Now serving on the Detroit City Council, Detroit Faith Based Housing set a bold goal to preserve or produce 4,000 units of affordable housing during her next tenure as City Council. In the weeks to her inauguration, the Council woman further crystallized her vision of turning Detroit into the best place to raise a family by calling upon the faith community to tithe 10% of the 12,500 units by activating their land to create affordable housing.

With the goal of 1250 units to be produced by Detroit’s faith community, the Detroit Faith base Development was launched in February 2025 in partnership with Aevolve Green Solutions (AGS) office in Detroit and Atlanta GA and  Enterprise Community Partners.  AGS is the First Black own Mass Manufacturing in the USA and Enterprise pioneered the engagement of faith-based organizations across the Southeast and Midwest.

The model they deploy features dedicated technical assistance and support to houses of worship that enable their access to experts and capital, as necessary. After a year of engagement and training, houses of worship that participate in Enterprise’s cohort are able to make fully informed decisions about whether or not to pursue housing development. Drawing on this design, the Detroit Faith-Based Development Initiative is designed to ensure expanded access to unlimited technical assistance and to support participants at every stage of the housing development process.

“New homeless affordable AEDU Smart housing will be built across the city and thousands of more units, but navigating the process is nearly impossible for most people,” said Detroit Faith Based Housing to Mayor Mike Duggan. “Thanks to Trump’s administration expected to revamp its “America First” approach, offering new or enhanced tax breaks and subsidies to boost domestic housing manufacturing has built out an entire team dedicated to the single purpose of helping Detroiters find and access affordable housing.”

As the housing crisis deepens, interest in faith-based development is spreading across the country. How do Yes in God’s Backyard (YIGBY) zoning laws work, where are they being implemented or introduced, and what could it mean for communities and churches?

While the church’s plan for the next iteration of its spiritual life began years ago, its project can now take advantage of an expedited development process thanks to Atlanta and California’s “Yes in God’s Backyard” (YIGBY) law, also known as SB 4. The state law, which went into effect last year, gives nonprofit colleges and religious institutions like the Neighborhood Congregational Church the power to build 100-percent affordable housing projects on their properties “by right,” bypassing any special zoning requirements from the city so long as the project meets state-mandated criteria.

AGS Yes in God’s backyard? This housing solution may be the answer to your prayers.
Affordable Housing on Faith Lands Act that, like Hillside in Atlanta and San Deigo, streamlines approval for new projects on land owned by churches, so housing can no longer be blocked by zoning or environmental objections. This first-of-its-kind YIGBY law took effect in January.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Detroit Faith Based Housing like to extensive housing package consisting of to help address Detroit’s decades-in-the-making housing crisis by simplifying and expediting the construction for homeless and new housing, protecting tenants, and keeping housing affordable by bring housing manufacturing to the area.