As faith-built properties across Canada face closure, the Canadian Urban Institute’s Sacred Spaces, Civic Value report highlights how these spaces can be reimagined as vital civic infrastructure. The findings align closely with Releven’s mission to transform underutilized sacred sites into affordable housing and community hubs—preserving heritage while meeting urgent social needs.
Un nouveau fonds de 30 millions de dollars sera investi au Québec, pour réhabiliter les propriétés religieuses à risque de fermeture. Au total, plus d’une quinzaine de bâtiments pourront accueillir des organismes ou être reconvertis en logements abordables.
We’re thrilled to share that the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation is investing in Relèven to power the transformation of faith-based lands into affordable housing!
Through this investment, we’re developing an AI-powered toolkit that will help communities across the country unlock the potential of surplus religious properties, ensuring they serve future generations as vibrant, sustainable housing solutions.
Faith-based lands have long been at the heart of our communities. Now, with cutting-edge data-driven tools, we’re equipping congregations, municipalities, and housing organizations to navigate the transition from church closures to community-driven housing solutions.
We’re proud to be part of a bold, innovative approach to tackling Canada’s housing crisis. Stay tuned for more updates on how this initiative will bring new life to faith properties and create homes for those in need.
The Trinity Centres Foundation (Relèven) and the Definity Insurance Foundation are thrilled to announce a new partnership to support the development and operations of the Relèven Transition Fund.
Amid land use anxieties, churches seek to hold and transform rather than sell off property
For roughly 180 years, St. Paul's Cathedral has been the seat of the Anglican Church in Southwestern Ontario, but soon it may be home to some new life.
Performing arts venue, recording studio, and content creation space are among the uses being floated as part of a multi-year plan to map out the future of St. Paul's Cathedral.
It comes as the Anglican Diocese of Huron looks to reinvent its spaces of worship amid lower religious attendance, and chart a path forward for the city's oldest cathedral as part church, part incubator for London's creative sector.
Graham Singh is interviewed on the subject of the London City of Music Conference, in French
Zoning reform, strong partnerships, and creative funding help planners and communities convert underused houses of worship into homes.
Restoration of St. Thomas ‘aims to restore the very best aspects of the Indigenous-European relations it represents,’ says historian overseeing anniversary project
“Religious property is actually working against our religious objectives,” says priest activist Graham Singh on his plan for repurposed churches
“These are massive, massive increases — well beyond the rate of inflation,” says senior pastor at Montreal’s St. Jax’s Church
After nearly two centuries as a place of worship in downtown London, Ont., the future could bring an additional use for the historic St. Paul's Cathedral: creative sector incubator.
Currently in the early stages, the proposed plan would see the cathedral and lands reimagined as part place of worship, part incubator hub aimed at growing London's creative sector.
Graham Singh of Trinity Centres Foundation joins David Bank from the Global Impact Investing Network’s Impact Forum in Copenhagen to discuss how Trinity is creating financing structures to underwrite the transition of surplus religious properties
The groundwork for a major conversation between local governments, faith-based groups, and community housing players will be laid on October 25th at ONPHA’s pre-conference Building for Belonging.
Organized by the Community Housing Transformation Centre in partnership with Trinity Centres Foundation and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, the roundtable aims to explore the potential of a large-scale partnership that will link the three sectors in a unified mission.
With a record number of congregations predicted to close their doors by 2025, multiuse developments may be the future for shrinking congregations and empty buildings.
An estimated 4,000 of Canada’s 12,000 places of worship will close in the next five to ten years, says Graham Singh, Montreal-based founder and CEO of Trinity Centres Foundation (TCF, TrinityCentres.org).
The 2023 London Heritage Awards were handed out Thursday night at Museum London. They’re judged by the Architectural Conservancy Ontario – London region and the Heritage London Foundation. Here are the big winners.
First of all, let's define who faith-based investors are: local church congregations, dioceses or equivalent regional church organisations, national religious pension and savings funds, monastic or religious congregations, as well as faith-motivated individuals and/or family offices.
Struggling with what to do with your church building? Here’s how to find help
Congregations across the country are trying to figure out what to do with buildings that no longer serve their purpose. But there are many resources for leaders grappling with this issue, writes a project director at the Lake Institute on Faith & Giving.
Written collaboratively by members of the Toronto Social Purpose Real Estate Reference Group
Stewarding the physical spaces that God has entrusted to us as the Catholic Church can be daunting! Across the world, there are church leaders realizing that they have more building capacity than they have the staff capacity to maintain; many simply realize that their spaces aren't as effective as they once were.
As church attendance dwindles, heritage buildings sit empty — some falling into disrepair.