On a 3-month sabbatical, I will research congregations that have built/are building on-campus affordable housing in Oakland/San Francisco, Los Angeles/San Diego and Washington/Baltimore. These build on my knowledge of several projects in Charlotte.

Through in-person interviews and online questionnaires for the principles, I will focus on:

Practical Theology: What visions and values of God’s kin’dom shape these commitments and communities? Has God’s oikonomia taken shape? Why or why not?

Ethnography: What are the stakeholders’ stories? Where has community been built? What barriers have been encountered?

Community Training, Cultural Values: What preparation is needed to prepare congregants to receive and offer healthy support for the residents? Given that America’s housing crisis falls disproportionately on people of color, anti-racism and racial justice training is key. Other training considerations include trauma-informed care, mental health training and other person-centered practices. What resources are available?

Practical: What models exist - from high-rise, urban towers to multi-family covering previously un/under-used campus land to repurposing buildings or parking lots? What governance, funding and financing approaches work? What support systems for residents are being used, with what expectations, metrics, consequences?

While my primary audience is my congregation, there is a need to share timely research and story-telling much more broadly. The last book on church-related affordable housing,

https://www.amazon.com/Making-Housing-Happen-2nd-Faith-Based/dp/1620322870,

was published in 2006, updated in 2012. This would be new research focused specifically on housing on church campuses.

My background in journalism and banking aid in exploring a book and I am in conversation with publishers, in part to shape my research. The research also lends itself to a website, articles and op-eds, conference talks and panels, etc.