Transforming faith-owned properties into community housing is one potential solution to the housing crisis. What is involved?

Indwell Community Homes, a leader in supportive housing development, addresses this question in their online guide, “Let’s Open Doors! Affordable Social Housing the Indwell Way.“

Project background and objectives

The guide is inspired by the book “Making Housing Affordable,” which was originally created by Indwell to address the urgent need to combat homelessness.

Many faith-based groups own land or buildings and have a strong desire to contribute, but they often lack the expertise and resources to fully realize their vision.

In 2018, Indwell published their book to help these groups understand and manage partnerships. The guide has been distributed to hundreds of individuals and faith communities nationwide. With the print copies sold out and continued high demand from the field, Indwell, with financial support from the Centre, decided to create an online version. The goal of this project is to modernize the resource by transforming it into an interactive, easily updatable, and accessible tool.

The guide provides strategic thinking on real estate redistribution for faith-based organizations, as well as hands-on case studies. It offers them and their partners clear, concrete recommendations for navigating the complexities of housing development on their properties.

In addition, it covers best practices and the latest innovations, including partnership models, fundraising, community relations and development processes.

Why is this important?

It is estimated that by 2026, close to 4,000 places of worship and other properties owned by religious communities will be available for reallocation or sale. This presents a significant opportunity to accelerate the federal government’s National Housing Strategy targets.

Each converted faith-based property could provide an average of 30 homes, potentially housing 100,000 households in need of affordable housing in total.

For instance, the rehabilitation of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, now St. Mark’s Place in Kitchener, resulted in 43 housing units. Most tenants were previously in precarious housing situations or homeless. Renovations were completed in 2021, and the building opened in December 2023.

This collaborative effort between faith-based asset managers and community housing developers shows that viable solutions exist and can be implemented for the common good.

About Indwell

Indwell is a Christian charity established 50 years ago, dedicated to supporting vulnerable adults living with mental health challenges. Indwell is the largest developer of new supportive housing in southern and southwestern Ontario.

The organization aims to create healthy living environments and foster a sense of community through affordable housing. Indwell has developed 29 projects across seven cities in southwestern Ontario, supporting over 1,250 residents. Additionally, Indwell is spearheading 12 new projects, which will add 700 units, currently in various stages of design, development, and construction.

For more information about Indwell and the guide, please visit their website.