A resident of a Duke-built Habitat House celebrates with her family.
Duke University and Duke Health have collaborated with Durham Habitat for Humanity on building nearly two dozen houses over recent years, providing needed homes at affordable prices for local residents.
This year, the latest house build is going to be part of the centennial celebration.
Work will begin with a kickoff ceremony at 8 a.m. Friday, Oct. 25, at the construction site on 300 East Enterprise Street in Durham. Speakers will include President Vincent Price; Vice President Stelfanie Williams of Duke Community Affairs; Durham Mayor Leonardo Williams; and officials from Durham Habitat.
The land where the home is being built was recently purchased by Durham Habitat from Mount Vernon Baptist Church, where 10 new homes are being built in the historically Black Hayti neighborhood.
The public is invited to the kickoff, and there are still volunteer slots available for work on the first day. Signups for the project are available on the Durham Habitat website. Shifts are open through the end of 2024.
The longstanding collaboration between Duke and Durham Habitat is part of the university’s mission of building partnerships with communities to improve health and well-being. One of the five planks of that mission is addressing equitable affordable housing and infrastructure for Durham residents.
In addition to the Habitat work, Duke also provides loans to local community development financial institutions, such as Self-Help and land banks, to help create affordable housing. Recognizing that housing is tied to a variety of economic and social issues, Duke’s approach is holistic, addressing social drivers of health and challenges identified by local residents.
The goal is to increase affordable housing units and help current residents stay in place in a changing housing market.
The Centennial Habitat house is one of two being built this year by Duke. Duke Health is also constructing one in the same neighborhood, on 211 E. Umstead Rd. Work began on that project in September.
