Faced with the prospect of closing their houses of worship, an increasing number of congregations are repurposing their properties to provide affordable housing, especially as the housing crisis intensifies, writes Nadia Mian in The Conversation (July 19). It is estimated that 100,000 congregations may close in the next few decades due to declining membership, aging buildings and large, underutilized properties. While congregations and other faith-based organizations have been engaged in building housing for many years, generally by purchasing additional property, Mian finds that more houses of worship are building affordable housing on the same property as the sanctuary. While some congregations are repurposing their sanctuaries, others are building on excess parking space, such as a parking lot, or demolishing existing buildings to create new developments (which may or may not have space for the congregation). Mian adds that a faith-based organization may receive proceeds from the sale of its land or from leasing its property to a developer, funds that can be invested in ministry or on a new space for worship. Sometimes congregations will rent out those spaces when they are not being utilized for worship.
Photo by Joseph W. Daniels Jr. (source: https://www.planning.org/planning/2023/spring/transforming-emptychurches-into-affordable-housing-takes-more-than-a-leap-of-faith/)
Mian finds that faith-based organizations often see these projects as a way to do “God’s work,” and in some cases they may include community services beyond housing needs. Zoning regulations regarding land use remain a significant hurdle in making such changes, although many states and municipalities have reformed laws and ordinances as a response to this trend. For instance, Washington State passed a bill in April 2019 that gave religious organizations a density bonus for building 100 percent affordable housing on their property, allowing for an increase in the allowable number of units constructed. Similar measures have been passed in California, either removing parking requirements or bypassing other regulations. At the federal level, last March Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio introduced the Yes in God’s Back Yard (YIGBY) Act, which would provide technical assistance to faith organizations interested in building affordable housing. The other challenge of neighbors fighting the building of new housing in their areas (the pattern known as “Not in My Back Yard” or “NIMBY”) and protesting the demolition of historic buildings may be more formidable. Mian has chronicled the decade-long and continuing battle of West Park Presbyterian Church with its New York neighbors and historic preservationists in its effort to create housing on its property. Congregations and other faith-based groups are finding a growing number of resources for developing skills and finding funding in this ministry, such as Enterprise, the Local Initiative Support Corporation, Bricks and Mortals, Partners for Sacred Places, and the Faith Leadership Campus, which is sponsored by Trinity Church Wall Street.
(The Conversation, https://religionnews.com/2024/07/19/affordable-housing-in-gods-backyard-some-religious-congregations-find-a-new-use-for-their-space/)
