Yes in God's backyard

Enable faith-based organizations, nonprofits, and colleges to build affordable housing on underutilized land they already own — bypassing restrictive local zoning to put tax-exempt property to work against the shortage.

Legalize housingUpdated Jan 2026

What it does: Affordable homes by right on faith & institutional land
Works at: City · State
Cost to government: ~$0 — unlocks land the mission already owns

Why it matters

The problem

Churches are among the largest landowners in their communities — Virginia's faith institutions alone collectively hold roughly 74,000 acres of undeveloped land. Most of it sits idle under restrictive zoning, while the institutions themselves struggle financially with declining attendance.

The fix

Let faith institutions — and, for maximum impact, nonprofits and postsecondary institutions — build housing by right on their own land under objective standards. Gentle density in high-opportunity neighborhoods, on existing infrastructure, without large-scale redevelopment.

The misconception to defuse early: Special approval for housing on religious land doesn't open the door to discrimination — every home built this way must follow the Fair Housing Act like any other. What it does open is land, and a lifeline for anchor institutions that want to stay viable by serving their neighbors.

Craft the policy

What separates versions that produce homes from versions that produce headlines.

Include

By-right development
Projects meeting objective standards and health-and-safety rules bypass restrictive local zoning — no multi-year rezone.
Example language: “…a housing development project [shall] be a use by right upon the request of an applicant who submits an application for streamlined approval, on any land owned by a religious institution.” — California SB 4 (2023)
Expedited permitting
Cut the local approval delays that inflate project costs — congregations have thin margins and mission timelines.
Example language: “…a use by right… on any land owned by an independent institution of higher education or religious institution.” — Virginia SB 233
Institutional flexibility
Expand eligibility beyond faith organizations to nonprofits and higher-education institutions — more qualifying land, more homes, more market relief.

Avoid

Strict affordability measures
Requirements that make projects financially impossible hit faith institutions hardest — they have the least development capital of any landowner.
Aesthetic requirements
Mission-driven values and housing outcomes outweigh visual uniformity; design-matching mandates restrict production without meaningful benefit.
Setbacks and floor-area ratios beyond health & safety
Excess geometric requirements significantly constrain the buildable area and can prevent development outright.

After it passes — implementation checklist

1Set clear effective dates
2Let developments use tax abatements, grants, or direct subsidies to reduce construction costs
3Add enforcement with an appeals process or legal recourse — appeals board, third-party standing, or Attorney General referral
4Establish objective approval standards with firm timelines — automatic approval if the locality misses its deadline

Make the case

“Housing on religious land follows the Fair Housing Act like every other home — special permission doesn't mean special exclusion.”

“Houses of worship are neighborhood anchors struggling with declining attendance — this policy keeps them viable while delivering affordable homes.”

“YIGBY preserves neighborhood character the real way: community institutions stay open, families stay housed, neighborhoods stay livable.”

Likely allies — and why they show up

YIGBY & FBHI: The movement's subject-matter experts
Enterprise Community Partners: Runs the Faith-Based Development Initiative
Local religious leaders: The land and the mission are theirs
Affordable housing developers: Land is their scarcest input
Community land banks: Mission-aligned land stewardship
Nonprofits & higher-education institutions: The same permission applies to their land

Wins & momentum

—VirginiaVirginia YIMBYs pushed to expand YIGBY affordable housing to the lowest income levelsYIMBY-backed
2026FloridaFlorida YIMBYs worked to make YIGBY mandatory rather than optional — effective July 1, 2026YIMBY-backed

Related endorsements

When legislation carries this policy, our members vote on endorsing it — policy work and electoral work reinforcing each other.

Endorsed · 2025 federal slate

Yes In God's Backyard Act

Federal · 119th Congress

Backs faith institutions building affordable homes on their own land.

Candidates who champion this policy appear in our voter guides

Research & resources

ExplainerHow YIGBY advances housing and faith-based workYIMBY Law
HubYIGBY Housingyigby.org
The California YIGBY movement's resource hub
GuideFaith-Based Development InitiativeEnterprise Community Partners
Technical assistance and funding guidance
ResearchThe housing potential of land owned by faith-based organizations and collegesTerner Center, UC Berkeley
Case studyJordan Court at All Souls ParishTerner Center, UC Berkeley
A Bay Area church-led affordable development, start to finish
DataReligious-institution land zoning nationwideNational Zoning Atlas

Related playbooks

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Bringing this to your city council?

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All solutions