Message From Yolanda: Celebrating 50 Years of DHIC

I wanted to start this month’s message with a reminder that Early Voting for the 2024 March Primary Election continues through March 2^nd. You can revisit my message, Your Vote Is Your Power as a reminder of why elections matter to DHIC’s work.

As we approach the end of Black History Month, it’s especially fitting for us to reflect on DHIC’s place in our community’s local history and to kick off DHIC’s 50^th year.

DHIC was originally established in 1974 by community and business leaders under the tenure of Mayor Clarence Lightner, the City of Raleigh’s first and only African American mayor. Over the years, some of Raleigh’s most prominent African American leaders, like Senator Dan Blue, Commissioner James West, Brad Thompson, Harriet Webster, and Eleanor Nunn, to name a few, have helped to guide our organization’s evolution.

Over the past 50 years, DHIC has built and rehabbed over 350 single-family homes, and developed 50 rental communities across nine North Carolina counties, including the preservation of the historic Murphey School and redevelopment of Washington Terrace here in Raleigh. We’ve facilitated numerous service connections with other nonprofits and community groups to provide opportunities that promote financial, physical, and mental well-being for the 4,500+ families, individuals, and seniors living in our communities. DHIC’s HUD Certified counselors have helped more than 2,100 low- and moderate-income homebuyers to build wealth by purchasing their first homes.

This history is the foundation that we stand upon as we continue to press toward our vision of a housing ecosystem that provides and promotes equity, generational wealth, health, and wellness for the communities in which we work.

What a milestone this year of jubilee is for our organization! Stay tuned. Plans for DHIC’s 50^th Anniversary Celebration will be revealed soon!