I've heard it said that inclusionary housing can't work. The rationale for this assertion is usually one of the following: (1) you simply can't expect lower- income families to live happily in the same neighborhoods with upper-income families. The income differential will cause jealousies, particularly among children, and (2) Upper-income families will not want to live in neighborhoods with lower-income families because their property values will suffer.

After selling more than 100 inclusionary homes over the past eight years, we have found that inclusionary housing can be successful -- though not without a thoughtful, long-term perspective.

When the Chapel Hill Town Council asked us to implement its inclusionary housing program in 2001, the Land Trust was a relatively young organization, but we undertook our responsibilities with gusto. We were responsible for working with developers to sell affordable homes to households typically earning less than 80 percent of the median income. We were required to prepare these families for homeownership, help them to obtain bank financing, explain the Land Trust model and assist with the closing.

Our experience selling Land Trust homes on Milton Avenue and in Meadowmont, Larkspur, Vineyard Square, Pacifica, Twin Magnolias and Mulberry Place has taught us that inclusionary housing requires a commitment to working with homeowners on a wide variety of issues that are faced by all homeowners. Tops on this list is long-term maintenance. If the affordable homes are not well maintained over time, inclusionary housing is doomed to fail. The failure will be caused by a diminution of value of the market-rate homes -- the second concern listed above. But if affordable homes are well maintained they will blend into the surrounding neighborhood and the fears of diminished property values will vanish.

The Land Trust, which sells homes to teachers, firefighters and UNC employees addressed the long-term maintenance issue in 2007 when we revised our model. Our new model will cause Land Trust homes to remain affordable and well maintained for future generations.

Regarding the concern about jealousies, that has not surfaced as an issue for us. We prepare our buyers to consider neighborhood expectations prior to closing, and we work with neighborhoods if necessary after closing. But mostly we have found that people get along just fine. Children play together, ride the bus to school together and share experiences. This is the true benefit of inclusiveness that would not be possible without inclusionary housing.

(Robert Dowling is the executive director of the Orange Community Housing and Land Trust. Contact him at rdowling@ochlt.org)