Affordable Housing is a Religious Issue
Alan Stanford, Senior Pastor
First Baptist Church of Clarendon
The week of September 12-19, 2004 is the tenth anniversary of Habitat for
Humanity's Building on Faith week that recognizes and celebrates the
contributions that faith communities make to the issue of affordable
housing. Sunday, September 19th has been designated by the Alliance for
Housing Solutions as Faith and Housing Action Day in Northern Virginia when
people of all faiths are being asked to pray and learn about affordable
housing. This is a critical issue in Arlington and all of Northern Virginia
and it is an issue that First Baptist Church of Clarendon is very involved
in right now.
The Arlington County Board will soon vote on a $25-30 million affordable
housing project proposed by First Baptist Church Clarendon that will double
the number of affordable housing units available in Clarendon. Some have
questioned privately and in the media whether Affordable Housing is the
church's real goal and if affordable housing is even a faith issue. As the
pastor of First Baptist Church I want to assure you that our church is
deeply and primarily concerned about affordable housing as a ministry
opportunity. The church has many millions of dollars in equity in our
buildings and land-all of which are debt-free. If we were only concerned
about building a new and better church building we could have sold part or
all of the current site and built a luxurious facility. Instead the church
elected to build a much more modest facility for itself and invest the rest
of the equity in the ministry of affordable housing. In addition to
spending our equity, the church will also assume millions of dollars of
debt.
Why are we doing this? In part because we feel that it is important that
the church maintain an urban ministry and help develop viable new models of
ministry for urban churches. It is true that our church will build a new
facility for itself which will maintain its historic steeple and façade,
have three stories of underground parking, and approximately eight stories
of apartments above it. But this is more than a scheme to build a new
facility-it is an attempt to forge a new style of ministry in our community
that addresses the practical as well as the spiritual needs around us. As
Millard Fuller, the founder of Habitat for Humanity, recently stated: "We
live in a very affluent country. We have enormous resources. Yet we have
people who spend millions and millions on housing while others have no place
to live." In the New Testament book of 1 John 3:16-18 it says, "By this we
know love, that he laid down his life for us; and we ought to lay down our
lives for the brethren. But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his
brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide
in him? Little children, let us not love in word or speech but in deed and
in truth."
With a median income of $85-90,000 in Arlington County and an average rent
of $1,210 for a one bedroom apartment, many people who serve our community
can not afford to live here. Beginning teachers, nurses, paralegals, social
workers, ministers, and many others have been priced out of the rental
market and can never hope to afford to buy homes in the community they
serve. Only 19 of Arlington County's firefighters can afford to live in the
county.
Approximately 30 million Americans face serious housing problems, but only
4.1 million of the 14.5 million who actually qualify are receiving any
government aid. The Department of Housing and Urban Development has a
budget of only $25 billion annually, while the US government gives mortgage
interest tax breaks of $28.9 billion to those with household incomes over
$100,000.00 per year. The Jewish prophet Micah writes, "He has showed you,
O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do
justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God."
Seventy-one percent of Americans say they want their elected officials to
place a much higher priority on making housing more affordable.
What can we do? Support affordable housing and the politicians who have the
courage to vote for projects that make it possible for working members of
our community to live here. Pray that we might see more equity in the
housing policies of our nation. Work to build affordable housing and support
those who are doing it. FBC Clarendon desperately needs the support of
other churches in Northern Virginia if we are going to successfully navigate
the local political process. For people of faith affordable housing is a
matter of living out the teachings of their faith. It is one area in which
all people of good will can and should work together.
