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Affordable Housing Crisis
In New York City, policymakers and practitioners are working to find ways to address the affordable housing crisis through faith-based organizations (FBOs) and their substantial land holdings. A zoning analysis by NYU's Furman Center revealed that FBOs own over 92 million square feet of underdeveloped land across the city's five boroughs.
The Federal Reserve Bank and NYU Furman Center hosted an event, "Fostering Neighborhoods: Faith-Based Organizations and the Development of Affordable Housing," on April 25, 2024, to discuss building affordable housing on FBO-owned land. Bricks and Mortals executive director Kate Toth attended as a panelist on the "Tackling the Challenge of Financing Faith-Based Affordable Housing” panel.
Recent legislative proposals aim to facilitate FBO-led housing development. The Faith-Based Affordable Housing Act, sponsored by Assemblymember Brian Cunningham, would streamline regulatory processes and mandate affordable housing training for religious corporation officials. New York City’s "City of Yes for Housing Opportunity" initiative proposes easing zoning restrictions to enable FBOs to convert existing structures into housing and develop new buildings near transit or commercial areas.
Faith Based Organizations and spaces are also using their land to address the migrant crisis.
The Metro Baptist Church’s R.O.C.C. center in New York City has become a sanctuary for migrants, providing food, various services, and a place to belong. The volunteer-run initiative provides essential services like city ID cards, health insurance, and immigration assistance and serves up to 300 people twice a week as they face funding challenges.
Hate Crimes and Security
The Los Angeles City Council has proposed a $1 million fund for security services at Jewish institutions, which has now been amended to include all denominations, increasing the funding to $2 million. The motion was inspired by violent clashes outside a synagogue in Pico-Robertson and aims to expedite security funding amid trends of rising hate crimes.
A campus safety officer at the College of Staten Island in New York City has been suspended after being filmed cursing at pro-Palestinian protesters during a graduation ceremony. The video captured by the student protesters shows the officer responding affirmatively to a protester accusing him of supporting genocide and stating he supports killing the protesters.
The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY) praised Suffolk County District Attorney for arresting a man on charges of Criminal Mischief in the Second Degree as a Hate Crime and other related charges. Marchetti allegedly threatened to kill four Muslim men and rammed his vehicle into theirs on June 17, 2024, in Huntington.
In a related development, CAIR-NY also welcomed a federal indictment against an alleged neo-Nazi who was charged with soliciting hate crimes and planning mass violence, including distributing poisoned candies to racial minorities and Jewish children in Brooklyn.
Last month we covered the attack of Rabbi Chezky Wolff who was attacked outside the Chelsea Shul in Manhattan after asking a man to leash his dog. As of last week there is an update to the case. Aleksander Janik has been taken into custody after being caught on camera hitting Rabbi Chezky Wolff with a heavy tote bag.
Advocacy
In the 1990’s members of St. Ambrose Episcopal Church became concerned about the environmental degradation and flooding caused by waste disposal in the Walnut Creek Wetland area. Spearheaded by one parishioner's concerns, the church initiated clean-up efforts, which soon evolved into a broader movement to preserve and protect the wetland. This grassroots initiative, known as "Partners for Environmental Justice," successfully rallied more churches and community members to their cause, securing grants for large-scale improvements and flood mitigation.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has recently demonstrated strong engagement in social justice and sustainable development through various initiatives from California, to Ohio, to the world stage. At the United Nations, the Lutheran Office for World Community (LOWC) participated in the ECOSOC Youth Forum, supporting delegates focused on poverty eradication, hunger alleviation, climate action, and justice. In California, the Lutheran Office of Public Policy (LOPPCA) hosted its fifth annual Lutheran Lobby Day in Sacramento, advocating for housing reform, clean water, and climate justice.
At their annual General Assembly, Unitarian Universalists (UU) voted to adopt a new statement of values and reaffirmed their commitment to various social issues, including climate change, transgender inclusion, COVID-19 impact, and solidarity with Palestinians and Israeli hostages. The new values statement, which garnered 80% support, marks the first major revision of Article II since 1987.
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