KarunaNews Story

As many US congregations shrink and age, houses of worship are reactivating their property for the public good. Village of Faith Ministries, a Black-led suburban church just outside Richmond, Virginia, plans to redevelop one of its two locations into 240 new housing units - 192 apartments and 40 townhomes. The project was pitched by Texas-based homebuilding giant D.R. Horton, and could help the church pass a debt-free building to the next generation, says senior pastor and elected official Michael Jones. He says churches should use their resources to impact as many people as possible. Faith-based communities are increasingly finding unconventional solutions to help address the national housing crisis, from building tiny home villages to offering zero-interest loans. A growing YIGBY movement - “Yes, In God’s Backyard” - is “addressing the housing crisis by activating under-utilized faith community properties suitable for low-income housing.”