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As affordable housing continues to be in short supply, a new realty brokerage is helping one sector struggling to afford housing: Canada’s religious sector.
Releven Realty, Canada’s first charitable realty brokerage for houses of worship, launched in late September.
For St. James’ Anglican Church in Ingersoll, Ont., Releven has been a godsend. With Releven’s help, the congregation has acquired and renovated a downtown storefront, which will become its new place of worship this October.
“We’re so close to the finish line,” said Michael Watson, chair of the church committee in charge of the purchase.
“It’s actually starting to feel exciting after six years wandering in the wilderness.” The congregation has been renting since 2019, after selling its original church building that year.
As religious denominations reckon with declining memberships, Releven is addressing a gap in the market: helping congregations make the most of underutilized, historic houses of worship while also thinking strategically about their futures.
‘Can’t be taken lightly’
Many religious denominations are struggling to maintain their buildings in the face of shrinking parishioners and revenue. Some have sold their buildings, often to condo developers.
But that can hurt the surrounding communities, says Cory de Villiers, managing director of Releven Realty. The new realty brokerage is run by Releven, a charity founded in 2018 that helps congregations renovate their buildings.
When de Villiers first started working with underused church buildings, they were being sold at a rapid pace.
“This loss … resulted in a permanent change to the skylines in the built form of our cities; beautiful spires were replaced with condos made of steel and glass,” he told a crowd in Cambridge, Ont., at a launch event for Releven Realty.
“In addition, there was another loss … the social glue and the fabric that these buildings did to support these communities.”
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Church buildings often house clubs, service organizations, food banks and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, he told the crowd. When they leave, all these other organizations risk losing their space.
“The decision to sell … faith properties is one that can’t be taken lightly,” he said.
‘Solutions agnostic’
St. James’ spent a decade making plans to leave their historic, 1880s-era building.
When, in 2023, St. James’ began considering buying an empty storefront in downtown Ingersoll, they contacted Releven for advice.
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Most church members do not have expertise in buying and renovating properties for worship, says Watson. Watson is one of St. James’ two wardens, people tasked with managing the church’s property and finances.
St. James’ ultimately hired de Villiers to be the project manager for the renovations of the downtown storefront. When unexpected challenges arose, he advised them on the most cost-efficient way forward.
“The relationship with Releven basically just made it all doable, because … many of us would have struggled with a lot of the decision making,” Watson said.
Congregations often struggle to navigate the best way forward when they are considering selling a building, says de Villiers.
Architects may tell them that renovations will attract newcomers. Developers may encourage them to sell parts of a building for a profit. And real estate agents may tell them to sell all of it.
But Releven is “solutions agnostic,” said Christopher Trotman, Releven’s director of communications.
“We go into a situation, we listen and we try to discover what is best for the community, what is best for the congregation, and what is best for the property.”
For a fee, Releven consults with congregations and their communities to determine a solution that benefits everyone.
Sometimes, this means turning church buildings into community hubs where several nonprofits share space. Other times, it may mean selling all or part of a property.
For those that choose to sell, Releven Realty connects clients with real estate agents who are experts in the local market. Releven Realty splits a commission with the agents it refers; its earnings go back into supporting Releven’s work across the country.
Increasing hope
Most of Releven’s clients are churches, but it works with various faith groups.
It is helping a Montreal synagogue increase its rental income. In Edmonton, it just helped three mosques find a home for Friday night prayers — inside one of the city’s oldest churches.
Releven can also work with Legion buildings and other under-utilized service club spaces.
Releven’s goal is not always to sell a building. Earlier this year, it began managing rental bookings for St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Cambridge, Ont.
For years, the congregation — which currently has about 50 regular attendees — has struggled to manage its building, which was originally constructed in 1887.
“We’ve had different ideas over the years to try to redevelop some of the property,” said Alex Black, the church secretary.
Many organizations rent space from the church. On Sundays alone, three congregations besides St. Peter’s worship there at different times.
But this past spring, the church hired Releven to help them find more tenants. So far, Releven has secured a hockey group and two different counselling agencies. Releven also renegotiated the contract with the Boy Scouts, long-time users of the building.
“There’ll be a revenue stream coming that we can use to pay bills, but also do some repairs,” said Black. Already, the rental income has helped fund the repair of the church’s front steps.
But the greatest restoration Black sees is in the morale of the congregation.
Black, 64, is one of St. Peter’s younger members, but his life is intertwined with the building. He was baptized there as an infant, attended Sunday School, and now attends with his wife. Watching membership decline has been “kind of depressing,” he said.
The new rentals have injected new life into the congregation, he says. Maybe it is because the income helped repair stairs and stained glass windows. Or perhaps, the new revenue is a sign of hope.
“People seem happy,” he said. “They’re positive. They feel good about seeing things happen and hopefully just improving.”
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