As part of a broader effort to support innovative approaches to increasing housing availability and affordability, Lutheran Services in America has endorsed the “Yes in God’s Backyard” (YIGBY) bill (S. 3910.)

This legislation was introduced in March by Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio,) chair of the Senate Banking Committee (which has jurisdiction over housing issues). The bill aims to help faith-based institutions and churches use land they already own to ease the housing crisis in their communities. The legislation seeks to break down regulatory and zoning barriers for churches and other faith-based institutions to use existing unused land and property to develop housing.

Most recently, we included support for this bill as one of our policy priorities during visits with Congressional offices as part of our May Health & Housing Solutions Summit. As Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) is the senior-most Republican on the Senate Banking Committee, he will play a key role in whether the YIGBY provisions are included in any housing legislation passed before the end of current session of Congress. As such, we are now aligning efforts across our network to seek his support.

Contact me to learn more.

Sarah Dobson is Senior Director of Public Policy and Advocacy at Lutheran Services in America.