Addressing Housing Concerns in Durham

Seed grants are aimed at exploring housing and economic well-being in Durham and the surrounding region

People seated at a table on the left; on the right three people speaking outside

This is a summary of a story by Elizabeth Thompson on Cook Center on Social Equity.

For nearly a decade, Durham has struggled with a shortage of housing inventory that has been exacerbated by gentrification.

In May, the Durham City Council voted to provide $4.5 million to develop and preserve several hundred units of affordable housing. 

The council vote is the city’s latest attempt to tackle the challenges facing Durham and the Triangle, where growth and development have resulted in exponentially rising housing costs.

The Cook Center on Social Equity at Duke University and the Duke Center for Community-Engaged Scholarship (DCCES) have also come together to award three 12-month grants for community-engaged research on housing and economic well-being in Durham and the surrounding region. 

Here are the research projects:

Faith-Based Housing Initiative: Eli Smith, director of the initiative, will team up with David Berger, professor of economics at Duke, to explore the housing potential of underused land in Durham owned by faith-based institutions. 

Housing the Most Vulnerable: Tonia Poteat, professor in the School of Nursing, and Kathryn (Kate) Whetten, professor in the Sanford School of Public Policy, will work with Vanity Deterville of the LGBTQ Center of Durham to create emergency and long-term strategies that will alleviate housing issues among members of the LGBTQ community who are experiencing homelessness. 

Mapping the Wealth Gap: With a goal of understanding Durham’s wealth gap, Christina Gibson-Davis, professor in the Sanford School of Public Policy, Steven Day, assistant professor of management and entrepreneurship at North Carolina Central University, and Henry McKoy, president and CEO of Carolina Community Impact, will work with the City of Durham's Office of Community Partnerships & Engagement to develop and conduct a survey that chronicles wealth composition, housing assets and debt, and economic well-being across the city’s racial, ethnic and income groups. 

To learn more about the seed grants to study housing concerns, visit the Cook Center on Social Equity.