Transforming Municipal Property into Affordable Residential Housing Opportunities

Durham's vibrant real estate market reflects the city's growing appeal and economic vitality. To ensure this prosperity benefits all current and future residents, the City is exploring innovative uses for over 1,000 owned real estate parcels, many of which could be converted into affordable residences. The FUSE Executive Fellow will assist the City in identifying and assessing lots for conversion, engage nonprofit developers to build affordable homes and create a sustainable operating plan to scale this initiative city-wide. Ultimately, this project aims to create new pathways for more Durham families to build intergenerational wealth through homeownership or affordable residential solutions.

Fellowship Dates: April 28, 2025 - April 24, 2026

Salary: Executive Fellows are FUSE employees and receive an annual base salary of $80,000. Fellows can also access various health, dental, and vision insurance benefits. Compensation for this year of public service is not intended to represent market-rate compensation for the experienced professionals in our program.

ABOUT THE FUSE EXECUTIVE FELLOWSHIP

FUSE is a national nonprofit working to expand social and economic opportunities, particularly for communities that have been limited by a history of systemic and institutionalized racism. FUSE partners with local governments and communities to more effectively address pressing challenges by placing experienced professionals within city and county agencies. These FUSE Executive Fellows lead strategic projects designed to advance racial equity and accelerate systems change. Since 2012, FUSE has led over 250 projects in 40 governments across 20 states, impacting the lives of 25 million people.

When designing each fellowship project, FUSE works closely with government partners and local stakeholders to define a scope of work that will achieve substantive progress toward regional priorities. FUSE then conducts an individualized search for each project to ensure that the selected candidate has at least 15 years of professional experience, the required competencies for the role, and deep connections to the communities being served. They are data-driven and results-oriented and able to effectively manage complex projects by developing actionable roadmaps and monitoring progress to completion.

Executive Fellows are hired as FUSE employees and embedded in government agencies for at least one year of full-time work. Throughout their fellowships, they receive training, coaching, and professional support from FUSE to help achieve their project goals. FUSE Executive Fellows bring diverse perspectives and new approaches to their projects. They build strong relationships with diverse arrays of stakeholders, foster alignment within.

PROJECT CONTEXT

Durham, North Carolina, has experienced significant growth, with its population increasing by 24% between 2010 and 2020[1]. The city's expanding job market, particularly in the technology and healthcare sectors, has attracted new residents and boosted the local economy[2]. However, this growth has led to rising housing costs, with the median home value increasing by 59% from 2017 to 2022[3]. These market dynamics have exacerbated existing inequities rooted in historical practices of redlining and economic exclusion. As of 2021, the homeownership rate for Black households in Durham (42.1%) lags significantly behind that of white households (64.6%)[4]. This disparity contributes to the racial wealth gap and increases the risk of displacement for low-income residents, with 45% of Durham renters classified as cost-burdened in 2019[5].

The City of Durham's mission is to provide quality services that make Durham a great place to live, work, and play[6]. Central to achieving this mission is fostering shared economic prosperity, including affordable homeownership. In 2023, the City of Durham launched an innovative initiative to address its affordable housing needs. The General Services Department identified 14 vacant, City-owned lots suitable for conversion into affordable single-family homes. Following this, the City issued a Request for Proposals (RFP), which garnered interest from non-profit developers - three of which submitted bids for 12 of the identified lots.[7] To support this effort, the City is not only providing the lots at no cost but also offering up to $100,000 per lot to subsidize home construction costs. This program aims to create a pathway to homeownership, wealth building, and long-term stability for families who have historically been excluded from such opportunities.

While these 12 lots represent an encouraging start, the City owns more than 1,000 parcels of real estate. Although not all are suitable for affordable housing development, many have potential for such use. By cultivating partnerships with non-profit builders and establishing a process for regularly reviewing and releasing appropriate lots for development, the City has the potential to unlock transformative opportunities for numerous families.

The City of Durham will partner with FUSE Corps to scale the lot conversion program. The FUSE Executive Fellow will collaborate with City partners to identify and assess additional lots for affordable housing development, issue an RFP to donate lots to non-profit builders, facilitate collaboration with non-profit partners, and develop standard operating procedures to sustain this process. This initiative aims to enable more low- and moderate-income Durham residents to purchase their own homes, securing their place in the growing city.

PROJECT SUMMARY

Beginning in May 2025, the FUSE Executive Fellow will establish strong relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders, including City partners (e.g., General Services Department, Finance Department), non-profit housing development partners, and community members (with an emphasis on Black, Indigenous, People of Color families and communities). The Executive Fellow will seek to understand these partners' resources, opportunities, and aspirations for affordable housing and homeownership. Additionally, the Executive Fellow will review best practices for equitable, inclusive homeownership in communities similar to Durham.

The Executive Fellow will then work with the General Services Department to identify and assess City-owned lots suitable for affordable home development. These lots should be appropriate for residential use as a priority. Ideally, they should accommodate homes with more bedrooms that are not naturally occurring now in the market and be located near public transportation and other community resources. Concurrently, the Executive Fellow will collaborate with the Finance Department and Budget and Management Services Department to issue an RFP for bids on the lots, review applications, and facilitate the transfer of lots to successful applicants.

The Executive Fellow will also engage with non-profit home developers pre-award to understand the qualities that make a lot viable for affordable development and generate interest in responding to the Request for Proposal(s) (RFP's). Post-award, they will work with successful applicants to perform predevelopment analysis, recommend appropriate development subsidies, advance construction progress, troubleshoot issues, and capture best practices and learnings from the process.

Lastly, the Executive Fellow will develop comprehensive processes and knowledge management systems to ensure the City of Durham can continue and expand this initiative. As partnerships are solidified, insights from the 2023 lot issuance are integrated, and the current round of conversions is implemented, the Fellow will create a suite of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to make the process repeatable and scalable. These SOPs will detail the steps necessary to identify, assess, and issue lots to non-profit partners for affordable housing development, as well as provide post-award support. They will include essential tools (e.g., lot screening criteria), clearly defined responsibilities for city entities, and best practices derived from the initial implementation rounds. Crucially, these procedures will be designed for execution within the City's existing staffing structure, ensuring sustainability beyond the Fellowship year. The Executive Fellow will orchestrate a thoughtful and timely handover of these SOPs and related tasks, equipping the City to independently manage and grow this vital housing initiative. This approach will create a lasting framework for expanding affordable homeownership opportunities in Durham.

PROJECT DELIVERABLES

By April 2026, the Executive Fellow will have overseen the following:

• Conduct Stakeholder Listening Tour: Establish relationships with City government officials, non-profit real estate developers, and community members to assess resources, constraints, opportunities, threats, and aspirations affecting affordable homeownership in Durham. Conduct comprehensive research on best practices for effective, inclusive home development in comparable communities.
• Identify and Assess Lots: Collaborate with the General Services Department to develop criteria, screen, and shortlist appropriate City-owned lots for inclusion in the upcoming RFP.
• Coordinate RFP Process: Partner with City stakeholders to draft and issue the lot conversion RFP, establish evaluation criteria, review applications, and select successful applicants.
• Facilitate Non-Profit Partner Engagement: Work closely with selected applicants to advance construction progress, providing support and guidance throughout the development process.
• Develop Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs): Synthesize learnings from the 2023 and 2025 lot conversions to create comprehensive SOPs, enabling the City to efficiently replicate and scale the affordable housing development process.

KEY STAKEHOLDERS

• Executive Sponsor - Reginald Johnson, Director, Community Development Department
• Project Supervisor - Tenya Colemon, Assistant Director

QUALIFICATIONS

• Synthesizes complex information into clear and concise recommendations and action-oriented implementation plans.
• Develops and effectively implements both strategic and operational project management plans.
• Generates innovative, data-driven, and result-oriented solutions to complex challenges.
• Respond quickly to changing ideas, responsibilities, expectations, trends, strategies, and other processes.
• Communicates effectively verbally and in writing and excels in active listening and conversing.
• Fosters collaboration across multiple constituencies to support more effective decision-making.
• Establishes and maintains strong relationships with diverse stakeholders, both inside and outside of government, particularly community-based relationships.
• Embraces differing viewpoints and implements strategies to find common ground.
• Demonstrates confidence and professional diplomacy while effectively interacting with individuals at all levels of various organizations.

FUSE is an equal-opportunity employer with core values of diversity, equity, and inclusion. We encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply for this position.