Twelve Worshippers and Three Years to Act: Oregon Lawmakers Weigh $200,000 to Help Churches Build Homes

• Oregon’s House Bill 2964 would offer up to $200,000 in grants or loans per organisation for housing predevelopment costs on religious land.
• The money could pay for municipal fees, feasibility studies, community engagement, traffic studies and financial packages.
• More than half of the 153 congregations in the United Methodist Church’s Oregon-Idaho conference have 25 or fewer weekly worshippers.
• The bill is sponsored by Reps Mark Gamba and Cyrus Javadi and co-authored by the Leaven Community Land and Housing Coalition.

Oregon lawmakers are considering helping churches with the costs that stop many housing projects before they start. OPB reported that House Bill 2964 would help cover the initial costs for congregations that want to build homes on their land.

The bill would provide up to $200,000 in grants or loans per organisation, for predevelopment costs only: municipal fees, feasibility studies, community engagement, traffic studies and putting together financial packages. It is sponsored by Rep Mark Gamba, a Democrat from Milwaukie, and Rep Cyrus Javadi, a Republican from Tillamook, and was co-written with the Leaven Community Land and Housing Coalition. It went before the House Committee on Housing and Homelessness.

The need is pressing for many congregations. OPB reported that the United Methodist Church’s Oregon-Idaho conference has 153 congregations and more than half have 25 or fewer weekly worshippers. Tabor Heights United Methodist Church in Portland has 12 parishioners. Pastor Anna Hoesly said churches “just really want to do this and leave this legacy on their land.” The Rev Drew Hogan said: “The reality we face is we have about three years to do this work.” Rep Pam Marsh said: “I think forgivable loans are the right path, rather than grants.”

The bill targets a common gap: congregations with land but no money for the studies and fees needed to find out whether a project is possible.

That gap exists in Jamaica too. A church may own land suitable for homes but lack the funds to pay for surveys, subdivision approvals, feasibility studies and legal work. Partnerships with housing agencies, development banks or diaspora investors could help fill it. Churches thinking about housing should start with a basic feasibility study, and those with shrinking congregations, like many in Oregon, may find that the window to act is shorter than they think.

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