A $250,000 House Listed at $190,000: Michigan Churches Build Homes and Ask Lansing for Help

• Washington Heights United Methodist Church in Battle Creek, Michigan, plans 17 homes; its first cost about $250,000 to build and was listed at $190,000.
• Funding came from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation ($345,000), the state housing agency ($200,000) and city ARPA funds ($360,000).
• ICCF Community Homes in the Grand Rapids area has raised $13 million for 200 units by 2030.
• Michigan needs about 119,000 more homes; a ‘Yes in God’s Backyard’ law has not yet been introduced there.

Michigan churches are building homes, but they say they need the state’s help to do more. Bridge Michigan reported on congregations tackling the housing shortage.

In Battle Creek, Washington Heights United Methodist Church plans 17 homes. Its first cost about $250,000 to build and was listed at $190,000. The project is supported by $345,000 from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, $200,000 from the state housing agency and $360,000 in city ARPA funds. Pastor Monique French said: “It stimulates the community. It revives the hope.” In Detroit, Church of the Messiah Housing Corp. has been building since 1978, and in the Grand Rapids area ICCF Community Homes has raised $13 million towards 200 units, half to sell and half to rent, by 2030.

Michigan has 4.7 million housing units and needs about 119,000 more. More than a dozen states have passed or considered ‘Yes in God’s Backyard’ laws, but none has been introduced in Michigan. Katie Bach of the Michigan State Housing Development Authority said: “We are seeing more interest from churches as the housing crisis has become more visible and more urgent.” Lauren Strickland of Abundant Housing Michigan said: “You have these churches that already have existing properties. They may not fit neatly into what the zoning codes say.”

Richard Cannon of Church of the Messiah Housing said: “The limited folks that provide financial support are kind of divided in terms of where they’re putting money.”

The Battle Creek figures show a basic problem for church housing: a home that costs $250,000 to build may need to sell for less to be affordable, and grants must fill the gap. Jamaican churches planning homes for sale should expect the same arithmetic and line up partners early, whether housing agencies, foundations or diaspora donors. Selling homes rather than renting them lets a church recycle money into the next house.

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