) for 8 years leading legislative advocacy campaigns to advance homemade food sales, local agriculture, worker cooperatives, affordable housing land trusts, housing cooperatives, and local investing. Christina has written and coauthored numerous legal information materials for nonprofit and business leaders, including several guides for the California Community Land Trust Network.

Kim Thompson Consulting
About Kim
Kim served as Executive Director of the Community Land Trust Association of West Marin (CLAM) for eight years, and has a twenty five year track record in community development. This includes organizational development, community-based housing and asset development, tenant and community organizing, and policy advocacy at all jurisdictional levels. She is originally from Fresno, CA and has worked on regional efforts in the San Joaquin Valley; she currently lives in Marin County where she coordinates a collaborative of community land trusts.
Kim supports start-up CLTs, new CLT programs, or community ownership efforts by:
- Strategizing with you about how to grow and implement your vision
- Leading groups through key start-up questions, shaping & implementing a workplan to create a new community ownership effort.
- Clarifying roles & responsibilities across staff and boards for CLT work
- Organizational development and transition for new & existing CLTs including staffing plans, communications, developing effective partnerships and strategic planning
- Addressing CLT membership, board representation, resident representation, governance and bylaws
- Providing education about the CLT model for staff, boards, and stakeholders, highlighting the principles of community land trusts and providing operational examples
CTY Housing
Areas of Assistance/Coaching:
- One on One (i.e. One on organization) assistance with your specific needs in the following areas:
- Assessing the feasibility of potential new projects
- Assembling financing & subsidy needed for new projects
- Plotting a plan—or process—for navigating acquisition & starting development/rehab
- Financial statement analysis
- Strategic planning
Christina Oatfield
Christina is an attorney specializing in legal issues affecting cooperatives, nonprofits, and small creative businesses. For the last 5 years she has had her own law practice in which she provides general counsel to dozens of nonprofit organizations, including about five community land trusts and several other organizations engaged in stewarding real estate for charitable purposes. Many of her clients are led by and serve people of color in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. Her nonprofit organization clients range from those in the early steps of formation to those with multiple decades of history and tens of millions in real estate assets.
Prior to her starting her own law practice, she worked at the Sustainable Economies Law Center (SELC) for 8 years leading legislative advocacy campaigns to advance homemade food sales, local agriculture, worker cooperatives, affordable housing land trusts, housing cooperatives, and local investing. Christina has written and coauthored numerous legal information materials for nonprofit and business leaders, including several guides for the California Community Land Trust Network.
What to Expect

Unless otherwise stated, each organization starts with 4.5 hours of technical assistance (TA) per program area – Real Estate, Legal, Business Planning, and Organizational Capacity Building – for the calendar year. For grant disbursement reasons, these allotted hours cannot be transferred/traded between TA areas. However, CACLTN staff will consider requests for additional hours on a case-by-case basis
By utilizing this technical assistance, you agree that it in no way should be construed as rendering any legal advice.