Homes Founded in Faith

In Compton, an abandoned home once disfigured with graffiti now boasts new carpets, shiny tiles and freshly planted hibiscus--and will soon be sold to a low-income family. Credit My Friend's House, a Whittier congregation, for the handiwork.

Construction? Contractors? What does any of this have to do with religion?

The Rev. Cecil L. Murray of the First AME Church offers a succinct response: "Word must become flesh," he said.

However the reason is expressed, a growing number of churches, synagogues, mosques and other faith-based organizations are moving into the cause of affordable housing--considered by many to be one of the most acute crises facing their communities. From actual builders, such as First AME, to interfaith advocacy groups in San Francisco and Santa Barbara, religious organizations are mobilizing to proclaim affordable housing a "sacred right" and to urge more government action.

And, in a striking alliance between church and state, federal housing authorities are supporting those efforts with new funds, a special liaison to the faith community and conferences with religious leaders around the country. In June, federal housing officials announced that money provided to faith-based organizations would increase 25% to reach $1 billion a year.

The federal outreach will extend to Southern California next week, when U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Andrew Cuomo is scheduled to headline a two-day conference with faith leaders beginning Monday at the Los Angeles Airport Marriot Hotel. The conference, "Closing the Economic Gap: Investing in America's Communities," is aimed at encouraging more faith-based organizations to tackle housing, job creation and community development.

"What we feel this conference will do is open up the portholes that lead to prosperity," said the Rev. Mark Whitlock, president of Churches United for Economic Development, a coalition of about 30 faith groups in Southern California and a conference co-sponsor.