Photo: Akira Hojo | Unsplash
As thousands of U.S. churches have closed in recent years, others are embracing a growing trend that reflects their faith-based values: repurposing or selling their land to be used for affordable housing. Across the US, churches have partnered with developers to transform their unused spaces, said urban planning expert Nadia A. Mian. Resulting constructions sometimes include spaces for the congregation and incorporate other social impact initiatives -- as is the case with Arlington Presbyterian Church in Virginia, which sold its historic stone building to nonprofit developers in 2016 to create a six-story affordable apartment complex. The complex still has space for members to gather and houses a bilingual culinary job training facility and cafe. There are many more examples of this movement, which has been nicknamed Yes in God’s Backyard, or YIGBY. It seeks to address the housing crisis and is a counter to the Not in My Backyard, or NIMBY, movement that often opposes affordable housing developments.
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