Twelve Charlotte churches will receive training and funding to explore the feasibility of using church-owned land to build affordable housing, the city announced on Monday.
The city will contribute more than $430,000 under its Faith in Housing initiative, a program launched in 2024 to support faith-based groups in building affordable housing.
Why it matters: According to some estimates, Charlotte needs approximately 30,000 affordable units to meet current demand. A home is considered affordable when it costs no more than 30% of a household’s gross income.
According to a city press release, the 12 congregations selected for the initial cohort jointly own more than 88 acres of available property and together could build more than 600 affordable units.
“Many of our faith communities want to use their land to meet housing needs, but they need the right tools and support to move forward,” LaWana Mayfield, an at-large Charlotte City Council member who leads the Faith in Housing initiative, said in a statement. “This cohort gives them practical guidance and resources to take the next step, turning good ideas into real homes for Charlotte families.”
The churches will work with Enterprise Community Partners, a Maryland-based nonprofit, to evaluate the feasibility of their housing plans. According to its website, Enterprise has invested $80.9 billion and created or preserved 1 million homes in the United States since its founding in 1982.
Christie Cade, vice president for Enterprise’s Southeast market, said faith leaders are on the “front line” in seeking to address the nation’s housing shortage.
Cade said the Charlotte cohort “demonstrates both the scale of land owned by faith-based organizations and the power of their vision to transform it for community good.”
Some of the projects being considered range from family-sized rental homes to mixed-use developments with community amenities, the city said.
The Faith in Housing initiative is designed to help faith leaders “come to an informed ‘go or no go’ decision about pursuing development, the city said.
The 12 organizations selected were.
- Faith Memorial CDC
- First United Methodist Church
- Kingdom Harvest Bibleway Church
- Kinship Plot, Inc
- New Bethel Church of God in Christ
- New Hope Baptist Church
- Northside Church of Christ
- St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church
- St. Mark’s United Methodist Church
- Steele Creek Church of Charlotte
- The Church of the Power of God/La Iglesia del Poder De Dios
- The Park Ministries, Inc.