From the Desk of the County Manager, July 31, 2026

Greetings, Durham!

I am Julia Hedelman, Senior Management Analyst in the Office of Organizational Effectiveness for Durham County and am excited to be a guest columnist this week. 

As one of North Carolina’s top economic, cultural, and research hubs of North Carolina, vibrant Durham County continues to draw thousands of new residents each year, with the population rising by 10% since 2015. While this rapid growth has strengthened Durham’s communities and economy in many ways, it has also placed mounting pressure on an already limited supply of affordable housing.

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic intensified this existing challenge. High unemployment, rising living costs, and widespread business closures deepened economic hardship across the nation, and Durham was no exception. Low-income households were disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, with more than 2,600 local jobs lost in health care, accommodation and food services, retail, and educational services. By April 2022, 7,110 Durham households were behind on rent, and as housing prices continued to rise, nearly half of all renters were paying more than 30% of their income towards housing costs. These growing pressures drove households into real instability: between 2021 and 2022, eviction filings in the County doubled.

In response to the devastating economic impacts of the pandemic nationwide, President Joe Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) in 2021. As part of this legislation, the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (CSLFRF or SLFRF) provided $350 billion to state, local, territorial, and tribal governments, through which Durham County received an allocation of $62,445,275 in May 2022. Recognizing the increasingly critical need for affordable housing in Durham County, the Board of County Commissioners directed the County to allocate $15 million of these funds to support two key affordable housing efforts: a Land Trust Investment Program to increase the number of properties included in Durham community land trust for permanent affordable housing, and a joint partnership with the City of Durham to develop several new affordable housing units.

Now, as we approach the end of the ARPA funding period, I’d like to share more about the meaningful impact of each of these initiatives in our community!

Land Trust Investment Program

To increase the number of permanently affordable land trust units within Durham County, $1.5 million in ARPA funding was awarded to Durham Community Land Trustees, Inc. (DCLT). Using the contract funds, DCLT has already completed the acquisition of undeveloped land adjacent to the Anderson Street Apartments, an existing multifamily property with 48 units of affordable housing, for integration into the Durham Community Land Trust. DCLT will use additional funding to further develop the acquired property and add an additional 48+ units of affordable housing to the land trust. DCLT also used a portion of the funding to conduct direct outreach to inform residents about the benefits of adding their property to the land trust, and host community-led design sessions to co-create new construction projects. To learn more, visit https://dclt.org/.

City-County Affordable Housing Partnership

The ARPA City-County Affordable Housing Partnership is a joint partnership between the City of Durham and Durham County to utilize a portion of both jurisdictions’ ARPA allocations to support the development of new affordable housing units in Durham. In total, the County provided $13.5 million to the City to support six planned multifamily affordable housing developments for a target total of 485 new units. The funding will expand the number of affordable units available to residents at or below 80% of the area median income.

One of the key projects being developed through this initiative is Sankofa Landing, a 9.4-acre affordable housing development in Durham’s Bragtown neighborhood. The project will deliver 156 garden-style units, offering one, two, and three-bedroom options. ARPA funding supported land acquisition, architectural and engineering design, and construction of the development. Groundbreaking occurred in February 2025, with completion of all 156 units targeted for September 2026. A second key project, Phases III and IV of the Lofts at Southside, will deliver 100 affordable apartment units for households earning 60% of the area median income or less. To date, 56 units have been completed under Phase III, and Phase IV of the project is currently under construction with completion of the remaining 56 units anticipated by this fall.

Access to stable, affordable, and safe housing is essential for the health and well-being of our community. Durham County values its collaboration with our local non-profit and government partners in advancing this work, and we are grateful for their commitment to building a Durham where every resident has a place to call home.   

In partnership and purpose,

Julia Hedelman

Senior Management Analyst 

Office of Organizational Effectiveness for Durham County