Bethel AME Church and YIGBY, which stands for “Yes in God’s Backyard,” are taking it upon themselves to tackle the affordable housing crisis in San Diego County.
“The first development that we will be building is a 26-unit development. We are demoing a duplex and we are building 26 units. Sixteen units will be for veterans and nine units will be for seniors and one will be for a live-in property manager,” Bethel AME Church Pastor Harvey Vaughn said.
The collective that is developing the project is working to bring the “Bethel One” project, and eventually others, to Logan Heights.
Affordable Housing Stories in San Diego
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The development is seen as a way to have churches and other faith-based organizations help tackle the affordable housing shortage.
“Churches have a lot of property; we have a lot of land, and it is unused or underused and that is an opportunity for us to create housing for seniors or low to moderate income individuals or families,” Pastor Vaughn said.
According to UC Berkeley’s Terner Center for Housing Innovation there is approximately 4,600 acres of land owned by places of worship in San Diego County with development opportunities.
California Senate Bill 4 aims to make it easier for religious groups to build affordable housing.
The groundbreaking for Bethel One will happen in the near future with a target date of completion in February 2024.
Yimby and Bethel plan on identifying even more development opportunities in the future.
