When Congregation Kehillath Israel demolished their social hall next door to create affordable housing, it also built a bridge. An internal walkway connects the sanctuary of the synagogue to the Brown Family House, a 62-unit affordable housing community for older adults in Brookline, Massachusetts.
“We wanted a synergy between the two buildings,” said Zoe Weinrobe, Chief of Real Estate at 2Life Communities, the nonprofit developer that partnered with Kehillath Israel to build on the congregation’s land. The physical connection to the synagogue gives Brown residents–of all faiths and backgrounds–access to a newly-renovated event space, commercial kitchen, and shared outdoor courtyard.
“[The congregation] was really thinking about the future,” said Weinrobe. When the project broke ground in 2018, the decision to build affordable units was welcomed by the neighborhood, which has one of the highest median housing prices in the state.[i]
Across the U.S., home prices hit all-time highs in 2024, according to the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, and exceed median incomes by a multiple of five.[ii] In a May 2024 poll, the Terwilliger Center for Housing Policy found strong bipartisan support for federal action and legislative reform to address housing supply and affordability.[iii]
Amid a national housing crisis, real estate owned by churches, synagogues, and other religious organizations present one possible remedy to the problem of housing supply. In Massachusetts, for example, more than 203 million square feet of developable land–enough for 140,000 units of affordable housing–is owned by faith-based organizations, according to the Center for Geospatial Solutions at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy.[iv]
Interest in “faith-based development” to repurpose underutilized land and buildings for the creation of affordable housing, is growing among congregations and policymakers. This movement, also known as “Yes in God’s Backyard” or YIGBY,[v][vi] offers many benefits for religious groups, including a compelling alignment with a moral imperative to serve the unhoused and financially distressed.
When new development also creates shared community assets, such as those built for the Brown Family House, religious spaces affirm their traditional roles as civic hubs in the context of a nationwide decline in regular attendance among most faiths.[vii] The gains for both religious organizations and society at large have inspired recent legislation at the local and national level to streamline the development process for faith-based organizations.
The YIGBY Movement
Policymakers are taking note of this opportunity for strategic partnership with faith-based groups. Last year, Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown, who at the time was chairman of the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs introduced the Yes in God’s Backyard Act to reduce barriers to developing rental housing on land owned by faith-based organizations. The bill proposed cutting red tape, such as restrictive zoning policies, and providing technical assistance to facilitate the creation of more rental units by religious groups. The bill was supported by three denomination bodies: the Presbyterian Church (USA), the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and the United Church of Christ.[viii]
Although Congress ultimately did not take up the bill, and Brown was defeated in his re-election bid, it followed successful legislation at the state and local level, including SB 4 in California, which was passed in October 2023. The Affordable Housing on Faith Lands Act enables religious institutions in California to build housing on their property “by right,” overriding local zoning restrictions that prohibit the construction of denser multi-family housing in certain neighborhoods, for example.[ix] Similar efforts have been championed in Atlanta, San Antonio, Seattle,[x] and New York City.[xi]
Supporters of YIGBY legislation say the bills are a creative approach to an urgent societal problem and provide a win-win scenario for the religious organization. By meeting critical housing needs, congregations are putting their “faith in action” to serve their communities[xii] and demonstrating sound stewardship of their resources.
Opponents of YIGBY legislation argue that the bills infringe on local autonomy and undermine existing housing efforts. This month in Colorado, for instance, local planning officials successfully pushed back against a proposed state bill that would have allowed religious groups to build affordable housing without local zoning approval. The bill, they argued, would interfere with plans to build new housing around adequate infrastructure—such as sidewalks, public parks, and transit—and that some churches are in remote or industrial areas. Statewide zoning provisions in YIGBY laws may also violate powers granted to home rule cities by the state’s constitution.[xiii]
Religious Organizations Taking Stock
For religious organizations, the decision to pursue development on their land often comes at an important and even existential juncture. Most religious groups in the U.S. have experienced a decline in attendance over the past two decades, with about three in 10 adults attending religious services on a given weekend.[xiv] Evangelical research firm Lifeway Research found that more Protestant churches closed than were opened in 2020–there were 4,500 closures compared to 3,000 new churches. This trend is expected to accelerate.[xv] An oft-cited estimate by historian and Presbyterian pastor Eileen Lindner says 100,000 church properties will be sold by 2030 in the U.S.,[xvi][xvii] which had approximately 350,000 congregations across all faiths in 2020.[xviii]
Furthermore, the majority of this real estate is old. More than 70 percent of the buildings where faith communities meet were built before 1975.[xix] Building maintenance is the second largest budget item for religious organizations, according to the Association of Religion Data Archives, and building upkeep is cited as among faith leaders’ biggest concerns.[xx]
Faith-based real estate development is one means of addressing these problems. The term encompasses a range of possible interventions on religious properties, along with a diverse set of implications for the organizations that set out to build. Real estate development can be a lucrative investment, providing a lifeline to cash-poor congregations with a sustained revenue source. The income–from the sale of the land, developer’s fees, or collection of rents–can help keep religious organizations’ operations and services running.
Some faith-based groups may seek to build on excess, vacant land on their property (e.g., adjacent rectories or parking lots). Others work with developers to sell or lease the land where their edifices currently stand.[xxi][xxii][xxiii] In addition, the use of the land may concurrently involve decisions to rebuild and share the space with the new tenants,[xxiv][xxv] relocate the congregation, or dissolve the group entirely.[xxvi][xxvii]
The challenges also vary. Religious groups that seek to develop affordable housing while preserving the structure of their original buildings face challenges ranging from installing plumbing to meeting requirements for accessibility and sustainability.
“It’s just really hard to make those goals work in a historic structure,” said Weinrobe of 2Life Communities. “I’m not saying it’s out of the question, but we just haven’t done it yet.”
Preserving the Civic Value of Religious Spaces
Congregations deciding instead to raze their buildings to construct affordable housing are confronted with weighty questions about their role in society.
“This process is very much a grieving process as much as it is a physical property transition process,” said Dana Dabek, Director of Community Engagement and Transition Services at nonsectarian nonprofit Partners for Sacred Places. Dabek works with religious congregations to maintain their properties with the goal of “thinking of these spaces as civic assets, not just congregational assets.”
While religious buildings are foremost recognized as the centers of religious life–for worship, religious education, weddings, and funerals–they have tremendous civic value as hubs for the delivery of essential services to the wider community. They are utilized as sites of food pantries, credit unions, childcare centers, and health screenings. These vital functions are frequently performed by groups with no affiliation to the congregation.
Partners for Sacred Places studied the “economic halo effect” of religious buildings and found that the vast majority (87 percent) of beneficiaries of the activities taking place in religious spaces are not members of the faith-based organization.[xxviii][xxix] More than half (52 percent) of congregations surveyed shared their spaces with a number of outside groups. For instance, 30 percent of the congregations operated daycares and one in three spaces hosted health-related programs like eye clinics or exercise groups. In addition, religious organizations were found to be part of the social safety net. By providing space to secular nonprofits and community organizations at no or low-cost, they subsidize the operations of programs such as substance abuse programs and childcare providers.[xxx][xxxi]
For these reasons, Partners and likeminded advocates seek long-term financial support through the proposed establishment of a National Endowment for Sacred and Civic Places, a nonprofit chartered by Congress–like the National Trust for Historic Preservation–that would facilitate private support to preserve religious buildings.[xxxii]
Navigating the Road Ahead for YIGBY
Faith-based development is one proposed solution to the housing affordability crisis that presents clear benefits as well as a complex set of interests for religious organizations and the communities they serve. Recent YIGBY legislation demonstrates the intense development pressure in cities and the urgency of addressing the systemic inequities that are exacerbated when housing is scarce.
To the extent that religious organizations embrace a duty to address the pressing social needs of the day, providing shelter to the vulnerable is a commonsense way to serve. Many congregations are wrestling with the opportunity–or arguably, the responsibility–to come to the aid of the millions of homeowners and renters across the country who are in distress. In addition, the financial and logistical incentives are strong. Many religious organizations are actively, or will soon be, confronting the financial realities of declining membership and the costly maintenance of old properties.
The YIGBY movement and the local response can reflect the evolving role of faith-based groups in society and their legacies in the communities they serve. Houses of worship offer tremendous civic and economic value to people, both within and outside of their congregations. This is especially the case when the buildings are adapted for a variety of community purposes while preserving congregational use. However, it’s unclear whether a true win-win scenario is practically feasible and religious organizations considering faith-based development must ultimately make a choice. They must define for themselves to whom these religious spaces belong.
[i] “About Brookline,” Town of Brookline, 2006, https://www.brooklinema.gov/1539/About-Brookline.
[ii] Alexander Hermann and Peyton Whitney, “Home Price-to-Income Ratio Reaches Record High,” Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, January 22, 2024, https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/reports/files/Harvard_JCHS_The_State_of_the_Nations_Housing_2024.pdf.
[iii] Frances Torres, “U.S. Opinions on Housing Affordability: A BPC/NHC/Morning Consult Poll,” Bipartisan Policy Center, June 10, 2024, https://bipartisanpolicy.org/blog/opinions-on-housing-affordability-poll/.
[iv] Jon Gorey, “Where to Build and How to Pay for It: Experts Weigh In.” Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, January 29, 2025, https://www.lincolninst.edu/publications/land-lines-magazine/articles/where-to-build-and-how-to-pay-for-it-experts-weigh-in/.
[v] Alana Semuels, “From ‘Not in My Backyard’ to ‘Yes in My Backyard,” The Atlantic, July 5, 2017, https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/07/yimby-groups-pro-development/532437/.
[vi] YIGBY is adapted from NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard), a derogative term for people who oppose development, and YIMBY (Yes In My Back Yard), the progressivist, pro-housing movement.
[vii] Jeffrey M. Jones, “Church Attendance Has Declined in Most U.S. Religious Groups,” Gallup, March, 25, 2024, https://news.gallup.com/poll/642548/church-attendance-declined-religious-groups.aspx.
[viii] “Brown Introduces Yes In God’s Back Yard Act to Support Churches & Other Organizations Developing Affordable Housing,” U.S. State Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, March 12, 2024, https://www.banking.senate.gov/newsroom/majority/brown-introduces-yes-in-gods-back-yard-act-to-support-churches-and-other-organizations-developing-affordable-housing.
[ix] “Governor Newsom Signs Package to Streamline Housing and Expand Tenant Protections in California,” Governor Gavin Newsom, October 11, 2023, “https://www.gov.ca.gov/2023/10/11/governor-newsom-signs-package-to-streamline-housing-and-expand-tenant-protections-in-california/.
[x] Troy A. Sambajon, “‘Yes in God’s backyard’? More Boston churches turn into affordable housing,” Christian Science Monitor, August 7, 2024, https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2024/0807/boston-churches-affordable-housing-older-adults.
[xi] “Mayor Adams Unveils Plan To Help Faith-Based Organizations Build More Affordable Housing In NYC,” NYC: The Official Website of the City of New York, March 22, 2024, https://www.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/219-24/mayor-adams-plan-help-faith-based-organizations-build-more-affordable-housing-nyc#/.
[xii] Brown Introduces Yes In God’s Back Yard Act to Support Churches & Other Organizations Developing Affordable Housing,” U.S. State Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, March 12, 2024, https://www.banking.senate.gov/newsroom/majority/brown-introduces-yes-in-gods-back-yard-act-to-support-churches-and-other-organizations-developing-affordable-housing.
[xiii] Brian Eason, “Colorado Senate rejects ‘YIGBY’ measure, a priority for Jared Polis that would have boosted housing on church land,” The Colorado Sun, May 6, 2025, https://www.cpr.org/2025/05/06/colorado-senate-rejects-yigby-church-school-housing-bill/.
[xiv] Jeffrey M. Jones, “Church Attendance Has Declined in Most U.S. Religious Groups,” Gallup, March, 25, 2024, https://news.gallup.com/poll/642548/church-attendance-declined-religious-groups.aspx.
[xv] David Roach. “100,000 Reuses for the Church to Find,” Christianity Today, September 25, 2023. https://www.christianitytoday.com/2023/09/church-buildings-size-sale-development-multiuse-empty/.
[xvi] Mark Elsdon, Gone for Good?: Negotiating the Coming Wave of Church Property Transition (William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2024).
[xvii] Dr. Eileen Lindner, a Presbyterian minister and historian estimated at a 2021 conference that 100,000 churches would close by 2025. In Gone for Good, published in 2024, Lindner writes that 100,000 church properties (to include ancillary buildings) would be sold by 2030, calculated by projecting the estimate that 75 to 100 churches close each week.
[xviii] “U.S. Religion Census – Religious Congregations and Membership Study, 2020 (County File),” The ARDA, 2020, https://www.thearda.com/data-archive?fid=RCMSCY20.
[xix] Partners for Sacred Places, Summary Report on Activating Hidden Assets: Making the Most of Sacred Places for the Wider Community, 2024, https://viewer.joomag.com/summary-report-activating-hidden-assets-making-the-most-of-sacred-places-for-the-wider-community-2024/0575016001729195914/p4.
[xx] Nancy Ammerman, “Buildings and Gatherings, The Shifting Landscapes of American Religious Communities,” (lecture, Partners for Sacred Places’ National Convening, Philadelphia, April 5, 2024), https://sacredplaces.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Buildings-and-Gatherings-2.pdf.
[xxi] Rick Reinhard. “Affordable Housing: YIGBY (“Yes in God’s Backyard”) Movement Seeks to Counter NIMBY Movement,” Urban Land, February 20, 2024, https://urbanland.uli.org/property-types/housing-affordable-and-workforce/affordable-housing-yigby-yes-in-gods-backyard-movement-seeks-to-counter-nimby-movement.
[xxii] Noah Telerski, “A Ward 4 church made it possible to build 99 new units of affordable housing,” Street Sense Media, March 20, 2019, https://streetsensemedia.org/article/ward-4-church-made-possible-99-new-affordable-housing-units/.
[xxiii] In 2019, the Emory Fellowship in Washington, DC built the Beacon Center complex, featuring 99 affordable units, along with a gym, office spaces, and culinary arts program. The refurbished church is at the physical center of the complex.
[xxiv] “Jordan Court,” All Souls Berkeley, accessed December 15, 2024, https://www.allsoulsparish.org/jordan-court.
[xxv] All Souls Parish in Berkeley, CA built a 34-unit affordable housing facility on its land in 2022, which also includes office space and apartments for the church’s uses.
[xxvi] Troy A. Sambajon, “‘Yes in God’s backyard’? More Boston churches turn into affordable housing,” Christian Science Monitor, August 7, 2024, https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2024/0807/boston-churches-affordable-housing-older-adults.
The property on which 120-year old Hill Memorial Baptist Church stood in Allston-Brighton, MA was sold in 2023 to create 50 senior apartments for low-income residents.
[xxvii] The property on which 120-year old Hill Memorial Baptist Church stood in Allston-Brighton, MA was sold in 2023 to create 50 senior apartments for low-income residents.
[xxviii] Partners for Sacred Places, The Economic Halo Effect of Historic Sacred Places, November 2016, https://sacredplaces.org/uploads/files/16879092466251061-economic-halo-effect-of-historic-sacred-places.pdf.
The research was based on a study of 90 randomly-selected congregations with older and historic buildings in Chicago, Fort Worth, and Philadelphia, from the Partners comprehensive inventory of all purpose-built worship sites constructed 50 or more years ago, including 722 congregations in Philadelphia, 717 in Chicago and 345 in Fort Worth.
[xxix] The research was based on a study of 90 randomly-selected congregations with older and historic buildings in Chicago, Fort Worth, and Philadelphia, from the Partners comprehensive inventory of all purpose-built worship sites constructed 50 or more years ago, including 722 congregations in Philadelphia, 717 in Chicago and 345 in Fort Worth.
[xxx] Partners for Sacred Places, Economic Halo Effect, 5-7.
[xxxi] Partners for Sacred Places, Summary Report, 4.
[xxxii] John Bridgeland and John DiIulio, “Save America’s sacred places for civic purposes,” The Hill, May 28, 2024, https://thehill.com/opinion/civil-rights/4689812-save-americas-sacred-places-for-civic-purposes/.