Yes In God’s Backyard

Colorado’s YIGBY Initiative: Empowering Faith Communities to Create Housing

Colorado's YIGBY (Yes In God’s Backyard) initiative breaks down barriers, enabling faith and educational institutions to develop affordable housing on their properties. By leveraging existing land and community connections, this policy empowers these organizations to directly address the housing shortage.

Core Benefits

  • Empowerment: Allows community-based organizations with land to build the housing their communities need.

  • Equity and Resilience: Promotes equitable growth and ensures essential community members can live where they serve, enhancing overall community stability.

  • Resource Efficiency: Utilizes centrally located, underutilized land, reducing commuting times and infrastructure costs.

Addressing the Housing Crisis

As Colorado's population grows, so does the need for affordable housing. Many families, including teachers and essential workers, struggle to find homes within their means, leading to workforce shortages and increased pressure on local institutions. YIGBY leverages the significant amounts of undeveloped land owned by faith-based organizations, addressing these challenges while navigating local zoning hurdles.

By fostering collaboration between faith communities and local governments, YIGBY aims to create inclusive, affordable neighborhoods for all Coloradans.

Faith Letter

As faith leaders in Colorado begin to work together to support legislation that allows rezoning congregation owned property for affordable housing, we want to demonstrate to our Colorado legislators just how many of us support this effort! 

We invite you to sign-on to our faith leader letter and share it with other congregations around the state. 

Locations of Faith Signers