Many Palm Beach County churches came out of the COVID pandemic with diminished attendance that left them cash poor and land rich.
In that challenge could be an opportunity for them to develop affordable housing to strengthen the community and their congregation.
Palm Beach County Community Services Director James Green and his team gathered faith leaders and developers Friday, April 4, in Boynton Beach to explore transforming property into hope.
Religious leaders are pursuing affordable housing to further their mission of help and mercy while building membership and financially sustaining their congregations.
Friday’s workshop showcased three planned projects.
Union Congregational United Church of Christ, founded in 1894
5088 Summit Blvd. near West Palm Beach
The project: Peace Village, a four-story building with 96 mostly one-bedroom units of senior affordable housing. The church is partnering with Fort Lauderdale-based Green Mills Group, a developer that specializes in workforce housing.
Land is the starting point and financing is the key, Mitch Rosenstein of Green Mills said. A development partner helps congregations pursue subsidies and secure financing, he said as he urged churches not to go it alone.
Union Congregational will own 51% of the project, which Rosenstein said will operate as its own entity with payroll, maintenance and other services.
Rosenstein advised congregations to pursue a land lease with a developer instead of selling their property. “Your land is your legacy. Don’t sell.”
READ MORE: How Miami is tackling the crisis in affordable housing — one building at a time
West Palm Beach 7th Day Baptist Church, founded in 2000
1473 Haverhill Road near Military Trail and Belvedere Road
Seventh at Haverhill, a five-story building with 101 affordable studio, one- and two-bedroom units. Church members will meet in 4,500 square feet on the ground floor. The church property is within an area of central Palm Beach County that leaders targeted in 1999 for redevelopment. Members are working with South Florida developer Tré Bél Housing, which is led by former New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma.
The Rev. Garfield Miller said he was losing members who moved to Port St. Lucie because of Palm Beach County’s high cost of living. Be patient, he said. “We have been working on this since 2001,” Miller said.
“We prayed through much of this. ‘What is it that God would want?’ Initially, we thought this was way bigger than us,” he said. “We are 330 members, so we thought it was impossible. But we realized, nothing is impossible.”
St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, founded in 1911
404 SW 3rd St., Delray Beach
One building with six units and two buildings with three units for a total of 12 affordable apartments. St. Matthew’s project evolved from the church’s homeless outreach through services including a truck that provides showers and another that helps with laundry.
“For many years, we have had homeless people sleeping on our property,” Rachel Baker-Blackwell said. “Being a church and with our mission, it was ‘How can we help this community?’”
The project will help sustain the church. “Our median age is 60. We are looking to keep the church going for the community. Because if we die, pieces of what benefits the community will die with us.”
Green said that the county’s goal is to work with Faith in Action PBC to provide information and assist faith-based organizations interested in using their land for affordable housing and providing support to people who are homeless.
His team is recruiting 10 to 12 churches to spend six to nine months exploring their housing options. They range from one or more tiny houses on property to multifamily developments.
This story was originally published by Stet News Palm Beach, a WLRN News partner.
