This week, Enterprise Community Partners (Enterprise) announced the expansion of its Faith-Based Development Initiative into Prince George’s County, where it will partner with faith-based organizations to convert their unused land into affordable homes.
The Greater Washington Community Foundation is proud to support this effort with a $40,000 grant that contributes to $525,000 in total funding from partners including Bank of America and Prince’s George’s County. The funding will help up to seven houses of worship as they develop new housing on their vacant property. The program was announced at a “clarion call” at Refreshing Springs Church of God in Christ, a local church in Riverdale, Maryland.
“The Greater Washington Community Foundation is proud to partner with Enterprise to increase affordable housing solutions in Prince George’s County by investing in the capacity of faith institutions to develop properties on otherwise idle assets,” said Darcelle Wilson, Senior Director for Prince George’s County. “This project perfectly aligns with our new strategic vision to increase economic mobility and close our region’s racial wealth gap. In doing so, we are taking a deliberate approach to engaging the faith community around community development efforts that will ensure Prince George’s County is a place where everyone prospers.”
Faith-based organizations across the country own tens of thousands of acres of vacant or underutilized land. As costs for land and housing remain high, this initiative will enable them to serve their communities in new ways by creating affordable housing. The initiative will provide specialized training, technical assistance, and funding over two years to participating houses of worship as they plan new developments on their land.
The Faith-Based Development Initiative was originally launched by Enterprise in 2006 and has been highly successful in communities across the Mid-Atlantic region. Since it’s inception, the initiative has helped create or preserve more than 1,500 affordable homes, with thousands more currently in the development pipeline.