In last week’s real estate column, Nechama Polak asked, “Where have all the homes gone?” (September 26, 2024) and rightly answered that people with fully grown children are not able to downsize because they want to stay local. She surmised that were we somehow to build 100 unit apartments on top of shuls, they’d sell out instantly.
She might not know it, but this is tapping into a national movement, YIGBY, or Yes in God’s Backyard. Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio even introduced a YIGBY bill in the Senate last year.
But we don’t need to wait around for the federal or state government to act locally. Zoning is the main obstacle to enabling seniors to stay in the community they know and love, while moving into a more suitable living arrangement. We’re not going to be able to build 100 units at any one shul (nor should we), but many community organizations—including Jewish and non-Jewish houses of worship—have buildings and land that could be used to provide people with places to live that better fit their needs. A community that views its multigenerational institutions as an asset should work with local and state officials to make this possible. And the funding for such projects is out there if you look for it. So next time your shul is discussing an expansion, or a house comes up for sale on the block, think YIGBY.
