Cleveland, OH (June 11, 2026) – Enterprise Community Partners (Enterprise) today announced the six faith-based organizations selected for its Faith-Based Development Initiative Cuyahoga County cohort. These organizations have received training on affordable housing development and will receive technical assistance and pre-development funding to help transform underutilized land surrounding their house of worship into much needed affordable housing.
“For two decades, Enterprise's Faith-Based Development Initiative has supported a growing number of houses of worship interested in creating housing for their communities,” said Ayonna Blue Donald, Vice President and Ohio Market Leader, Enterprise. “I’m thrilled we can bring this initiative to Cuyahoga County and look forward to working with our new cohort to help address our region’s pressing need for more affordable housing.”
The inaugural cohort was selected through a competitive process, following 10 trainings open to 40 faith-based organizations interested in addressing the county’s housing challenges. The six faith-based organizations are:
- Antioch Baptist Church
- Church of the Reform, Church of Love
- Mt. Sinai Baptist Church
- Open Door Missionary Baptist Church
- Shiloh Baptist Church
- Union Grove Missionary Baptist church
Collectively, the cohort can leverage over 10 acres owned by houses of worship or land banks across Cuyahoga County with the potential to create up to 100 affordable homes. Individual proposed development sites range from 0.8 to 2.2 acres, and the envisioned developments include senior and mixed-income rental housing, reentry and workforce housing, as well as affordable homeownership opportunities.
“With the current economic environment and changes in the religious landscape, our church has had ongoing conversations about how best to leverage our land and building to better serve the community and enhance sustainability, yet we have lacked the resources and knowledge base to undertake a development project, said Rev. Dr. Lisa M. Goods, Pastor, Shiloh Baptist Church - Cleveland, OH. “This grant through Enterprise offers an unprecedented opportunity by providing pre-development dollars, training, expertise, and mentorship to expand our mission of being a catalyst for the health, well-being, and economic stability of Central neighborhood residents by addressing the affordable housing crisis.”
The program was launched in Cuyahoga County with initial support from KeyBank Foundation and pre-development support for these six organizations is provided by the Cleveland Foundation. By training faith-based organizations on the development process and providing funding to support feasibility analyses and other pre-development activities, the initiative helps cohort members come to an informed “go or no go” decision about pursuing development. Those who choose to move forward benefit from technical assistance from Enterprise staff and development consultants, peer-to-peer learning, and connections to industry professionals, including architects, attorneys, and developers.
“As an initial supporter and strong believer in this initiative by Enterprise Community Partners, we are excited to see this move forward,” said Mattie Jones-Hollowell, Corporate Responsibility Officer for KeyBank in Cleveland. “Affordable housing projects like these transform neighborhoods and provide the individuals and families in them opportunities to build wealth and community. We congratulate Enterprise and all partners involved on their progress and look forward to seeing the impact this will have on communities in Cuyahoga County.”
“It is an honor to work with historic, faith-based organizations that are deeply rooted in the communities of Greater Cleveland,” said Joyce Pan Huang, Chief Impact Officer at the Cleveland Foundation. “Thanks to Enterprise’s inspiring initiative and KeyBank Foundation’s partnership, these organizations and their congregations will be equipped to invest in land and housing to better support Cleveland's neighborhoods, residents, and families. We are committed to the belief that communities like these have the power to create environments where everyone can thrive — physically, socially and spiritually.”
Since launching two decades ago, Enterprise’s Faith-Based Development Initiative has helped congregations nationwide navigate the complexities of housing development and unlock land to create over 1,900 homes with 9,000 more in the projected pipeline. What began as a local effort has grown into a national movement helping faith communities become catalysts for housing affordability and equitable development.
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About Enterprise Community Partners
Enterprise is a national nonprofit that exists to make a good home possible for the millions of families without one. We support community development organizations on the ground, aggregate and invest capital for impact, advance housing policy at every level of government, and build and manage communities ourselves. Since 1982, we have invested $92.0 billion and created 1.1 million homes across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands – all to make home and community places of pride, power and belonging. Join us at enterprisecommunity.org.
