House of Praise now homeless as building owner makes way for affordable housing project

MANCHESTER, NH – Everyone knows it’s a tough time to try and find somewhere affordable to live.  So, what happens when you are a church serving more than 200 congregants and are asked to leave your home within 90 days?

N.E.P. (New England Pentecostal Church) House of Praise (HOP) is in that position.  HOP, the city’s only African-American church, is housed on the first floor of the former Manchester police station at 351 Chestnut St.  The building is slated for demolition next month to make way for about 142 affordable housing units being built there and across the street by Lincoln Avenue Capital (LAC) of Santa Monica, Calif.

HOP signed a three-year lease with the previous owner, Frank Rich, on Oct. 1, 2021, and still has a year remaining on it.  However, on Aug. 1, 2023, Lincoln Avenue served them notice. They have agreed to leave by Nov. 1.

What is upsetting to Pastor Mark Choate  – besides losing the inner city site of their church – is they say a little over a year ago, Schonna Green, then the city’s director of Homeless Services, reached out to them about that same affordable housing project that would have allowed the church to stay at the Chestnut Street location.

During a Zoom meeting, which he said included himself, Green, Scott Shaw of LAC, and other state and city officials. Pastor Mark said Green wanted his organization to be the non-profit to quality for this grant.

“We were supposed to be the non-profit. Once all were in agreement, we were going to get a church and community center without cost.  We were going to get the contract for it,” he said.

What hurts, according to Pastor Mark, is that Green came to them and asked “us not to be players in the purchase of the building. That’s why there was the Zoom call.  They wanted to convince us if we worked with them we would still be part of this process.”

At the time, the building was owned by Rich, who bought it from the city for $748,900 in 2015.  The selling price was $2.4 million and did not include the parking lot across the street.

The talks began in October 2021, the same month HOP signed the three-year lease.  Pastor Mark said they still had their eye on purchasing the building and had talked to the owner about leasing with an option to buy, although that was never put in writing.

Shaw, he said, “wanted us to not consider purchasing the building; he wanted us to be OK with this process.”  Pastor Mark said his understanding was LAC would buy the building, demolish it to rebuild affordable apartments and “we were going to be the non-profit on the first floor qualifying for federal funding for the project and would manage the affordable apartments on the other floors.”

Shaw, in an email, said that statement is not accurate.  He declined to explain further.  He did issue a statement concerning HOP and what LAC is doing to help relocate the church. [See a copy of that letter at the end of this story.]

Pastor Mark and Selina Choate, executive director of N.E.P. House of Praise Community Outreach Program, said there were a series of meetings concerning the project that included them, the developer and city and state officials.

“We wanted to tell our side of the story,” Selina Choate said.

They were excited at the prospect.

“That (the affordable housing project) was aligned with what we wanted to do for the homeless community,” she said. “That was one of the reasons we chose this location because we wanted to be in the heart of the city where we can innovate and interact with all these individuals, especially those who are most vulnerable on the street.”

Pastor Mark said the church decided not to consider purchasing the building “because we didn’t want to battle with the city because we knew the greater cause was bigger than us and that was to provide affordable housing. We feel that affordable housing is something that we need, that the people so badly need so we want to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.”

Selina Choate said, in retrospect, there should have been something in writing but they relied on the goodwill of all involved.

Then they saw some articles about the proposed affordable housing project but House of Praise wasn’t mentioned.  They reached out to Green who, Selina Choate said, told them to lay low.

“We were part of this conversation of the homeless initiative and then all of a sudden we’re not,” said Selina Choatte.  “It’s almost like you’re in a relationship and you stop getting phone calls. What’s happening?  What’s going on?”

Then, Green resigned in September 2022.  A month later, on Oct. 25, 2022, the city issued a news release announcing Lincoln Avenue Capital will construct two buildings of affordable housing, one at 351 Chestnut St., and a second replacing the parking lot across the street at the corner of Chestnut and Merrimack Streets, creating 142 studio, one and two-bedroom units of affordable housing.

The $3 million in federal funding covered those two projects and a third project for three units of emergency housing a the Families in Transition Family Place Shelter at 167 Lake Ave.

“When did that happen?” Selina asked. “When did that decision take place?  That is one of the issues here because we could have bought the building.  We could have competed for that.”

Now they are in the position of trying to find a new home to accommodate their 200-plus members.

“The sad part about all of this is how they handled the situation and that no one is even talking about what would happen to the tenants occupying the space,” Selina said. “It’s almost as if we don’t exist.”

HOP hired an attorney to work out something with Lincoln Avenue.  Pastor Mark said there are many issues.  There is $20,000 in federal funds available to relocate the church and another $25,000 to renovate the new location.

“That’s where we are at now,” Pastor Mark said.  “We’re looking to move Nov. 1 but it’s not of our freewill.”

They have found a site on Maple Street, which isn’t ideal because it is not in the center city, the rent is $3,000 a month more and the cost to renovate it is $90,000.  While the owner says it is 4,000 square feet, the Choates believe it is much smaller than that.

“They are trying to transition us by that date,” said Selina.  “There are different buildings around but the problem is affordability.  We would have to pay more. We didn’t plan for that and our lease is being ended prematurely. They say they want to work with us in finding a location but it’s, ‘Here’s what we want to do for you, take it or leave it.’ Honestly, we’re not trying to work against the city.”

The issue is bigger than not being able to hold services on Sunday mornings in the inner city, she said.  “Many of the community members that walk through our doors are from low-to-moderate income households and they approach Pastor Mark and other leaders of the church with various needs, including rental and utility assistance. To close our doors is also closing opportunities to individuals and families in need,” she said.

The church, she said, has its own emergency rental and utility assistance program to help members in need. They were working on plans for a community center and gym and to provide child daycare and aftercare for the community as part of that affordable housing project.

When Green left and “there was no longer that conduit accountability piece with the city it became, ‘Oh, well the developer, he purchased the building.’  It’s the shifting of blame here and that became very problematic,” Selina said.

HOP has been a part of the city for the past eight years.  It first was located at 1850 Elm St., beginning with about 20 members, mostly family.  Five years later, they outgrew the Elm Street location that could only accommodate about 60 people.

In 2021, it relocated to the Chestnut Street site and now has more than 200 members.

While the search continues for a new affordable home, they remain at Chestnut Street where the air conditioning system has been broken since last year resulting in some members fainting from the extreme heat of summer, the pastor said. Air conditioning isn’t covered under city codes so the landlord isn’t obligated to fix it, the Choates said.

It forced HOP to relocate Sunday services to the New England Pentecostal Ministries church in Pelham, headed by Bishop Stanley Choate, Pastor Mark’s father.  Bishop Stanley Choate was in the news in October 2019 after he was shot in the back while performing a wedding at his church.  He has since recovered.  The alleged shooter, Dale Holloway, has yet to be tried.

Last Friday, there was a heavy water leak pouring into the church from above, Pastor Mark said.  They called 911 and when firefighters arrived, they found someone on the upper floor removing the pipes, according to the pastor.    Doors also were removed from the second floor.

The owner, he said, appears to be selling off parts of the building even though the church is still a tenant.

The first floor, where HOP is located, was the previous home of Zeal Church.

HOP spent about $30,000 on renovations – with a lot of sweat equity provided by members – to make the space fit the needs of the church in which Gospel music plays a large role.

“The music encourages worshippers to engage by clapping their hands, stomping their feet, dancing and ‘shouting’” said Selina Choate. “Shouting is a term used to describe a form of praise and worship typically seen in Black churches, particularly Pentecostal. There’s a unique form of footwork involved.”

The church features an altar flanked by a drum kit on one side and a keyboard on the other.  Behind the keyboard is a recording studio.  Pastor Mark is a recording artist but the studio is open for members’ use.

The church’s lobby, which features leather couches and a kitchenette, is used for community meetings, among other things. Their space also includes five offices, including one for Pastor Mark and his wife Pastor Andrea Choate.

Where the church will finally settle remains “up in the air,” Pastor Mark said. “We’re moving a whole church and a community out of the heart of the city.”

He said they are “taking our people from something we put effort it” and moving them somewhere else.

“Are we going to be able to hold our congregation?” he said. Will they be satisfied with a new location not in the downtown area.

“The pressure will be on us to maintain that lease and also satisfy our congregation,” he said.

If they can’t do that, he said, they will ultimately be the ones out on the street.

Below: Statement concerning House Of Praise and what Lincoln Avenue Capital is doing to help relocate the church.