A Gathering for Faith and Community Leaders

May 22, 2023Church of the Advocate, Community, News

Laura Batts

Divinity Intern

On March 18th, Faith and community leaders from all across the Triangle ate, sang, and learned together at the Episcopal Church of the Advocate for Pee Wee Homes’ first ever Information Session for Faith and Community Leaders, an effort to mobilize and inspire faith communities to build tiny homes on their property.

Leading the way, the Advocate is PWH’s first location on church-owned land, hosting three residents in three tiny homes, and was the perfect venue to inspire others to do the same. PWH has completed four other homes on land acquired through the Northside Neighborhood Initiative. Subsequently, PWH has been striving to replicate the strategy of building homes on the grounds of faith communities like the Advocate. PWH Board Chair Lisa Fischbeck and Duke Divinity School Intern, Laura Batts, have been leading efforts to connect with local faith communities in hopes of finding fertile ground for more of these homes.

Attendees gathered in the Advocate Chapel
Display table with recommended reading, t-shirts, and photos of existing homes

The March event grew out of this initiative to inform the community of the opportunity to partner with PWH. Moreover, this event was meant to encourage continued collaboration among religious, nonprofit, and local government sectors.

There was an energy in the air as the chapel filled with congregation members and community leaders from Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Apex, Raleigh, Cary, and Durham. Additionally, local officials, and community leaders from organizations like Community Empowerment Fund (CEF) and Inter-Faith Council (IFC) were also represented. 

Katina Welch (left) spoke on the experience of homelessness and the opportunity for a faith based approach to affordable housing
Gary Bumgardner spoke on the experience of homelessness and the need for affordable housing

The event was packed with guest speakers, music, a raffle, and opportunities to connect and network. Key speakers, Gary Bumgardner, community leader and affordable housing advocate, and Katina Welch, community leader and PWH board member, shared their experiences accessing housing and emphasized the role of faith communities in filling the gaps. Others spoke on the PWH model and current relevant policy updates, including founding board members Fischbeck and Hudson Vaughn, and PWH Executive Director Erika Walker.

Quiltmaker and PWH board member, David Lyles (left), and raffle winner, Phil Welch (right), holding the PWH quilt.

PWH board member David Lyles generously donated a one-of-a-kind quilt to be raffled at the event. Guests were invited to make a donation of any size for one raffle ticket. Lyles made this quilt specifically for PWH and even included the shape of homes throughout the quilt!

The CEF Advocacy Choir performed, “Smile,” a lively and hopeful original song written by Yvette Matthews, Office and Community Organizer at CEF’s Chapel Hill office. The crowd caught on quickly, singing, clapping and swaying along to the the uplifting song.

CEF Advocacy Choir singing “Smile”
PWH namesake and founding board member, Pee Wee Lee, dancing along to the CEF Advocacy Choir
Photo credit: Mackenzie Fair

We plan to continue engagement with faith communities in the area to mobilize support for affordable housing in the form of actual homes on land owned by those communities, financial and in-kind support to affordable housing organizations, and community organizing for meaningful policy change.

If you or someone you know attended the event or you missed it and want to know more, we would love to connect! Email Laura at div-intern@peeweehomes.org with any feedback, reflections, or questions.

Dignified Doors: A response to residents’ needs

January 30, 2023News, Special Projects

Dignified Doors:
A response to residents’ needs

By: Maggie Simonds (Program Intern)

In the early spring of 2022, a blossoming relationship between Pee Wee Homes and local foundation, Healthier, Greener, Kinder, was forming. Almost simultaneously, a request for screen doors from residents emerged, and the “Dignified Doors” project was born. The purpose of Dignified Doors is to provide residents with another source of natural light, air circulation, and social connectedness to neighbors and community members. The project is intended to promote resident engagement with their outdoor space and connection to community. When asked about the new updates, Pee Wee Homes resident Smalls (pictured right) shared the following reflection:

Smalls relaxes in his new rocking chair on the front porch of his Pee Wee Home

“I love my new chair and relaxing on the porch, it’s so comfortable!”

Volunteer Engagement

The project would not have been a success without the help of numerous volunteers from UNC, the Orange County community, and beyond. Volunteers installed 5 dual-functioning storm doors with screens to provide all Pee Wee Homes residents with increased access to fresh air, natural light, and visibility. A fresh coat of paint for the doors and surrounding trim was put up, and sustainable, durable porch furniture was assembled to provide residents a comfortable place to enjoy their newly renovated porches! Residents were able to choose which style chair best suited their needs, some chose rocking chairs, while others chose more traditional chairs. Now all Pee Wee Homes residents have freshly painted entryways, functional screen doors, and porch furniture to enjoy for years to come! Already, residents have been sharing the enjoyment and comfort they feel in the newly renovated space.

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Volunteers Jim and Owen Street pose with Pee Wee Homes resident and intern Maggie Simonds after successful installation of a new screen door.
New screen door with fresh coat of paint and powerwashed porch

Healthier, Greener, Kinder Foundation

We look forward to many more years of partnership with the Healthier, Greener, Kinder Foundation. To read more about the foundation that made this work possible, please visit their website by clicking their logo.

Interested in supporting future initiatives? Consider volunteering or making a donation!
Contact us at info@peeweehomes.org.

PWH Welcomes Divinity Intern

November 7, 2022News

We’re excited to introduce the Pee Wee Homes community to Laura Batts, Graduate Intern from Duke Divinity School!

Laura is a Master of Divinity student at Duke Divinity School. She joined us in September 2022 and will be focused on connecting with faith communities in Chapel Hill that are interested in affordable housing. Laura is originally from central Indiana from a small town called Clayton. She attended Anderson University (IN) and received her bachelors in Christian Ministries and Mathematics. Laura enjoys being outside, drinking coffee, and being creative in various arts, crafts, and DIY projects. She also enjoys spending time with her friends and family in the Triangle area, including her fiancé, Sam, (they will be married in June of 2023). After graduation, Laura intends to continue pursuing community oriented and creative ministry.

Laura Batts

AP News Feature

July 25, 2022News

AP News interviewed resident Nathaniel Lee and Board Member Rev. Lisa Fischbeck for an article released on June 25, 2022!

A roof over their head: Churches use tiny homes for homeless

Churches across the U.S. are tackling the big question of how to address homelessness in their communities with a small solution: tiny homes.

On vacant plots near their parking lots and steepled sanctuaries, congregations are building everything from fixed and fully contained micro homes to petite, moveable cabins, and several other styles of small-footprint dwellings in between.

Church leaders are not just trying to be more neighborly. The drive to provide shelter is rooted in their beliefs — they must care for the vulnerable, especially those without homes.

“It’s just such an integral part of who we are as a people of faith,” said the Rev. Lisa Fischbeck, former Episcopal vicar and the board chair of Pee Wee Homes, an affordable housing organization building tiny abodes in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Read the Full Article

Spring 2022 Newsletter!

March 21, 2022News
Read It Here

Our Spring 2022 Newsletter is out!

Here’s what’s inside:

  • PWH Native Garden Days
  • Keepin’ it 100
  • Mitchell Lane Update
  • Abundance Report featuring grants from Northside Neighborhood Initiative, Triangle Community Foundation, New Hope Audubon Society, and more!

Check out past newsletters:

Support Pee Wee Homes on Hill Street!

September 27, 2021News
Architectural renderings of 3 tiny homes on green lot with small gazebo
Proposed homes on Hill Street

We need your help to build three new affordable tiny homes on Hill Street in Carrboro. These homes will provide much needed private, permanent and dignified housing to our community members who have experienced homelessness and housing insecurity. The Carrboro Town Council is meeting on September 28 at 7:00pm to discuss and hear public comments on our proposal to rezone the lot to allow construction of these extremely affordable homes. We are asking YOU, our beloved supporters, to speak up and let Council know that we are a welcoming community – that all of us deserve safe, affordable housing.

You can find out more about the project by reading this community letter of support. You can also show your support by:

  1. Signing onto the letter and adding comments.
  2. Writing to Carrboro Town Council at publiccomment@townofcarrboro.org.
  3. Calling  919-918-7309 to submit comments.
  4. Attending meeting by requesting the Zoom link at publiccomment@townofcarrboro.org or 919-918-7309.

All comments must be submitted 24 hours in advance meaning by 7:00pm on September 27!

PEE WEE HOMES Featured on WRAL

November 30, 2017News, Northside

“How tiny homes could solve housing problems in Chapel Hill”

Expensive housing contributes to cycles of poverty in every region of our state, industry observers say. But a group of Chapel Hill advocates believe tiny homes could be a big solution for the housing crisis.

Pee Wee Homes Collaborative has a vision of an entire Chapel Hill neighborhood occupied by tiny houses.

“It’s a concept that provides affordable housing to people that would otherwise be homeless,” said Lisa Fischbeck, chairwoman of the Pee Wee Homes Collaborative.

Fischbeck said the city has a unique housing crisis because students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill rent the more affordable homes, which leaves other city residents struggling to find housing in the price ranges.

“They often are the people who have worked hard in this community for years, but then they can’t afford to live here,” Fischbeck said.