The Community Practice Lab (CPL) has collaborated with Habitat for Humanity of Goldsboro-Wayne on a community engagement strategy to support Habitat’s development work in Webbtown, a historically Black neighborhood of Goldsboro, NC. The strategy and resources will support local leaders, partners, and Habitat staff to engage thoughtfully with Webbtown residents as Habitat constructs McNair Heights, the organization’s first neighborhood-scale development in Goldsboro.
Habitat will oversee the construction of 31 new homes in McNair Heights in the next few years, with possibilities of townhomes, duplexes, and shared amenities in future phases. With a large number of homes and residents arriving in a short time frame, Habitat recognized the need and responsibility for intentional, inclusive, and sustained community engagement.
“When we began this process with our initial community listening sessions, one thing we quickly learned is that the folks who live in Webbtown, worship in Webbtown, and/or have longtime family ties to Webbtown care deeply about this community and its success. So we knew that Habitat couldn’t just build a bunch of new homes and introduce a bunch of new residents without making sure that what we were doing was respecting, supporting, benefiting, and strengthening the entire Webbtown community,” said Matthew Whittle, executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Goldsboro-Wayne.
Habitat reached out to the CPL to create a community engagement framework and resources for the new development. The CPL has worked with multiple Habitat for Humanity affiliates across North Carolina to offer support in strategic planning, technical assistance, staff capacity-building, and resource development.
“I was excited when Habitat approached us to see how we could make this partnership work,” said CPL Community Program Specialist Kevin Giff. “The Habitat team’s clear commitment to meaningful and community-led work is a natural match with the CPL’s values and approach.”
The CPL hosted three workshops with the McNair Heights Advisory Team, which includes Webbtown community leaders, future McNair Heights homeowners, Habitat staff, and local partners. Through participatory activities, team members identified strengths, needs, and challenges within three goals: community preservation, community organization, and community advocacy.
“Community-led partnership starts with listening,” said CPL Primary Lead Dr. Ryan Lavalley. “The workshops provided invaluable insights into how Habitat could support, and not disrupt, the Webbtown neighborhood. We also learned from residents that Habitat needed a framework through which to welcome new homeowners into the community.”
The CPL team produced several deliverables. For new McNair Heights residents, a community resource guide and interactive community map orients new community members to local services, programs, community spaces, and more. And for organizational staff and partners, a community engagement guide recommends actions that support community preservation, community organization, and resident advocacy in Webbtown.
“I enjoyed being part of the McNair Heights Advisory Team,” said future Habitat homeowner Krystal Bryant. “I was able to meet new people and learn about building a community and how neighborhoods can be more than just a place to live, they can be vibrant places where engagement, cooperation and spirit thrive. At the workshops, I was able to give ideas and ask questions about my new neighborhood. It was an amazing experience.”
And even though the formal relationship with the CPL has ended, the community leaders on the McNair Heights Advisory Team have committed to continuing this work, following the action plan that the CPL helped to develop.
“For us at Habitat Goldsboro-Wayne, we know how to build homes. But this level of neighborhood building is new to us, so we knew we and our community partners would need some guidance. That’s why we reached out to the CPL, and they were, and continue to be, a great partner in this process. The action plan they helped our McNair Heights Advisory Team develop has been officially adopted as our sort of road map to move forward with and folks are excited to see where it takes us,” Matthew said. “I’m certainly glad that we began this process when we did so that as we physically build this new neighborhood, we are also building the community.”