Dear Virginia: Don’t Fail on Faith-Based Housing
SB388 gives faith communities the tools they need. It’s time to sign the bill.
The following is an open letter from the director of the Faith-Based Housing Initiative to Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger in support of SB388. The bill is sitting on her desk, but we need her to sign it by April 13th. If you want to see faith-based housing succeed in Virginia, please share this letter and submit a comment at this link.
To Governor Abigail Spanberger,
As both a Virginian and the Director of the Faith-Based Housing Initiative, I have been incredibly excited and proud to track The Faith in Housing Bill’s progress through the Virginia state legislature this year.
I respectfully urge Governor Spanberger to sign this landmark legislation in its strongest form.
From Arlington to Abingdon, Virginians are ready to help solve our housing crisis through their faith institutions. They have the land, they have the mission, and they have the will. But right now, they are being blocked by a wall of red tape.
SB388 is the key to tearing that wall down.
With the April 13 signing deadline fast approaching, I am respectfully urging you, Governor Spanberger, to sign this landmark legislation in its strongest form.
The Problem: VA Churches are Land Rich, but Regulations Stand in the Way
In recent years, we have seen an incredible movement of houses of worship seeking to build affordable housing on their underutilized property. From Danville to Portsmouth to Richmond, we have been asked to train churches to do this difficult work. SB388 is the common-sense solution that benefits everyone and builds housing exactly where we need it the most.
However, under the current land use dogma, this work is grueling. Small congregations are being buried under burdensome zoning requirements that make affordable projects impossible to finance, let alone build.
Without SB388, our faith communities are handcuffed. I know of a church in Richmond that was forced to sell its land to a private developer because the barriers to building affordable housing were too high. That land—which could have housed teachers and seniors—is now being turned into multi-million dollar luxury homes.
This is the cost of inaction. How much longer must the citizens of Virginia pay such costs?
SB388 is the Solution We Need
SB388 provides a streamlined pathway for faith congregations to build the housing we need. It ensures teachers, firefighters, and healthcare workers can afford to live in the communities they serve. It provides options for aging in place near their spiritual homes, and it allows congregations to turn their most valuable asset—land—into a living extension of their values.
We have come too far to accept half-measures. We strongly oppose any effort to veto or weaken this bill.
Governor Spanberger: I urge you to sign SB388/HB1279, including the small technical amendments requested by the Commonwealth Housing Coalition to ensure this law works on day one.
To my fellow Virginians: We have until midnight on April 13. The opponents of affordable housing are loud, but they are small, and we are many. We need to show the Governor that Virginians want real solutions and not just rhetoric. You can tell the Governor why you think signing these bills is important at this link.
Let’s get this done. Let’s put faith in housing.
Eli Smith
Virginia Resident
Director, Faith-Based Housing Initiative
Thank you for leading here, Eli!