Episode 6: Building a Hub of Hope and Healing in the Heart of Inglewood
Faith-based development is not about keeping the lights on - it's about turning church land, church people, and church vision into real community power. Reverend Victor Cyrus-Franklin reveals how a small, 60-member congregation in Inglewood is transforming a crisis into a housing justice movement, and why the same playbook could reshape churches everywhere. Victor joins Joe Daniels and Tiffany Daniels to unpack the unexpected path from hip hop ministry to affordable housing development, including the rent control campaign that helped gather 14,000 signatures, the charter school loss that wiped out three-quarters of a church's revenue, and the coalition work that eventually unlocked more than $20 million in tax credits. Along the way, he shows how worship, organizing, and property strategy can work together when the mission is bigger than the building. You'll discover:
Why Victor says faith-based development starts with calling, not cash
How LA Voice, city leaders, state officials, and even skeptics became critical partners
The difference between being transactional and being relational in large-scale development
How the Nativity story became the framework for housing, healing, and neighborhood rebuilding
Why listening to the community is more important than guessing what it needs
Victor also names the hard parts most churches avoid talking about - grief, resistance, stalled timelines, political barriers, and the reality that public funding systems often favor developers with power and scale. But he pairs that honesty with a clear challenge: churches already have assets, credibility, and proximity to the people most affected by housing insecurity. The question is whether they're willing to steward them with courage. This conversation is essential listening for pastors, ministry leaders, organizers, and anyone asking how the church can move from survival mode to neighborhood transformation. If you've ever wondered what it looks like to build a hub of hope and healing in the heart of a community, this episode shows you.
Rev. Victor Cyrus-Franklin is a United Methodist pastor, community organizer, and faith-based development leader whose ministry sits at the intersection of faith, housing justice, community engagement, and the stewardship of church-owned property. Since July 2024, Cyrus-Franklin has served as Lead Pastor of Holman United Methodist Church in Los Angeles, while continuing to supervise the affordable housing development effort he helped launch at Inglewood First United Methodist Church. He previously pastored Inglewood First beginning in 2017 and became deeply engaged in the housing pressures facing the rapidly changing Inglewood community.
