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:

PWH Welcomes New Staff

November 29, 2021Uncategorized

Please join us in welcoming two new staff: Program Director, Erika Walker, and Graduate Intern, Maggie Simonds!

Erika Walker
Maggie Simonds

Erika joined Pee Wee Homes in September 2021 bringing over 11 years of project and program management experience across international development, higher education, racial justice, public health, reproductive justice, refugee resettlement and nonprofit management. She has an MPA from the UNC School of Government. Having called Carrboro and Chapel Hill home for 8 years, she is excited to return to the community where she was born and build deeper connections with her neighbors. Erika enjoys gardening, hiking, singing and running, but mostly having good food and good laughs with the people she loves. She and her partner have a goofy 1-year-old and a goofier adopted rottweiler mix.

Maggie is an MPH student at UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health in the Nutrition and Dietetics concentration. She joined us in November 2021 and will support Pee Wee Homes to create a meaningful community for residents, neighbors, and others in Chapel Hill. Maggie is originally from Massachusetts and graduated from Northeastern University with a BS in Health Science. She moved to North Carolina from Portland, Maine where she worked as a FoodCorps service member teaching elementary-age students cooking and food justice-based lessons while helping to build a school garden. Outside of class, Maggie is passionate about cooking, running, and skiing. In the future, she hopes to continue community-based work and use her degree to work in school food.

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!

Video By UNC Student!

September 24, 2018Church of the Advocate, Construction

 Video Produced by Justin James


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Construction is well underway on the three Pee Wee Homes on the Episcopal Church of the Advocate property off Homestead Rd in Chapel Hill. Volunteers are needed from September-November.

September volunteer shifts are ready for signup:
Help install siding 
-or-
If you’d like to provide snacks for the crew – fruit, home-baked treats, etc.  just drop by the site during one of the construction shifts

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.