Religious institutions and nonprofit colleges in California will be allowed to turn their parking lots and other properties into low-income housing under a new law aimed at combating the ongoing homeless crisis.
The law, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom Wednesday, rezones land owned by nonprofit colleges and religious institutions, such as churches, mosques, and synagogues, to allow for affordable housing. Starting in 2024, they can bypass most local permitting and environmental review rules that can be costly and lengthy. The law is set to sunset in 2036.
California is home to nearly a third of all homeless people in the U.S. The crisis has sparked a movement among religious institutions, dubbed “yes in God’s backyard,” or “YIGBY,” in cities across the state, with a number of projects already in the works.
But churches and colleges often face big hurdles trying to convert their surplus land and underutilized parking lots into housing because their land is not zoned for residential use.
This is violation of the Separation of chruch and state. He allowing fucking religious organizations that PAY ZERO IN TAX a way to take government money and sure fleece tax payers and indoctrinate the most vulnerable people.
This is a terrible idea. How about actually do something about the private interests buying up all the housing & then putting it up way over market prices, or just fabricating market prices (aka fixing prices).
Not to mention giving religious institutions a way to move people around the country in order to change the political climate around them. You local government not bending the knee to your stupid religion? Just build some housing, and move in a bunch of worthless families from some religious hellhole, and boom, you’ve got more political capital.
Straight up idiocy.
