Applications open to congregations for 12-month cohort 

Richmond, VA  —The City of Richmond is proud to announce its first-ever Faith & Housing Initiative , a two-year program initiated by the City’s Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) to explore the possibilities for and interest in housing development on underutilized, faith-owned properties in the city limits.  

Managed in partnership with Sympara, a national nonprofit leader in sacred/civic placemaking, the Faith & Housing Initiative is meant to support faith communities who have the capacity and interest with education and technical assistance as they navigate the process of transforming owned properties into housing.  

“Moving the needle on housing supply and affordability will no doubt require some creative thinking about how we can incentivize thoughtful development and utilize or rehab underused parcels all over our City,” said Mayor Danny Avula. “We are fortunate to have countless strong communities of faith who are looking for ways to use their property for community benefit. The Faith & Housing Initiative will open the door to unique possibilities to do just that.” 

The Faith & Housing Cohort  

City staff from HCD, along with partners in Sympara , have already begun some pre-rollout activities, including early parcel mapping of faith-owned properties and initial conversations with faith leaders to gauge interest in the next phase of this process: the 12-month Faith & Housing Cohort.  

Starting today, applications are open for interested and qualifying congregations to join a yearlong program meant to help the congregation discern visions, develop plans, and prepare their members and neighbors for the multiyear development journey. The cohort will meet on a monthly basis to discuss faith-rooted community development, conduct site analyses and market feasibility studies, coordinate with mission-driven developers and funding partners, and more.  

“Our faith leaders and our congregations are tremendous community assets,” said Richmond Director of Housing and Community Development Merrick Malone . “They have the will and the motivation to take-on these projects, they just need some support and direction; that’s where we can help. The Faith & Housing Initiative aligns funding, permitting and development expertise with strong faith leadership to produce a real and lasting community benefit.” 

The program is limited to 12 congregations. Applications will be judged on a congregation’s readiness to embark on the multiyear journey of housing development.  

Please visit go.rva.gov/applyfaithhousing . The application will close at 5 p.m. ET on November 30, 2026.   

Information Sessions

HCD and Sympara are hosting two information sessions for interested congregations to learn more. Please RSVP to loren.brown@rva.gov if you are interested in attending and indicate which date you would like to join in the subject of your email.  

• November 4, 2026, 12 – 1 p.m. ET 
• November 6, 2026, 12 – 1 p.m. ET 

A recording will be made available for those who cannot attend. 

Learn more about the Faith & Housing initiative at go.rva.gov/faithandhousing