Reps. Brown and Barragán Introduce Bill to Open Door for Faith-Based Organizations and Nonprofit Universities to Build Affordable Housing

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Shontel Brown (OH-11) and Congresswoman Nanette Barragán (MI-11) announced the Yes in God’s Backyard (YIGBY) Act, legislation designed to address the nation’s housing crisis by empowering faith-based institutions and institutions of higher-education to build affordable housing on underused land they already own. The bill will unlock new housing opportunities in communities facing severe housing shortages and rising homelessness. 

The legislation was filed by Congresswoman Barragan with Brown as a co-lead. Bill text available here.

As Americans are reeling from skyrocketing rent, Ohioans are facing an affordable housing crisis. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, Ohio needs 264,000 more affordable housing units to meet the needs of the general public. 

The growing Yes in God’s Backyard (YIGBY) movement offers a solution rooted in local leadership. By empowering trusted community institutions to use their land for affordable housing, YIGBY helps meet urgent needs while strengthening neighborhoods.

"We need to use every tool we have and work with every partner we have to lower housing costs. Because the last thing any working family should have to worry about is finding a safe and affordable place for their children to lay their heads at night. The YIGBY Act helps religious institutions address the housing crisis and cut through the red tape so that we can remove the barriers, lower the cost of housing, and expand the options Americans have. I’m proud to partner with Congresswoman Barragan on this legislation to lower housing costs and help religious institutions serve their communities,” said Congresswoman Shontel Brown.

“Across the country, communities are facing unprecedented housing shortages and growing homelessness,” said Congresswoman Barragán. “Faith-based organizations and institutions of higher learning want to step up and help address the housing crisis, but too often they’re held back by outdated rules and unnecessary red tape. We need every possible tool to expand affordable housing—that’s why this bill puts trusted community partners at the center of the solution and gives local governments the tools they need to remove unnecessary barriers and build homes people can afford.”

States and cities are already showing what can happen when these barriers are removed. In California, SB 4 allows qualifying faith institutions and higher education institutions to build 100 percent affordable housing by right. As a result, at least 80 congregations in Los Angeles alone are now exploring housing development on their property. Similar efforts are underway or being considered in New York, Massachusetts, Colorado, Minnesota, Virginia, Texas, Arizona, and New Jersey, signaling growing national momentum behind this approach.

The Yes in God’s Backyard Act would extend this progress nationwide by:

• Offering technical assistance to faith-based organizations and institutions of higher education seeking to use existing land to expand or preserve affordable rental housing;
• Providing technical support to local governments to share best practices and streamline the development of affordable housing on faith and university property; and
• Establishing challenge grants to reward communities that adopt policies removing barriers to affordable housing on these sites.

The legislation is supported by a broad coalition of national organizations, including NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), United Church of Christ, People Assisting the Homeless (PATH) Los Angeles, LeadingAge, Enterprise Community Partners, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, National Housing Conference, and True Ground Housing Partners.

Original cosponsors of the bill are Reps. LaMonica McIver (NJ-10), Ritchie Torres (NY-15), Danny Davis (IL-07), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-00), Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) and Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03).

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