Capturing Our Mission: What we do in the Grahamtown Community

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Following the wave of growth was a new wave of change – one of slow decline from the 1960s to 2006. Young people move away, the history-keepers are dying, newcomers are disconnected from the community, and despair has had a devastating effect on the neighborhood. Around 2006, the tide began to change once again, this time for the better. New and old residents joined forces to implement the plans of our community development plan, “Guiding Grahamtown’s Future”. We had determined that together we would restore the quality of housing, uplift the people of the neighborhood, and redefine the meaning of the place we call Grahamtown. This program would be the catalyst for the tide of change needed to revitalize Grahamtown. This collaborative effort of neighborhood residents and leading supporters began the Grahamtown Neighborhood Revitalization. From this small group of individuals with a similar interest to improve the Grahamtown neighborhood came the GTeam. The GTeam was tasked with clarifying the vision for the neighborhood, gathering neighborhood information, planning and hosting the Guiding Grahamtown’s Future event and the production of the Grahamtown Neighborhood Revitalization plan. The GTeam’s name came about after the group decided that the words, “steering committee” and “leadership team,” did not fit. Not everyone viewed themselves as a leader. However, everyone did identify themselves as a member of a team. Therefore, the name GTeam, for the Grahamtown team was born.

The Grahamtown Team (GTeam) and our neighborhood partners are working to restore the African American community of Grahamtown, located in the heart of Forest City, NC. The Grahamtown community is one of the oldest communities in the town of Forest City and it is more than 95% African American residents. As described previously, at one time this community sustained schools, churches, a food store and other historical places of value, but those days are far from what you will see when riding through the Grahamtown of today, but it is not far from what we are looking to become. In this approximately 16 block community you will learn that there are about 115 homes, close to 1/3 of those homes are dilapidated, boarded up or falling down. Approximately 60 – 70 of the homes have residents living in them and the remainder are vacant or being repaired. 

It is our mission to plan, support, educate, and execute opportunities to enrich the quality of life for the Grahamtown community.

We provide ‘Healthy Living Programs; this includes food programs, health and wellness activities, programs for youth and our Healthy Homes program. In 2019 we began to formulate our revised neighborhood improvement program and we began the process of cleaning up our neighborhood and seeking funds to revitalize abandoned homes and to acquire unused land. In 2012 through a Community Development Block Grant of $1.4M in partnership with the Town of Forest City. We began our community development project on Gypsy Street and several projects were completed; including home remodeling, installation of a sidewalk, lights, and other home improvement projects for residents as part of the Guiding Grahamtown’s Future community development project. Currently, the Healthy Homes initiative keeps in mind the objectives of the Guiding Grahamtown’s Future project, but focuses on the quality of the properties currently in inventory in our community and how we can revitalize our current community of abandoned properties and vacant land. We understood this initiative would be more courageous and requires greater participation from the residents, potential occupants, investing partners, grantors, community agencies, the Town of Forest City, Forest City Housing and numerous other partners to make it an effective and lasting project.   

Grahamtown   Neighborhood Revitalization –  (data prior to 2020)

Rutherford County Forest City, NC has a population of 7,162   people; (USCensusBureau.gov) 27.6% or 1,976 are Black or African American and   10 – 15% of the African Americans in Forest City, NC live in this community.   The US Census indicates that 42% of the homes in Forest City are   owner-occupied; in Grahamtown the owner-occupied home rate is closer to 30%. It is our goal to increase the number of   homeowners in the Grahamtown community to 50%, to maintain historical   markers, and to maintain the culture and ethnicity of the community members   that currently live in the Grahamtown neighborhood. The median price of a   home in Forest City is $101, 400. In the Grahamtown community the average   price is $47,000 - $53,245. The higher   number includes some properties that border the Grahamtown area but are not   necessarily in the area considered as Grahamtown. The median price for a renter is $592 in   Forest City, but in Grahamtown the rate averages around $500.

 The Grahamtown community offers an aging inventory of homes. In 2006 there   were 141 homes, currently there are less than 120 residential units, a loss   of 15% of residential units. As the   aging continues more homes will continue to disappear just do to age and   time, as they are not being maintained. Median year homes were built in   Grahamtown 1958, Forest City 1967, Spindale 1958, Rutherfordton 1966,   Rutherford County 1974 and in North Carolina 1978.  Less than 20% are in good condition, 50% of   housing units are deteriorated and 30% are dilapidated. The determination   between dilapidated and deteriorated housing uses the “50% rule”. If a structure (and only the structure, not   the land) appears to require repairs of less than 50% of the building value,   then it is considered deteriorated. If   the property owner would have to pay more than 50% of the building value to   repair the structure, then it is considered to be dilapidated. 

In the Grahamtown area and in the adjoining neighborhood streets   there is more than 50 acres of vacant land and approximately 200 lots sized   from .05 acres to 1.50 acres. The   county increased property taxes for this land approximately 3 – 4 years   ago. Any vacant lot that is less than   .25 acres is valued at $6,300 or less. Any lot sized .25 acres to .50 acres is valued between $7,000 and   $7,700. There are some lots valued at   $8400.  Approximately 55% of the land   in Grahamtown alone is vacant, providing ample land for future   development. However, not all lots can   be developed. Less than 70% of owners of property in Grahamtown live in   Rutherford County. 50% of rental and vacant unit homeowners live in the   county and at least 15% of vacant or rental units live outside of the county.   The data speaks to the tremendous concerns in regards to Grahamtown, but it   does not speak to one of our greatest issues. Heir-property. Heir property,   are properties in Grahamtown that were, at one time, owned by Grahamtown resident   that has passed away and now the property belongs to all of the next of kin   family members. The Grahamtown team   has sent letters to find out who the true owners are of these properties and we   have reached out to the community in efforts to find the true owners of the   properties, that we might engage in conversation as to how we clean up our   community, repair, restore or remove homes so that we will have a community   that everyone is proud to live in. A   place where there is pocket park or benches, a place where the next-door   neighbor’s home is not falling down and a community that continues to build   relationships through communication, community watch and community engagement.