Repurposing Faith Properties
In recent years, closures of houses of faith and the subsequent repurposing of faith properties have become more common. NPR reports on the decline in religious affiliation and the subsequent impact on house of worship attendance and closures.
As a result, many houses of worship have had to close their doors, or look for other sources of income to sustain their options.
From Northern Virginia to San Francisco to San Diego, houses of faith across the country are working to create space for affordable housing on their properties.
In East New York, the Christian Cultural Center repurposed their land to create affordable housing and revitalize their community. The development includes mixed-income housing, commercial spaces, community facilities, and public open spaces.
Trinity-Rev. William M. James Senior Apartments, where the Trinity-Morrisania United Methodist Church in the Bronx formerly stood, is now an apartment complex with 153 affordable housing units for low-income seniors. The building also has supportive housing for formerly incarcerated seniors, providing a place to live and cultivate community.
The project is a joint venture between United Methodist City Society and the Bronx Pro Group. Rev. Dr. William Shillady, one of our Board members and then executive director of City Society, first came across the Bronx Pro Group by stumbling upon their apartment building with the sign “With God’s Love All Things Are Possible” on the front. Through this partnership they have not only provided affordable housing but also services to help residents reintegrate into society, financial literacy, and access to healthcare.
Spotlight: Furman Center’s Housing Solutions Lab’s Peer Cities Network
Five new cities have been selected to participate in NYU Furman Center's Housing Solutions Lab and Peer Cities Network, a member of our Board of Directors.
The other cities in the Network include Rochester, NY, Evanston, IL, and Olympia, Washington, among many others. The initiative aims to address housing challenges by facilitating collaboration and knowledge-sharing among small and midsize cities.
By joining the Housing Solutions Lab and Peer Cities Network, these cities will have access to a platform where they can learn from and exchange ideas with other cities facing similar challenges. The goal of the Network is to offer a range of supports that can be customized to meet these cities unique housing needs - and address the structural racism that is a root cause of the disparities in health and opportunity that communities of color experience today. Participants also gain access to a national community of experts, practitioners, and researchers to help them plan and launch strategies that leverage housing to expand opportunity.
NYC Housing Policy Challenges
According to a new report, half of working households in NYC struggle to afford basic needs. Nonprofits in the Bronx are at the forefront, working to address the problem by providing valuable insights into the challenges New Yorkers face in meeting their housing needs.
To tackle this issue, New York Governor Kathy Hochul aims to build a YIMBY (Yes In My Backyard) coalition. This initiative highlights the importance of taking action and forming partnerships between government, developers, and community organizations (an integral part of B&M’s work!).
While coalition-building efforts are working to address the housing crisis, many feel that without substantial state-level action, the housing goals set forth by New York City's Mayor Eric Adams may remain mere dreams. Adams’ plans for housing that depend on legislative changes, funding allocation, and collaboration with state-level decision-makers. 203,628 new housing units were built from 2012 through 2021 and the administration had a goal for 500,000 new housing units in the next decade.
To address homelessness and support vulnerable populations, the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) is seeking partners to develop supportive housing. These initiatives aim to provide safe and stable housing for those in need, combining affordable housing with supportive services to combat homelessness effectively.
(Stay tuned next week for a look at the White House’s new initiative to combat homelessness.)
