Yes, In My Backyard - We have Land. We have Mission. Let’s use Both.

Welcome back to Senior To Seniors. I’m Jim Mazziotti, and today I want to share a story that blends faith, community, and the future of housing in a way that feels… well, hopeful.

You’ve probably heard the terms NIMBY — “not in my backyard” — and YIMBY — “yes in my backyard.” But now there’s something new, something rooted in compassion and purpose. It’s called YIGBY: Yes In God’s Backyard.

This isn’t a political movement. It’s a heart movement — faith communities stepping forward to say, “We can help. We have land. We have mission. Let’s use both.”

Inman reporter Jessi Healey recently highlighted a powerful example. A small-town church in North Carolina secured approval to expand its 30‑acre campus — not for profit, but for transitional housing, vocational classrooms, and twelve single‑family homes. That’s a church looking at its land and saying, “God gave us this. Let’s bless people with it.”

Healey also reports that states like California, Florida, and Virginia have already passed laws allowing faith-based organizations to build housing on land they own. And more than a dozen other states are considering similar legislation.

For seniors listening today, here’s why this matters.

Faith communities have always been the backbone of our lives — places where we’ve worshiped, celebrated, grieved, and grown. Now, they’re stepping into a new role: helping solve housing needs with dignity, creativity, and compassion.

This is more than development.

It’s ministry.

It’s stewardship.

It’s love expressed through action.

And after 34 years in real estate, I can tell you this with confidence: When housing is built with heart, the entire community is blessed.