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Houses of Faith and Affordable Housing
Mayor Eric Adams has proposed a housing plan called “City of Yes for Housing Opportunity” aimed at addressing the city's housing crisis. The plan involves lifting old zoning laws to allow faith-based organizations and mission-based nonprofits to build housing on their own lots. It also includes zoning changes to convert large-lot campuses into housing and expands the Landmarks Transferable Development Rights program for landmarked religious institutions to raise funds. “Our city must stop saying “no,” and instead say “yes”: “yes” to housing in God’s backyard,” says Mayor Adams.
In Albany, Gov. Kathy Hochu and lawmakers are negotiating a housing policy that includes a bill to facilitate affordable housing development on church, mosque, or synagogue-owned land. The proposed bill allows religious institutions to bypass local zoning laws for affordable housing projects and exempts them from the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP). The bill's sponsor, Assemblyman Brian Cunningham cites the need for more affordable housing solutions.
Greenwood Forest Baptist Church in Cary is collaborating with the town, Wake County, and DHIC, Inc. to address the need for affordable housing and childcare in the area.
A new five-story building will replace storage buildings near the church, providing affordable housing for families. The project, which includes partnerships with the town and nonprofit organizations, aims to offer affordable apartments to families earning 60% or less of the area's median income. The church's children's center will transition into a full-day childcare facility in partnership with the local YMCA.
Ramadan In NYC
As Eid al-Fitr approaches this week, Muslims across the City are observing the last days of Ramadan. Many mosques housed and fed Muslim migrants during Ramadan.
In the Bronx, Imam Omar Niass, turned the home that houses his mosque into a makeshift shelter for migrants, many of them men from Senegal. Many mosques faced challenges in meeting the growing needs of the migrant population and are relying on donations and community support.
Salim Drammeh, the president of the Gambian Youth Organization, a nonprofit that aids low-income West and South Bronx residents with food, youth empowerment and immigration assistance, raised more than $260,000 this month to provide Ramadan meals for migrants through the organization.
Volunteers in every borough distributed free halal meals for iftar. The recipients included locals and newcomers, including asylum seekers from Muslim-majority African countries. The migrants expressed challenges in observing Ramadan away from home, missing familiar traditions and family gatherings. Islamic faith groups and mosques have become vital support centers for migrants, offering meals, shelter, and a sense of community.
Grants
The federal spending bill passed recently includes funding of $1 million to develop a curriculum aimed at preventing antisemitism and identity-based hate in elementary and secondary schools. The allocation is for Tree of Life Inc., an organization formed after the 2018 synagogue massacre in Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh. The curriculum will help educators and students identify and challenge hate, with in-person and virtual instruction. Additionally, $250,000 was allocated for educational programming on antisemitism's impact at the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History. This bill also includes funds for converting the synagogue into a memorial and supporting trauma services for those affected by the shooting.
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