Bishop Prentis Johnson looks out over the rooftops of Tacoma from the summit of the Hilltop neighborhood and sees renewal and hope. Across town, Pastor Will Mitchell surveys a grassy vacant swath of land and imagines new homes and a vibrant community.
Johnson and Mitchell are among a group of faith leaders in this mid-sized city just south of Seattle who are focused on reinforcing the community with a shared vision that includes building affordable homes.
Johnson started attending services at Greater Christ Temple Church more than 60 years ago, and he’s seen his community grapple with ups and downs. Now, the church recently broke ground on 63 affordable apartments — Hope Heights — for seniors, many of whom have been priced out of the neighborhood.
Across town at the Bethlehem Baptist Church, Mitchell oversees community services that include a homeless shelter for families. Soon, the church will break ground on a project that will create 40 homes for families, some of whom will come directly from the shelter.
To take on real estate development for the first time, both have tapped into the Enterprise Faith-Based Development InitiativeSM , in which Enterprise provides training, tools, and technical assistance to support the development of affordable homes on church property. Nationwide, religious institutions own an estimated 2.6 million acres of land, much of which is underused or vacant, and available for houses of worship to help address the housing affordability crisis.
"I grew up in this community, so I wanted to make sure whatever I do, I give back to the community. That ideology and that vision has brought me to this place where we are building housing for the community."
Bishop Prentis Johnson
Since 2006, FBDI has provided training, consulting from industry professionals, grant funding, and technical assistance to support the transformation of land into affordable housing and community amenities. Expansion of FBDI to the Puget Sound region, which includes Tacoma, and places across the country was made possible in 2021 with support from the Wells Fargo Foundation.
A View from the Hilltop
As a child, Johnson remembers how his mother took him by the hand to walk the seven miles to Greater Christ Temple Church from his home in the North End neighborhood of the city.
Tacoma's Hilltop neighborhood, historically the heart of the city's Black community, evolved from a working-class immigrant area in the early 20th century and experienced racial redlining and episodes of gang violence in the 1980s. Once a hub for Black-owned property and culture, it is now experiencing rising home prices and gentrification as a new light rail attracts renters priced out of tech-focused Seattle.
On a recent blustery spring day, Johnson stood, arms outstretched with joy, in front of a construction site just several hundred yards from the church. He expects Hope Heights will be leased by early 2027, affordable to people at 30-50% AMI with 13 homes reserved for people at risk of homelessness.
Johnson and church administrator Regas Segar describe a complex development journey that led to partnership with local affordable housing consultants Beacon Development Group and their parent organization, nonprofit senior housing provider HumanGood.
“Most important for us is to see people's lives become enriched with all facets of life,” Johnson said. “They can be tethered to the church in a spiritual way and tethered to a home they can feel proud of. If people have a place they can raise family or gather family, they can be productive citizens and part of the community.”
Home and Shelter as Ministry
On a recent day, a mother arranged her children’s stuffed animals next to a bed while a father collected books for his young child. For the past eight years, families experiencing homelessness have found shelter next door to Bethlehem Baptist church in East Tacoma.
Bethlehem Baptist operates the family shelter with city, county, and other community partners, while it also operates an attached food pantry for neighborhood food assistance
“We look at home and our homeless shelter as a ministry,” Pastor Mitchell said. “It all circles back to our vision and mission, which is community.” Mitchell added that with the shelter, which provides beds for 40 people at a time, Bethlehem Baptist goes above and beyond city requirements. “We provide wraparound services for people when they’re here with us, and then we follow them when they leave for an extended period of time to make sure their transition is smooth.”
Now, the church is planning to build 44 permanent homes for families on a grassy stretch of neighboring land. Mitchell and team expect a groundbreaking no later than the 4th quarter of this year, with the ultimate goal to build a three-story complex that includes townhouse-style homes.
The path to affordable housing development has not been simple, Mitchell shared, describing a process of education and developing relationships with city officials. “I knew nothing about building apartments when we got started on this,” he said, adding that being part of an FBDI cohort with Enterprise was “eye opening.”
"I tell other pastors that just because you look out of your window and see land, it does not mean you will be building something next year. There is so much to learn, and we feel blessed to have had the opportunity for this education."
Pastor Will Mitchell
Coming Full Circle
At Bethlehem Baptist, Mitchell sees the affordable housing project as “coming full circle” because he expects that some shelter residents will be moving to the new affordable homes on the other side of the church.
And looking even further ahead, he is imagining more housing development tied to community services. “We’d like to believe that God will enlarge our territory,” he said. “The community has to be our focus, and we believe we’ll have a large influence on the east side of Tacoma.”
At the Greater Christ Temple Church, Johnson echoes that the future looks bright for extending their community and housing focus. A second project will likely include multiplex affordable homes for families, he said. Across the street, the church runs a daycare center in the lower level of its multipurpose community center. Future plans include opening a school for elementary grades.
“Our aim is to serve our community and that means seniors, families, and children,” Johnson said. “Affordable housing is such a continuing need. That’s why whatever we build, it will include housing on top.”
Twenty Years of Faith in Action
Enterprise is celebrating the 20th Anniversary of our Faith-Based Development Initiative. All year long, we’ll be highlighting the people and places that have contributed to the growing momentum around faith-based development. Sign up to get updates about a new podcast with experts in the field, an anniversary event in April 2027, and more FBDI resources and opportunities straight to your inbox. Get Connected.
