Communicating a Desired Partnership with Durham Housing Authority
On July 22nd, a few members of the Grant Street Community had the opportunity to attend the Durham Housing Authority Board meeting to advocate for our neighborhood and ask several questions about the future of the Villages of Hayti development.
Representing our neighborhood were Ms. Vivian Gunn, Kendall Dooley, and Erin Dooley, who spoke on behalf of the Grant Street Community and Monument of Faith Church. We intentionally came with a desire to strengthen partnership and ensure that neighborhood voices continue to help shape the future of the Villages of Hayti development.
During public comment, we raised four key opportunities:
Neighborhood wealth-building. We asked who oversees contracts for the Villages of Hayti after Refuge Homes requested from us recommendations for local partners to sell the new townhomes / single family homes they will be building and provide homeownership education. We connected them with three community-centered Black real estate firms but experienced a month or two of silence before hearing back. Our hope is that opportunities like these don't fall through the cracks and instead create lasting wealth within our neighborhood.
Student housing. After learning from North Carolina Central University about the growing student housing shortage, we asked whether some future units could be designated for NCCU students.
Neighborhood-based property management. We shared that the Grant Street Community has partnered with Quinton Morris and The Property Firm, LLC to develop a neighborhood-based property management initiative that would reinvest proceeds into community priorities such as our community garden, after-school programming, and home repair assistance for neighborhood elders. We expressed our interest in managing a portion of the Villages of Hayti properties.
The future grocery store and food hub. We shared that our recent collaboration with Duke University's wastewater research team, which was featured in The New York Times, is helping advocate for the approximately $6 million our neighborhood hopes to secure for the Villages of Hayti grocery store and broader community food hub. As a historic Black neighborhood, we want meaningful opportunities to help shape Hayti's future alongside Durham Housing Authority.
We also expressed our deep gratitude for Ms. Brenda Bradsher, who has faithfully represented our neighborhood on the Community Advisory Committee for many years. As more opportunities emerge, however, we believe these conversations have grown beyond what one person should have to carry alone.
Our closing request was simple: Who should we be working with, and how can the Grant Street Community partner more closely with Durham Housing Authority moving forward?
We are grateful that Board Chair Maime Webb-Bledsoe publicly thanked us for approaching the board with a spirit of partnership and collaboration. She shared that someone from DHA would be reaching out to us to continue the conversation.
Thank you to everyone who continues to show up, organize, ask thoughtful questions, and advocate for the flourishing of our neighborhood. This is what resident-led community development looks like.
If you’d like to join us for future community meetings, just let us know!
— The Grant Street Community
