Celebrating Abundance in Durham's Walltown

Dressed in bright, flowing African designs the women of Durham’s Realm of Senior Entertainers or "ROSE” moved through their graceful and expressive dance. Each carried a treasured basket into which spilled an invisible bounty. It was a joyful sight, a testament to what can be harvested though faith, hard work, collaboration, and endurance. With their infectious energy, the dancers began pulling people onto the dance floor. White and black, young and old, strangers and long-time friends, paraded together through the crowded room, celebrating abundance.

This was just one of the lively scenes at the Walltown Homeowners Appreciation dinner held in March, 2008 at St. John’s Baptist Church in Durham. Hosted by the Self-Help Community Development Corporation, the dinner provided an opportunity to thank the community and reflect on the successes and lessons of the decade-long Walltown Homeownership Project.

Seeded in 1996 with the purchase of 30 aging rental properties, the project was completed in 2007 with 77 homes renovated or rebuilt. “Building a community is first and foremost a spiritual challenge,” said Martin Eakes, “but the visionaries and homeowners in Walltown saw a different world and made it happen.”

Homeownership rates, housing quality and property values have increased, while crime rates and neglect are down. Physical improvements in the neighborhood are undeniable. Volunteers have cleaned up the Ellerbe Creek tributary and Walltown Park’s facilities were renovated by the City. New organizations, like the Walltown Children’s Theater, a Duke medical clinic, and the Carter Community Charter School have added breadth to the neighborhood.

Self-Help has learned much from this experience, including lessons that we are applying as we work in other neighborhoods throughout North Carolina. Meanwhile, a new era approaches in Walltown, one that will no longer be shaped by Self-Help’s housing development but can be affected by our presence.

The Walltown Homeownership Project would not have been possible without concerted collaboration, investment and leadership from a number of partners — the Walltown Community Association, Duke University, City of Durham, NC Housing Finance Agency, a number of foundations and individual donors, and half a dozen churches, to name just a few.

For more about the Walltown Home Ownership Project, see Self-Help’s report: Impacts and Lessons from the Walltown Home Ownership Project (25 page PDF).