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NEHEMIAH INITIATIVE BOARD MEMBER AND
HOUSING POLICY LEADER & ADVOCATE, ANITA ADAMS, AND HER FAMILY
THE nehemiah initiative SEATTLE

Building Beloved Community

by creating a more just future for homeownership.

We assist faith communities in transforming underutilized property and land into affordable homeownership opportunities.  

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Faith. Land. Future.

OUR ORIGIN STORY

Seattle is known for its entrepreneurship, philanthropy, and beautiful mountains, lakes, and rivers. The Pacific Northwest is more known for not being a place for faith and religion. But for the Black Community the church has historically served as an anchor for civil rights, spirituality, and public life. 

Nehemiah Initiative Seattle has its origin story in this context combining the church as a beacon for civil rights and transformation, and the Pacific Northwest as a place for new ideas, venturists, and entrepreneurship. 
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Yet, Seattle and the Pacific Northwest have a history of segregation, redlining, and institutional racism that has impacted generation after generation. To address both the beauty and blight of their city, a pastor (Bishop Garry L. Tyson), a legendary architect (Donald King), and an entrepreneur real estate development specialist (Aaron Fairchild), came together with a response, Nehemiah Initiative Seattle.

Faith-rooted. Community-led.

Black-led churches have the power to close the homeownership gap.

Black churches hold land that can build generational wealth, but rising costs and displacement threaten that legacy. Nehemiah helps turn that land into housing, lasting wealth, and ministry futures that root justice, stabilize communities, and reclaim housing as a human right.

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Development-ready

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Mission-aligned

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Collaborative by design

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Legacy-building

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A model for
land stewardship

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1. Listen to the community

We begin by gauging the needs of congregations and neighborhoods, listening deeply to their unique experiences, challenges, and aspirations. We aim to secure the congregation's story, legacy, and impact.

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2. Envision possibilities

Through feasibility studies, we explore what’s possible on church-owned land. These studies honor historic legacies while opening pathways to new futures – from affordable housing to community hubs.

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3. Build together with leaders

We collaborate with pastors, lay leaders, and community partners to design projects that restore neighborhoods. The goal is not just affordability, but dignity – creating housing and spaces people are proud to call home.

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4. Steward land for generations

Finally, we move from plans to projects. Each development is rooted in equitable stewardship – securing land and housing that serve today’s community while building wealth and opportunity for the next generation.

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Our three-year fundraising targets starting 2026
To acquire and/or develop affordable homes throughout the Seattle region. Expanding opportunities for churches to play a vital role in the housing crisis.
$7.5M
500
Based on researched data, the housing affordability crisis has disproportionately impacted the Black community.  We seek to co-develop 500 new affrodable homes in metropolitan Seattle.
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Technical assistance Financial resources Design
Outreach

Development

From sacred ground

comes sustainable future

What if land wasn’t just preserved, but reimagined?

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Revitalize space
Turn underused property into affordable homes and community hubs to build generational wealth.
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Create sustainable futures
Advance reparative spatial justice through homeownership in underinvested communities.
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Housing justice
Housing shapes health, stability, and opportunity. More affordable homes transform lives.

Displacement is not inevitable.

We see another way forward. One where the oldest institutions in our communities become the anchor for what’s next. One where land is not lost, but leveraged and re-envisioned for a sustainable future.

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Nehemiah Initiative - Founding Leaderhsip Team

The spirit of our founding leadership team

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“We recognize that, absent racial bias and structural inequality, many planners, designers, financiers, real estate, and construction firms in our community would have had far greater opportunities to participate in wealth creation in their own neighborhoods. Without supporting consistent and sustainable opportunities for Black real estate development professionals, equity and positive change in bias are not possible. The Nehemiah Initiative is absolutely committed to providing these opportunities.”

Donald I. King
co-founder and senior project developer
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“The theme that inspires the Nehemiah Initiative, that holds it all together, is our vision of the Beloved Community. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. imagined the Beloved Community as a world in which people shared wealth and resources, refused to tolerate poverty, hunger or homelessness, and replaced racial discrimination, bigotry and prejudice with an inclusive spirit of sisterhood and brotherhood.”

Bishop Garry L. Tyson
CO-FOUNDER AND board president
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“Indeed, we are all linked by our common humanity and feel that we must do something. Our journey has been filled with learning how to navigate rapidly changing markets, learning what regenerating communities requires, learning how to cost effectively build the best-in-class housing that regenerative communities deserve.”

Aaron Fairchild
co-founder and board secretary
OUR MOVEMENT

What’s at stake

and why we can’t wait.

A century of land loss has stripped away Black generational wealth.
90% of Black-owned farmland was lost since 1910, dropping from 14 million acres to just over 1 million today.
Even faith institutions aren’t safe from displacement.
Property tax burdens and displacement are disproportionately affecting Black homeowners and churches in gentrifying neighborhoods.
Without intervention, the land will be lost forever.
Black church land is at risk of sale due to financial pressure. And once sold, it's rarely reclaimed by the community.
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Frequently asked questions

What exactly does Nehemiah Initiative do?
Nehemiah provides a process for learning the possibilities and opportunities for property development through Nehemiah Studios and consultations. 
After an organization decides to utilize its property for an affordable housing project, Nehemiah deploys funds to support the predevelopment process. Organizations do not have the technical assistance and/or financial resources. We step in early – to help navigate the feasibility studies, legal resources, and property master planning and development.
Do churches have to sell their land to participate?
Every situation is different. For example an organization has an empty parking lot. Nehemiah may be able to purchase the property, work as a co-developer, provide a recoverable grant to the organization, and upon completion of the project act as a steward.
Is this just for Christian churches?
No, but Nehemiah primarily uses a targeted approach. Meaning Nehemiah intentionally identifies those for whom racism kept from building homeownership and generational wealth. Historically Black congregations are modeling the way towards repair.
What types of developments do you support?
Our approach uses evidence-based research data and trusted relationships for the development of affordable housing projects.
How is Nehemiah Initiative funded?
Nehemiah pursues a mix of public and private funding. We look for private philanthropy to invest in our reparative approach to affordable homeownership.  

Can I get involved if I’m not a property owner?
We help Black churches and property owners transform underutilized land into affordable housing, income-generating projects, and long-term community assets. We step in early – before architects and developers – to guide feasibility, legal prep, and long-term strategic plannings.
NEHEMIAH INITIATIVE

Join us in turning faith into action and land into legacy.

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© Nehemiah Initiative Seattle. All rights reserved.
Nehemiah Initiative is a mission-driven program operating as part of a Faith-Based Development Initiative (FBDI). All information provided is for educational and advocacy purposes only. Nehemiah does not offer legal, financial, or real estate services directly. All development efforts are supported in collaboration with licensed and qualified professionals.
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