HOUSTON – Houston leaders are turning to churches and other faith-based institutions as a potential source of land for affordable housing, hoping to connect property owners with developers, lenders and resources to turn underused space into homes.
Councilmember Tiffany Thomas is hosting the third annual Faith and Affordable Housing Summit, bringing faith leaders together with developers, bankers, nonprofits and city officials.
“So, we’re saying yes in God’s backyard,” Thomas said.
Thomas said large institutions nationwide own an estimated 2.6 million acres. In Houston, about 414 acres have been identified as potential housing sites. Enough she says for as many as 1,000 single-family homes and up to 7,200 apartments.
The effort began after ministers approached the city asking how their churches could help address Houston’s housing affordability challenges.
“As we rethink land and affordability, these institutions already have a heart for serving those aging out of foster care, those experiencing homelessness, single women, those leaving the criminal justice system,” Thomas said. “So why not leverage their land and leverage our technical support and resources at the City of Houston, so we both can meet our goal?”
REIMAGINING CHURCH PROPERTY:
Thomas said the pandemic changed the way many churches use their properties, leaving some with underused parking lots, empty buildings and vacant land.
Some churches are now reconsidering transforming large parking lots, community spaces and other properties into new housing developments.
“Underutilized land is not necessarily an empty lot,” she said. “It could be your existing facility.”
The summit will help property owners understand what they have including acreage, ownership, debt and clear titles, and connect them with experts who can help determine what is possible.
FROM CHURCH LAND TO HOMES IN THIRD WARD:
For Pastor Linda Davis, that process has already produced results.
Davis leads Boynton Chapel Methodist Church in Houston’s historic Third Ward and helped launch Boynton Houston CDC. The organization received 13 lots from the City of Houston through its affordable housing development program.
The church had the land. Davis had a vision for helping people in her community become homeowners. What she didn’t have was experience in housing development.
“I knew nothing about development,” Davis said. “I knew absolutely nothing about affordable housing.”
What she did know was that people she encountered through the church’s food pantry, dental clinics, neighborhood block parties and other programs wanted to own homes.
“Boynton had the land, and we had the vision, and there were people in our community that are renters and that wanted to be homeowners,” Davis said.
Davis connected with Courtney Johnson Rose of George E. Johnson Development Inc. through an Enterprise Community Partners cohort designed to help faith-based organizations and emerging developers build the capacity to complete housing projects.
Then another connection helped fill a critical piece of the puzzle: financing.
Davis said Johnson Rose met Alvin Johnson of Texas First Bank through the Faith and Affordable Housing Summit. That relationship eventually brought the bank into the Boynton project at a critical moment.
Davis said the connections helped turn an idea into a project that could actually move forward.
“This whole project is just a powerful example of how relationships, collaborations, and access to resources can move a community forward,” she said.
As of October 5, four of the 13 homes were moving into construction, with the remaining nine planned afterward.
The future homeowners aren’t waiting for the finished houses to start getting excited. Davis said families already under contract are calling to ask when construction will begin.
“We’re getting calls from our realtors where the families are like, ‘Hey, when you guys gonna start building? We’re ready. We’re ready,’” Davis said.
The program is aimed at buyers earning between 80% and 120% of the area’s median income, and the project is providing up to $50,000 in down payment assistance to qualifying buyers.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity for a child to be able to say, ‘Pastor Davis, you know we’re not moving all the time anymore,’” she said.
HELP FOR HOMEOWNERS:
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The summit is also open to residents, not just faith leaders and property owners.
“if you were just inspired last week, or you’re a sophisticated developer, and you’re further down the line of the development life cycle, we have resources there for you too. It may be one relationship. It may be the banker that will provide the bridge funding to get you over the hump for your project, but we’ll have resources regardless of where you are,” said Thomas.
The city will provide information on down payment assistance of up to $125,000, disaster recovery and home repair programs. Residents dealing with inherited property or unclear titles can also bring their documents for assistance.
“You don’t have to be a member of clergy to attend the housing summit,” Thomas said.
NEW FUNDING OPPORTUNITY:
The summit will also highlight a $1.2 million allocation from U.S. Rep. Al Green for faith leaders in Houston’s 9th Congressional District.
Participants who complete development training can receive up to $50,000 in pre-development funding.
Thomas said that early funding can be the difference between an idea and a viable project.
“The cost of the land is often the most expensive part in the neighborhood, and that’s oftentimes where the projects don’t pencil out,” she said.
The broader goal is to keep Houston affordable for residents earning between 30% and 60% of the area’s median income.
“The reality is, is that the cost of utility, the cost of food, the economy, the gas, childcare — it’s impending cost for people to make decision about their housing,” Thomas said.
For Thomas, the summit is ultimately about making connections — bringing together people who have land with people who have the expertise and resources to turn that land into housing.
“If you have a mastery of what’s in your hand and you join it with what’s in our hand, we can bring you down the process for next steps,” Thomas said.
