A Baptist church in Washington State is celebrating the opening of 60 new affordable housing units in the area. Shiloh Baptist Church of Tacoma celebrated the completion of its Shiloh New Life Apartments, having completed construction in January. According to the church’s website, the new units are part of a program for individuals of “low to moderate” incomes. “Participants reside in four-unit and six-unit buildings, which offer clean and spacious two-bedroom apartments. These residences are equipped with convenient amenities such as on-site laundry facilities, storage units, and off-street parking,” the program states.

The church’s pastor, Chavis Young, told The Christian Post that his church sees the project as a “tangible expression of God’s love in our community,” meant to fill a dire need. “As we witnessed the growing housing crisis and the impact it was having on families — particularly those with low or fixed incomes — we felt a deep spiritual and moral call to respond. Creating affordable housing was a way to put our faith into action and meet a critical need in our city, while also creating space for dignity, stability and hope,” said Young.

The project was a labor of love, with the land for the project having been purchased 25 years ago. “This was birthed from the heart of Pastor E.S. Brazill, who wanted to create low-income housing on that land,” Young told The News Tribune. Construction began August 2023. The project faced some of the usual hurdles of zoning and regulations. Despite the occasional setbacks, however, the church found that transparency and openness about the project soon gained them strong partnerships in the community and with regulators, that enabled them to make their dream a reality. Both buildings created during the project have already been filled with new residents. For a church seeking to be the hands and feet of Jesus, each unit represents more than just a building. “These housing units are more than buildings — they are a living testimony of what it looks like when the Church becomes the hands and feet of Jesus,” said Young. “By meeting physical needs, we open doors for spiritual impact. We believe this project reflects the heart of the Gospel: love in action, hope made visible, and community restored.”