Partnership helps provide homes to the less fortunate

What do you do when you see a need? You respond. Enterprise Community Partners, a national leader in affordable housing finance and development, saw a need and responded.

In 2006, Enterprise hosted a “Call to Action” with local clergy members to present the growing need for more affordable housing that serves low- and moderate-income residents in the metropolitan region. During this convening, Enterprise also shared striking data that illustrated the significant amount of land owned by houses of worship as well as successful examples of faith-based development throughout the region. Over 780 houses of worship in the District own over 640 acres of land, while houses of worship in Fairfax County own over 14,000 acres of land in that region. This begged the question, “Why haven’t you done more development on your vacant or underutilized land?” Their response were clear: “We are pastors, not real estate developers.” The clergy shared how they had been strategic in acquiring land in their communities, but did not know how to thoughtfully and sustainably make an impact in their community through development.

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A clear need was heard. The houses of worship had land, one of the most critical components of a real estate transaction, yet they needed guidance in developing their assets. At Enterprise, we had the expertise and mission to respond to their needs.

How have we responded? Through Enterprise’s Faith-Based Development Initiative. Our goal is to support the development of new units of housing built in the region that serve low- to moderate-income families. The initiative provides critical legal, financial and training resources to help faith-based organizations develop underutilized real estate assets into affordable homes and other community facilities.

Rev. Leonard Hamlin, the Senior Pastor at Macedonia Baptist Church in the Nauck neighborhood of Arlington, Va. and an Enterprise partner, shared his faith-based thoughts on the importance of this kind of effort.

“Macedonia Baptist Church has been serving the Arlington, Va. community and Washington, D.C. region in excess of one hundred years. We firmly believe that our faith community should be an integral part of the broader community, and it is a part of our mission to serve beyond the walls of our sanctuary. As part of our comprehensive plan, we recently undertook the challenge of providing needed affordable housing within the Nauck community of Arlington. Along with several key partners, we successfully opened a 36-unit apartment building serving low- and moderate-income residents, with five units reserved for Arlington County Supportive Housing mentally and physically disabled residents. The site also includes an incubator space for several small and start-up businesses in support of economic empowerment.”

“Since completing this project, I have reflected greatly on the process. Firstly, the need is great. Our building is 100% leased up and the demand is ever increasing. I believe in a God and Savior who sincerely cares for those in need. As the body of Christ we are called to be His hands and feet to provide opportunity for our brothers and sisters. I see affordable housing as one meaningful way to do that. Secondly, you need partners along the way. Without dedicated development partners — like AHC, Inc., Bonder & Amanda Johnson CDC or Enterprise, who understood our mission and goals, and supported us along the way, our ability to meet this need would be very limited.”

David Bowers is the Vice President and Market Leader for Enterprise Community Partners in Washington, D.C.

For more essays from area faith leaders visit On Faith/Local