Church Leaders Support Plan To Solve the Housing Shortage: ‘Yes in God’s Backyard’

A new movement is gaining traction among church leaders with the hopes of helping address affordable housing.

Most people have heard about NIMBY, short for “Not in my backyard,” a term used to describe opposition to new housing or development projects in one’s community.

But there’s a new twist on the idea: YIGBY, or “Yes in God’s backyard.” This concept is gaining traction in Connecticut and across the country as faith-based organizations explore ways to use their land for affordable housing, creating opportunities for communities while addressing a growing housing shortage.

Religious groups collectively own more than 2.6 million acres across the U.S., much of it underused. That land could support as many as 800,000 new homes, according to a 2025 Forbes report.

In Connecticut, lawmakers are now trying to turn that idea into policy.

A new measure—House Bill 5396—aims to accelerate the approval process for affordable housing projects on land owned by religious organizations.

Housing affordability remains a major challenge

Connecticut earned an F on the Realtor.com® State-by-State Housing Report Card, part of the Let America Build campaign that tracks how effectively each state balances affordability and new construction.

Connecticut’s strong economy and high household incomes aren’t enough to offset a tight housing market, where the median listing price has climbed to $499,700, leaving many residents priced out.

"We see on a pastoral level the impacts of housing scarcity in our state. We are inspired by the possibility of being part of the solution," the Rev. Caitlin O'Brien, senior organizer at Congregations Organized for a New Connecticut, tells Realtor.com.

How this bill could help

Known as the YIGBY bill, House Bill 5396 would allow qualifying developments to undergo “summary review” without bypassing local governance. Under this process, projects that meet local zoning requirements could be approved without a public hearing or other procedural delays.

Municipalities would have 90 days to decide on any application, and at least 30% of the units in a YIGBY development would need to be designated as affordable to qualify.

"We are well-positioned geographically and philosophically to be a key contributor to solutions, but it just won't happen if we don't see a clear and predictable path. YIGBY would make sure the development standards are clear and predictable," O'Brien says.

Pete Harrison, the Connecticut director of the Regional Plan Association, tells Realtor.com that he backs the bill, noting that it would significantly simplify the zoning approval process.

"It really is an interesting convergence of opportunity and need where you do have a number of religious organizations that have what's called surplus land, and we have a desperate need for more housing," he says. "So any way that we can get that connection streamlined into something that benefits all parties is a really good outcome."

Nick Kantor, program director at Pro Homes Connecticut, tells Realtor.com that the bill addresses two key challenges: the lack of affordable land in Connecticut and the complexity of the zoning process.

“At the heart of this, you have organizations that want to do the right thing and build housing as part of their service to the community,” Kantor says. “But they often get stuck on the unpredictability of the process."

He says the bill offers a practical solution by tapping land owned by religious organizations and connecting it to the need for affordable housing.

“It’s about marrying those two together to unlock potential,” he says.

Debate over the bill

The bill cleared the Planning and Development Committee this year and is awaiting action by the full House and Senate before it can reach the governor’s desk.

Not everyone supports the measure.

"I'm concerned this will give religious organizations preferential treatment—and, constitutionally, that could be a problem," Republican Sen. Jeff Gordon, an opponent of the bill, tells Realtor.com.

"We need to get away from all these state mandates that haven't worked for decades for affordable housing, and we need to respect local decision-making," Gordon, who served for 16 years on his local planning and zoning commission, says. "They know their towns best. They don't need the state government that doesn't know their local municipalities telling them what to do."

But Democratic Rep. Eleni Kavros DeGraw, a supporter of the bill, disagrees.

"We are not going to be able to increase land in Connecticut, and we have a lot of land that's tied up around churches, synagogues, and mosques," she tells Realtor.com. "People like seniors, teachers, nurses, and recent college graduates need housing, because it really is a challenge. Our homeless rates are going up. This is a creative solution to the housing affordability crisis."

If passed, the bill could test whether faith-based land can play a meaningful role in easing Connecticut’s housing shortage.