Across California, Catholic organizations are seeking to partner with affordable housing developers to build critically needed affordable homes on their land. Unfortunately, the land we hold can often be locked into complicated and cost-prohibitive local zoning rules and regulations, preventing organizations from supporting those most in need and helping address our homelessness crisis.
SB 4 would make building affordable housing easier, faster, and cheaper on land owned by faith-based institutions and nonprofit colleges.
The Terner Center estimates that roughly 38,800 acres of land currently owned by religious institutions have the potential for development. Affordable housing development is limited by available funding and land-use restrictions that prohibit all residential uses at densities adequate for affordable housing development.
The Church has traditionally viewed housing not as a commodity but as a fundamental human right. Pope John Paul II said, “A house is much more than a roof over one’s head.” It is “a place where a person creates and lives out his or her life.” The right to housing is a consistent theme in our teaching and is found in the Church’s Charter of the Rights of the Family. “We believe society has the responsibility to protect these rights, and the denial of housing to so many constitutes a terrible injustice.”
Please let Governor Newsom know you support SB 4 today!
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