Faith communities can help solve Nashville's affordable housing crisis | Opinion

Back in the late ’90s, my church, a historically Black congregation in North Nashville, wanted to do something about the lack of affordable housing in our neighborhood. We were particularly concerned about older adults on fixed incomes. But as a church of modest means that had never ventured into the affordable housing arena, we had no idea where to turn for help.

Through a volunteer consultant we learned that we could apply for funds from the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development to create low-income housing for people 60 and older. A small circle of church members and volunteers started meeting weekly and, before long, we were able to crystallize our vision and secure a $3.4 million grant from HUD.

Thus was born Disciples Village, a 52-unit housing complex on Buena Vista Pike that, three decades later, not only continues to operate at full occupancy but has also become a vital part of the life of our congregation.

As my church’s story shows, your congregation doesn’t have to be large or flush with resources to do what we did. How many communities of faith in Nashville are clinging to vacant buildings or surplus land that could be converted into affordable housing? How many have financial assets that could be repurposed to develop housing for the tens of thousands of people in our city who need it?

Built on Faith, a daylong summit of congregations and community organizations to be held at Belmont United Methodist Church on Saturday, will shine a light on these and other questions – and offer solutions. Register at bit.ly/builtonfaith.

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Summit will connect congregations with developers

The magnitude of our city’s affordable housing crisis, estimated at a deficit of at least 30,000 units, has increasingly dominated public discourse and action, thanks to the advocacy of groups like Workers’ Dignity/Dignidad Obrera, the Southeast Center for Cooperative Development, Stand Up Nashville and NOAH.

Through a program made up of speakers and panelists from the public and private sectors, the Built On Faith summit will focus our collective attention on the resources, capacity and moral witness that we, as people of faith, can bring to bear on Nashville’s deplorable shortage of affordable housing.

Some might say that creating affordable housing and the work of faith communities don’t go together – that religious congregations lack the capacity and expertise to take on so ambitious an undertaking. And yet if it’s on your heart to get involved, the Built On Faith summit can help.

Among other things, we can connect your congregation with an established developer, nonprofit and otherwise, with whom you can partner – or, for that matter, another congregation with affordable housing experience.

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People of faith can play an important role

Granted, not all congregations see themselves getting involved with what advocates like to call the bricks and mortar side of housing development. But that doesn’t mean your faith community can’t still be part of the solution. Among other forms of civic engagement, you can show up and speak out at public hearings, rallies and community meetings – anywhere resources for affordable housing or tenants’ rights are at stake.

This isn’t to suggest that Nashville’s religious congregations can or should be expected to solve the city’s affordable housing crisis alone. The elimination of persistent inequities born of racism, capitalism and patriarchy – the oppressive forces that created our problem in the first place – will require changes in public policy and attitudes for that to happen.

Here too, though, people of faith can play a role. We can vote for candidates committed to doing something about affordable housing in Nashville – that, and we can make sure that our congregants join us at the polls when we do.

Bill Friskics-Warren is an elder at New Covenant Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Nashville, where he and his partner Kaki, who is also an elder there, have been members for more than 30 years.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Faith communities can help solve Nashville's affordable housing crisis