Affordable Housing and the Church

The Embedded Church Podcast

In this episode, Sara Joy and Eric talk with Pastor Dwayne Cline about James North Baptist Church and their journey towards providing affordable housing in their neighborhood in the north end Hamilton, Ontario. With a vision for incarnational ministry, James North has been serving their neighborhood for over 130 years. As one of the most economically depressed neighborhoods in the city, they have faithfully provided care and resources for many of those struggling to make ends meet. As the neighborhood tide began to change with new development and rising property prices in more recent years, the church recognized a growing need to provide affordable housing options for the long-time local residents. Their solution was to build affordable housing into their church property plans.

The church had already drawn plans and paid over $700K in costs for designing their new church building when they hit the pause button to rethink their property. In prayerful consideration, they decided to go back to the drawing board and design a new building that would also accommodate 45 units of affordable housing. The total project cost was $22 million with half of those costs related to the housing and half related to the church. They used a mix of government funds and a church capital campaign to cover the development expenses. Additionally, they worked in close collaboration with Indwell, a faith-based affordable housing developer, to guide the project to successful completion. Indwell also provides the property management and supportive services necessary for the property. The level of grit and collaboration required of the church has been great, but their relationships with the city officials and local neighborhood players opened doors for a successful project.

Eric and Sara Joy also speak with two field guides who provide more insight into the affordable housing context and resources that exist to guide churches in participating and advocating in this arena. Jill Shook, founder of Making Housing and Community Happen, explains classifications of affordable housing and talks about how churches can advocate for policy changes that allow for more affordable housing production in their communities while also considering opportunities for churches to play a direct role in providing it themselves. Patrick Duggan, Executive Director of the United Church of Christ Church Building and Loan Fund, gives some practical steps for churches to assess whether affordable housing makes sense in light of their location and their mission. He also shares about ways churches can mitigate risks by partnering with organizations like his to guide the development process.

Episode Contributors

Dwayne Cline is the Lead Pastor of James North Baptist Church in Hamilton, Ontario.

Dr. Jill Shook is the Founding Director of Making Housing and Community Happen, working with churches to bring about housing justice in the United States. She is author of Making Housing Happen: Faith Based Affordable Housing Models. She has developed and taught Housing Justice and Community Organizing in the Azusa Pacific University MA Social Work Department. Today she does a variety of workshops, including One-Day Housing Justice Workshops around the US.

Rev. Dr. Patrick Duggan is the Executive Director of the United Church of Christ Church Building and Loan Fund. He is responsible for advancing the mission and growing the capacity, reach and social impact of CB&LF products and services. Patrick has more than 30 years of experience in bi-vocational ministry, serving the local church while working in the public sector, including education, government, nonprofit organizations and economic and community development.

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More information about this podcast and helpful church and urbanism resources can be found on The Embedded Church website.

Related Resources

James North Baptist Church

Growing to Serve: The Story of James North - video

Indwell - a Christian charity that creates affordable housing communities

Making Housing and Community Happen - a faith-based nonprofit that equips congregations, community leaders, and neighbors with practical tools needed to transform their communities to end homelessness, and to stabilize the cost of housing

United Church of Christ Church Building & Loan Fund - an institution that transforms communities by helping the Church live into God’s economy, helping congregations plan, raise, finance, and build transformative projects

CNU - Members Christian Caucus: Churches + Affordable Housing Case Studies

Ministries of Mercy by Tim Keller

Christianity's Surprise by C. Kavin Rowe

Making Housing Happen: Faith Based Affordable Housing Models by Jill Shook

Key Terms

- Affordable Housing

- Displacement

- Entitlements

- Gentrification

- Inclusionary Zoning

- Tax Credits

- Zoning

Show Credits

Hosted and Produced by Eric O. Jacobsen and Sara Joy Proppe

Edited by Adam Higgins | Odd Dad Out Voice Productions

Theme Music by Jacob Shaffer

Artwork by Lance Kagey | Rotator Creative