California lawmakers vote to fast-track low-income housing on churches’ lands
California lawmakers vote to fast-track low-income housing on churches’ lands
California lawmakers vote to fast-track low-income housing on churches' lands
Religious institutions and nonprofit colleges in California could soon turn their parking lots and other properties into low-income housing to help combat the ongoing homeless crisis, lawmakers voted on Thursday.
The legislation would rezone land owned by nonprofit colleges and religious institutions, such as churches, mosques, and synagogues, to allow for affordable housing. They would be able to bypass most local permitting and environmental review rules that can be costly and lengthy.
California is home to 171,000 homeless people — about 30% of all homeless people in the U.S. The crisis has sparked a movement among religious institutions, dubbed “yes in God’s backyard,” or “YIGBY,” in cities across the state, with a number of projects already in the works.
ngl, but if the evangelical Christian folks can actually get a YIGBY movement going, they could really do some great work in the world.
For all our strengths on the secular side of things, we never could beat NIMBY problems. They're just very difficult to overcome using our methods, and help derail things like nuclear energy.
I think Jesus would have actually agreed that YIMBY is a genuinely valid and wholesome idea, and that it even harnesses some of the good traits of Christianity. If this actually works, you can color me impressed.
Church housing used to be a part of the service that "missing middle" represents. Not literally stuff in the middle, but housing products that are largely not allowed anymore. They used to supply at the lower end that we now have to rely on extremely inefficient institutions like shelters to do.
All housing that gets built is good for the housing crisis. But what's particularly good is building housing at Market slices where there is currently nothing.
Churches were the safety net. They took care of the poor and provided mental support for all. In that capacity giving 10% makes sense. They no longer serve that role, at least not not a large scale.
Homelessness is not a certainty in society.
The idiotic thing here is that most evangelicals vote in favor of a party and a system of government that facilities homelessness.
I would respect these efforts a lot more if evangelicals would simultaneously support a system of government that would render these initiatives unnecessary in the long term. Take aim at the root cause. Look to the Nordic countries where homelessness is now, more or less, a matter choice.
While it might feel good to judge religious people because you feel they are less generous to the poor in the way they vote, it is worth considering three things:
First, the religious easily out donate the rest of us both in percentage of donators and amount donated, whether it is to religious or secular causes.
Second, it is a lot easier to give away someone else's money than our own.
Third, most of them see a difference between donating, out of their excess, to a local organization that handles the money in a way they agree with, versus having their money taken by force, even if money is tight, by an organization (government) that handles the money in a way they don't agree with.
If someone likes donating to the Salvation Army and finds out that they are using 80% of their funds to pay for staff, then maybe they will stop supporting them and support Habitat For Humanity or a local food pantry instead. Whereas when the government takes their money and does what they want with it, they have little recourse when it is mismanaged.
I'd look for the monetary motivation. You know there is one beyond altruism, it's organized religion after all.