In 2006, Enterprise began our Faith-Based Development Initiative (FBDI) in the Mid-Atlantic region, where our partnerships with faith leaders have led to the creation and preservation of more than 1,500 affordable homes with thousands more in the projected pipeline. Since then, we’ve seen a growing need and interest in faith-based community development and expanded FBDI into 10 jurisdictions across the country.
Our 2023 FBDI Annual Summit will look at how this national movement has continued to grow and evolve, particularly in response to the pandemic. Panel discussions include:
- Pandemic Pivot: New Realities, New Responses
The pandemic created new realities for all, especially houses of worship that saw attendance dwindling and services transported online. The panel will discuss how houses of worship have sought to respond to these challenges by adapting their properties to serve the housing and other social/economic needs of their communities, while also providing a sustainable model for on-going operations. - Meeting Community Needs: Approaches to Homeownership and Community Facilities Development
Affordable housing can take many forms, for some congregations it may be creating opportunities for homeownership. For some congregations, meeting community needs entails the creation of community facilities (e.g., retail, office space, day care centers). This panel will explore how houses of worship are approaching these responses. - What’s New: Public Private Investments
Faith-based development efforts require support for both the financing of projects and increasingly, support for FBDI types of efforts that provide a range of technical and financial supports to houses of worship as they navigate the process. This panel will discuss a range of public and private approaches around the country that are supporting faith-based development efforts.
*NOTE* The first 300 registrants to log onto the event on November 9th will receive a free copy of the book “Gone for Good?: Negotiating the Coming Wave of Church Property Transition” Edited by Mark Elsdon with a foreword by Willie James Jennings