A parcel of land behind Little Rock AME Zion church in Charlotte, North Carolina, remained mostly empty for nearly a decade before the congregation approached the city with a proposal.

The land sat unused while housing prices climbed and locals were being pushed out of their neighborhoods. So, the church proposed in 2018, why not develop housing there?

About six years after the project was approved, Varick on 7th opened 105 apartment units, half of which were designated as affordable housing.

“Little Rock has been a staple in this community for years addressing needs, not just affordable housing,” said the Rev Dr Derrill Blue, a pastor at Little Rock. “So we knew, because we had a longstanding relationship in this First Ward community, that this could be the next avenue we could take to address a community need.”

Little Rock is just one of several faith-based institutions in the US that are developing their underutilized land at a time when the country faces a deep housing shortage.