3,000 Acres of Underused Church Land: San Antonio Offers Congregations Help to Build Affordable Homes

• San Antonio set aside $300,000 of its $35 million affordable housing budget for a pilot helping churches develop housing.
• The city estimates churches own about 3,000 acres of underused property.
• The programme offers technical assistance and development advice and aims to guide two or three projects.
• Churches exploring projects include West End Baptist Church and Travis Park Church; St John Seminary plans 228 mixed-income homes.

San Antonio is offering churches expert help to turn spare land into affordable homes. The San Antonio Report said the city had set aside money for a pilot programme to guide congregations through housing development.

The city allocated $300,000 of its $35 million affordable housing budget to the pilot, which provides technical assistance and development advice. The city estimates that churches own about 3,000 acres of underused property, and it hoped to select two or three projects to guide through development. Partners include the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) San Antonio, Mission City Renewal and the law firm Bracewell.

Several congregations were already exploring options. West End Baptist Church on the Northwest Side was looking at very low-income housing, and Travis Park Church downtown was analysing redevelopment. St John Seminary planned a 228-unit mixed-income development, with 30 per cent at market rate and the rest for people earning below the area median income. The report said that in 2016, 165,000 of San Antonio’s 498,000 households spent more than 30 per cent of their income on housing.

Assistant City Manager Lori Houston said: “You need a navigator and a partner, and the City of San Antonio wants to be that partner.” Sandra Jolla of West End Baptist Church said: “We shouldn’t be telling people to get off our property when they’re seeking shelter.” Laurel Engbretson of LISC Bay Area advised: “You cannot over-communicate.”

Congregations often have land but lack development experience, and San Antonio’s answer is to provide that know-how directly. A similar approach could work in Jamaica, where churches own land in many communities and housing need is high. Government housing agencies, development banks or diaspora professionals could offer churches the same kind of guidance. For congregations, the first step is simply knowing what land they own and what it could hold.

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