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New York Affordable Housing Policy
Governor Hochul announced that renovations of McCarley Gardens Apartments, developed by St. Johns Baptist Church, are complete. This affordable housing development in East Buffalo includes renovations of energy efficiency, weatherization, and other necessary safety upgrades to the 46-year-old development, while preserving affordable rents for 149 households.
Over the last five years, nearly 7,500 affordable homes were created or preserved in Buffalo as part of Governor Hochul’s $25 billion Housing Plan. The Housing Plan strives to create or preserve 100,000 affordable homes across New York, including 10,000 with support services for vulnerable populations, plus the electrification of an additional 50,000 homes.
Houses of Worship and Housing
In North Carolina, congregations are repurposing empty churches as community pillars to address issues such as affordable housing and housing the unhoused. Senior pastor of First United Methodist Church in Asheboro, Lynda Ferguso, says that the trend of declining church attendance has affected many churches in the area. Rather than leave behind empty buildings, remaining parishioners came together and transformed a once vibrant church in their community into a new resource for the community – a shelter for homeless women and families. With support from the Western North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church, The Duke Endowment, Wesley Community Development Corporation and local partners, the former fellowship hall was renovated to provide 12 beds. It is the beginning of a four-phase project, with the goal of 50 beds and an emergency shelter.
Plans to repurpose parts of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church’s campus as senior housing is underway. The proposed housing would be open to people 55 years old and older, with at least 15% of the units designated as affordable housing. There are plans to preserve and repurpose parts of the church such as stained glass windows, the pipe organ, and a memorial garden that has ashes of some of the congregants spread over it.
There is a growing movement within several U.S. dioceses to provide affordable housing to Catholic school teachers, with initiatives focusing on repurposing underutilized church real estate. Claire McManmon, a Catholic school teacher, lives in one of these former parish convents that have been repurposed to communal housing for teachers. The Specialty Family Foundation helped establish the Our Lady Queen of Angels Housing Alliance in 2023. Our Lady Housing's first endeavor is a 100-unit building to house at-risk community college students.
Celebrating Black History Month and Lunar New Year
St. Peter Claver, established in 1922, was the first church in the Diocese of Brooklyn to specifically serve African American Catholics. Monsignor Quinn, founder of the church, is remembered as an ally during a time when many didn’t agree with him ministering to the Black community; supporters are working to get him sainthood based on his work as a supporter and fighter for racial justice. The current parish aims to continue the work of its founding priest.
In Mayor Adams’ statement he recognized the month and highlighted the steps he says still need to be taken to achieve racial equity, particularly concerning health care disparities affecting women of color.
In response to restrictive bans on race education in Florida, almost 300 churches now hold their own Black history lessons. Faith in Florida created an online toolkit with books, videos and other resources about Black history to push back on these attacks on education. The toolkits include dozens of books, and videos for children that help guide educators’ lessons. The toolkit also lists national and local museums on Black history and culture across the country.
View this list of Black History events celebrating art, abolition and activism in NYC.
February 10th marked the first day of the Lunar New Year, and Manhattan’s Chinatown celebrated with its annual New Year Firecracker Ceremony & Cultural Festival. This event has been a tradition for 24 years and is one of the oldest and largest events in New York City’s Lunar New Year celebrations.
Houses of Worship and Community
The Episcopal Church is providing learning opportunities and fostering community engagement through its Festival Thursdays webinars. The latest webinar, titled “Revival in Rural America,” showcased how leaders from various congregations collaborated to launch new missional initiatives and communities. The session encouraged participants to reflect on relevant scripture and brainstorm practical applications for their congregations, with upcoming webinars set to explore topics such as racial reconciliation. Emphasizing the importance of partnerships and community-centered approaches in addressing local needs, the event provided examples like St. Paul’s Episcopal Church's rainbow room in Navasota, TX, which provides emergency resources for children and families.
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