236 Apartments, 142 With Support Services: A Gospel Star’s Brooklyn Congregation Breaks Ground on Housing

• Love Fellowship Tabernacle is developing HezHouse Apartments in East New York, Brooklyn
• The project has 236 affordable units, from studios to three-bedroom homes
• 142 units are supportive housing for people with mental health or substance use needs
• Partners include Brooklyn Community Housing & Services and TT Development Group

A Brooklyn church led by one of gospel music’s best-known figures has started building affordable homes, The Urban Music Scene reported in March 2024.

Bishop Hezekiah Walker’s Love Fellowship Tabernacle (LFT), with the Hezekiah Walker Community Development Corporation, broke ground on HezHouse Apartments in East New York. The development has 236 affordable units: 63 studios, 72 one-bedroom, 73 two-bedroom and 28 three-bedroom apartments. Of these, 142 are supportive units for individuals and families living with mental health or substance use disorders.

The church’s partners are Brooklyn Community Housing & Services, TT Development Group and Alembic Community Development. The report did not give a cost.

“I really want to leave a legacy above and beyond music,” Walker said. “I’m humbled and excited to finally break ground on HezHouse Apartments.” He added: “What better way to be the hands and feet of Jesus than to help ensure our neighbors have an affordable, safe and comfortable environment.”

The project follows a pattern seen across New York, where churches with land, a community development corporation and experienced partners take on large housing schemes. Typically the church brings land or local standing and trust, while the developer and non-profit partners bring finance, construction and management skills.

For Jamaican churches, the scale is different but the structure is instructive. A congregation with land can form a separate development company, partner with an experienced builder or housing agency, and keep a role in who is housed and how. Clear agreements on ownership, management and what happens if the project runs into trouble are essential before ground is broken.

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