A Durham community came together Sunday afternoon to address the affordable housing crisis.
A recent study by the N.C. Chamber Foundation, the North Carolina Home Builders Association, and N.C. REALTORS found that the state needs 760,000 new housing units over the next five years to meet the need across its 100 counties.
Dozens of people filled a room inside Covenant Presbyterian Church in Durham to discuss this long, hard-fought issue.
“Affordable housing is very valuable to our community, in particular because we do desire to transition out and be financially stable,” said Crystal Graves, the Resident President at Cornwallis Road Community.
Graves has lived in the Durham Housing Authority complex for years. She shared powerful remarks on the panel, moderated by Durham County Commissioner Michelle Burton, about the desire for many to live in a safe and affordable community.
“And considering in a lot of underrepresented communities, jobs that are, I guess, available to us, are not jobs that can pay the rent that Durham is charging right now. So learning how to have trades, learning how to have a second income without taking ourselves away from our family because most of us are single, independent mothers, it’s important,” she said.
Speakers on the panel alongside Graves described how the lack of affordable housing also impacts mental and physical health. They believe Durham needs more units with better accessibility to hospitals, schools, and resources as well.
“A lot of times, grant funding is available. Often, things are available, right? But no one comes to a DHA properties, which makes things very difficult,” Graves said. “And then also, we get the statistics where, if a female lives in a project, she doesn’t want anything, and her rent is just $50. So, we have to fight against that and show things will be different, show that we want to do better, and we’re not looking for a handout. We’re looking for opportunities.”
County Commissioner Michelle Burton asked the panel, “What are the most pressing needs in our community?”
Responses included homeownership, gentrification, education, and lack of mental health resources.
Making housing affordable to people with health issues was also a key topic. Advocates said people with health disparities have even more challenges.
“The definition of affordable housing is very vast and wide, but the people who really need housing don’t always make the income that’s necessary,” said Ketty Thelemaque, the lead organizer of Durham CAN.
“They need to be educated, get provided programs to prepare them because they desire to have homeownership and change their circumstances. And so that’s what resonated with me. How can we partner to help prepare people for homeownership?” Thelemaque added.
Durham CAN is an organization that has fought for hundreds of affordable units in new development projects across Durham.
The organization partners with over 33 institutions in Durham, including Durham faith-based institutions and neighborhoods that work diligently on affordable housing.
“What does it require? What do people need to know about it? Advocating, and going to city council when people need a real, affordable amount, saying, No, we need 30% versus 80%,” said Thelemaque.
Durham’s Mayor Leo Williams said at the opening of the latest Vanguard development that there are about 3,000 housing units coming in the pipeline.
Advocates believe this is just scratching the surface of the need.
Concerns over developers attempting to build in and around historically black neighborhoods such as Hayti also continue to grow.
Community leader Anita Scott Neville said it’s crucial residents learn about the Unified Development Ordinance and how development could impact communities and the unseen environmental impacts of it all.
“You’re coming as a developer to build in Durham. But do you know why you want to be here? The reason why you want to be here is the work and the legacy of the people who have lived here off of Hayti, those people who worked diligently before 147 came through and disrupted our community,” said Thelemaque.
“It’s not that we don’t want development. We want to be intentional about who it’s for, and that you’re actually lifting up the history of the people in Durham,” she added.
Graves believes community conversations and meetings are a great start to engaging the public. She hopes communities like Cornwallis can receive more boots-on-the-ground support and mentor groups to help educate and uplift people who live in this area.
“The next step is really just building that power, connecting with communities like Cornwallis, like McDougal Terrace, like Oxford Manor, lifting those voices to say this. This is what we need,” said Thelemaque, echoing the same sentiments.
“It’s not just about meeting developers’ needs. That’s not it. If the developer is not meeting the needs of the people who desire the housing, then nothing’s going to change,” she added.