Durham Habitat and Mount Vernon Baptist Church Kick Off Construction of Community of Affordable Homes

August 16, 2024

The partnership will result in the construction of 10 new affordable homes in Durham’s Southside

Habitat for Humanity of Durham and Mount Vernon Baptist Church are pleased to announce the start of construction of 10 Habitat homes. The new neighborhood is being constructed on land Durham Habitat recently purchased from Mount Vernon Baptist Church.

On Saturday, August 24, 2024 at 10:00 am, Durham Habitat staff and volunteers will gather with members of the Mount Vernon congregation for a neighborhood kickoff celebration at 211 E Umstead Street. The celebration will include remarks from both partners, and participants will raise a wall on the first home site to get underway. A reception will follow at Mount Vernon Church, with music provided by the Mike Jones Trio.

The property, which measures just over 2.5 acres, is adjacent to Mount Vernon Baptist Church in Durham’s historically significant Hayti district. The new community will provide much-needed affordable homeownership opportunities in an area of the city that has become increasingly unaffordable.

When the church contemplated selling the land, Pastor Reverend Jerome J. Washington encouraged the congregation to consider the best use of the property. “We could partner with a private developer, who might build homes that would be unaffordable to many of the people we serve, or we could make a meaningful impact for the people of our community by selling the land to Durham Habitat,” he said.

The Mount Vernon congregation resoundingly chose to support affordable homeownership, recognizing the great value of transforming this land into a life-changing opportunity for the families who will live in the new development.

The decision to partner with Durham Habitat projects a strong example of civic leadership for the church and represents an innovative way for faith communities to invest in strengthening the Durham community. Both Durham Habitat and Mount Vernon Church intend this partnership to serve as an example for other organizations in the community and create new conversation around innovative land use opportunities.

“We are extremely grateful to Pastor Washington and the Mount Vernon Baptist Church congregation for their support of our mission by allowing us to purchase this land at a fair price, said Tiana Joyner, CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Durham. “The property holds great potential, and we are excited to get started on the construction. Thanks to their commitment to holding space for affordable homeownership in Durham, 10 more local families will become homeowners.”