Jubilee Housing’s latest acquisition is unique in many ways.

King Emmanuel Baptist Church sits at 1721 Kalorama Road NW and has been part of the Adams Morgan community since 1907. The church has an active congregation, which includes Jubilee Housing residents and staff members. So, when Jubilee heard that the congregation was looking to sell the church, the Property Development team jumped at the chance to preserve a historic landmark in one of the organization’s core neighborhoods.

Jubilee offered the congregation a chance to stay and worship at King Emmanuel after renovations, but church members decided to relocate the congregation to Maryland.

While Jubilee plans to renovate the church, the 11,000-square-foot space is currently in good condition and can be used as is, so Jubilee can start to have a presence there right away. This also creates an opportunity for other nonprofits that do similar work to meet at the church.

King Emmanuel is Jubilee’s second purchase on the same block and, like the other building, will be developed as justice housing for residents with low incomes and men and women returning home from incarceration. The new property will allow for an expansion of Jubilee’s current reentry program, which has two residences, one for women and one for men. The current reentry program has been in operation for eight years.

We hope to start having a regular presence at King Emmanuel Baptist Church to educate, raise awareness, and break down the stereotypes that promote fear. We’ll offer new ways to understand the experiences of incarcerated individuals and new ways to work with our neighbors,” Jim Knight, Jubilee Housing President and CEO says about the purchase of the church.

The $3.6 million KEB acquisition marks the closing purchase for the Justice Housing Partners Fund, which raised a total of $5.3 million.

Once renovations are complete, Jubilee plans to use the church as a worship space for community congregations and transitional housing for returning citizens. The building will be modernized and its footprint will be slightly expanded. However, the current look and feel of the structure will remain the same.