Resolution 3:
Affordable Housing
Last Update: October 21, 2025
Status
The 176th Convention, meeting on October 18, adopted this resolution as amended.
Resolution Text:
(amendment: removed strikethrough text, added italic bold text)
Resolved, That the 176th Convention of the Diocese of California supports lawful civic programs and legislation, federal, state, and local, that enable the development of, and promote access to, safe, affordable, inclusive, and practicable housing for all God’s children;
Resolved, That this Convention supports congregations and congregants in the creation and publication of local-use content that clearly states the Episcopal Church’s position supporting safe, affordable, inclusive, and practicable housing for all God’s children;
Resolved, That this Convention encourages the Diocese of California, and empowers its congregations, clergy, lay-led groups, and individual congregants, to take a visible public leadership role to support safe, affordable, inclusive, and practicable housing for all God’s children, including taking practical steps of support in local civil initiatives, ministries, and other efforts; and
Resolved, That this Convention supports theological discussions, formation classes, and other group discussion settings to foster understanding of the need for safe, affordable, inclusive, and practicable housing for all God’s children; and
Resolved, That this Convention encourages congregations with sufficient land that might support viable affordable housing to explore the construction and operation of such housing and directs the Diocesan staff to assist congregations in that exploration.
Explanation:
Theological basis –
As Christians we are called to support the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is based on love and care for all of God’s children. Efforts to ensure practicable affordable housing affirm this commitment to promoting love, justice, peace, and the dignity of every human being, of every race, religion, ethnicity, orientation, economic status, or housing status. This resolution seeks to fulfill our Strategic Vision as it relates to affordable housing by clearly stating the trust and support for those within our diocese who work toward that vision. It proclaims, to those who answer the Gospel’s call to love and serve in this ministry, we see you, we trust you, we support you.
Biblical Citations LINK.
Why safe affordable housing is important –
When housing costs are factored in, California has the highest percentage of people living in poverty of any state in the nation. Housing availability and housing costs are factors in a crisis within California that impacts both the housed and unhoused. Those who do not currently own a home find it nearly impossible to purchase a first home, thereby missing out on the potential to gain generational wealth, which in turn perpetuates this cycle. Many who are technically “housed” live in the realm of extreme housing insecurity. They are unable to withstand a rent increase, an otherwise minor medical issue, or minor car trouble. The impact of these stressors falls heavily on young people and those with young children.
The lack of affordable housing disrupts many aspects of family and community throughout the Bay Area LINK.
How this resolution seeks to advance the goal of safe affordable housing –
The Diocese of California recognizes the need for clergy, lay-led groups, and individual congregants to work toward its goal of affordable housing. It recognizes that it is impractical for those working toward the goal of affordable housing to seek approval from the diocese for every action undertaken to that end. By this resolution the Diocese of California seeks to confer its support of those efforts to address the affordable housing crisis by means that promote love, justice, peace, and the dignity of every human being and that proclaim the Gospel’s call to love and care for all of God’s children.
The Diocese of California further understands that clergy, lay-led groups, and individual congregants working toward affordable housing may not personally reside in the city or jurisdiction in which they seek to act on behalf of affordable housing. The Diocese of California is resident in Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francico, and San Mateo counties and seeks to confer its authority to its clergy, lay-led groups, and individual congregants working toward affordable housing in those counties.
This resolution supports the Policies for Action of the Episcopal Church regarding Housing. See the Policy for Action link listing those resolutions and link for full text of Housing resolutions.
Fiscal Impact:
None for the 2027 budget.
Submitted by:
Lisa Guevara Perry, attorney, Saint Timothy’s, Danville, Episcopalians of Action (contact: Lisa@pmcapp.com); Terry J. Young, Saint Clare’s, Pleasanton, Chair, Episcopalians of Action; Ann Butcher, Saint Bartholomew’s, Livermore, Episcopalians of Action.
Endorsed by:
The Reverend Todd Bryant, Saint Timothy’s, Danville; The Reverend Susan Geissler O’Neil, Saint Timothy’s, Danville; The Vestry of Saint Timothy’s, Danville; The Reverend Ronald Culmer, Saint Clare’s, Pleasanton; The Social Justice Committee, Saint Paul’s, Oakland: Co-Chairs – Michael Schooler and Paula Hawthorn, Members – Victoria Larson, Gary England, Irene Plunkett, Maura Lane, Hannah Keene, and Francis Dibble; Christopher Land, Saint Bartholomew’s, Livermore.
1 Comment
Submit a Comment
BIBLE CITATIONS:
1 Corinthians 4:11
To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless.
1 Corinthians 16:14
Let all that you do be done in love.
Ezekiel 16:49
Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy.
Deuteronomy 15:11
I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’
Isaiah 25:4
For you have been a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat.
Isaiah 58:7-8
Share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, cover him, and do not to hide yourself from your own flesh? Then shall your light break forth like the dawn … .
Leviticus 25:35-36
“If your brother becomes poor and cannot maintain himself with you, you shall support him as though he were a stranger and a sojourner, and he shall live with you. Take no interest from him or profit, but fear your God, that your brother may live beside you.
Luke 9:58
And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”
Luke 10:25-37
On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’[a]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
Matthew 8:20
And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”
Matthew 25:40-45
And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’
‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
Proverbs 14:21
Whoever despises his neighbor is a sinner, but blessed is he who is generous to the poor.
Proverbs 31:8-9
Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.
1 Timothy 6:17-19
As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.
The lack of affordable housing disrupts many aspects of family and community throughout the Bay Area:
- The fragmentation of families based upon income levels impacts care of older family members who may be required to use their “nest egg” to pay for care, dissipating assets that would otherwise go to assist younger family members to purchase a first home and thereby disrupting the transfer of generational wealth.
- Increased commute costs and the increased costs of childcare related thereto drain the resources of young and low-income families, making it more difficult to afford housing and for them to continue their education, thereby extending the cycle of poverty.
- Businesses are impacted by lack of access to employees who can afford to live near sources of employment.
- Additional commuters have a negative impact on the environment, traffic, and the quality of life for those who live in the Bay Area.
The Episcopal Church’s Office of Governmental Relations, Policy for Action’s Index of Episcopal Church Public Policy Resolutions – Housing:
Advocate for solutions to the rising cost of housing. Support policies at the local, state and national levels to decrease the unhoused population and increase affordable housing. (GC 2024-D057)
Advocate for a continual strengthening of our social safety net and closing of gaps, specifically surrounding housing. The church affirms housing as a human right that should be provided for all individuals residing in the country. Additionally, we urge Congress to cap the mortgage interest deduction for wealthy taxpayers and direct the increased revenue to low-income housing assistance programs. (GC 2018-C041)
Advocate for legislation that provides adequate levels of support and opportunities for low-income people by investing in community development corporations, small business development, and land trusts, and by encouraging loans and deposits to community development financial institutions. (GC 2009-C049)
Reaffirm our commitment to provide rental and owner-occupied housing that is safe, accessible, and affordable for low-income persons and their families, including persons with disabilities. We urge the executive and legislative branches of the federal government and diocese to adequately fund housing assistance programs, and to address the ever-growing gap between affordable units and the number of renters in the bottom quartile of income. (GC 2003-D040)
Support the Community Reinvestment Act and other means of providing capital to low- and moderate-income communities. Encourage Church institutions to explore ways that financial resources can be used to promote justice. (EC 101995.33)
Express concern to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development over the deteriorating housing conditions facing low- and moderate-income residents of this nation. Support the provision of decent and affordable housing to those of low and moderate income and to combatting homelessness. (GC 1991-D078)
Encourage the development of housing programs for low and moderate income persons and families. Maintain and expand the role of state and federal governments and non-profit institutions in Section #8 rent subsidy programs, rehabilitation of existent sub-standard housing, and the construction of new rental and owner-occupied housing for low and moderate income people. (GC 1988-D166)
Our communities need more Affordable Housing at different levels, including housing for people on the lowest income levels, or who are disabled. I am definitely sablef and I have a Section 8 voucher, but it means I have to live in a substandard apartment in my city. I am thankful to have a roof over my head, but I wish it could be better. I grieve for those who aren’t even this fortunate. I support this resolution.