The North East Central Durham neighborhood grew up in the early 1900s around two major job centers - the Golden Belt manufacturing facility and the Hosiery Mill facility, and a variety of homes and businesses were built to serve the area's workers.  In 1952, a large public housing development intended to serve low-income families was built on the community gardens site located on the Few Farm, and the new homes were named “Few Gardens” after the late Dr. W. P. Few, former president of Duke University.  Since that time, both the manufacturing facilities have closed and the neighborhood fabric in the area has frayed from disinvestment in the community. The neighborhood is on the edge of a revival, with several major improvements under way or being planned.  The Hosiery Mill building has been renovated into new apartments.  One of the historic buildings within the Golden Belt facility has been restored into offices highlighting the buildings architecture and developers are exploring plans to restore the rest of the Golden Belt complex. A new school has been built. These are just a few of the investments planned for the neighborhood, but the most far reaching investments are being made in the context of the Few Gardens HOPE VI Revitalization, and effort which is well under way. In August of 1992, the U.S. Congress and the Department of Housing and Urban Development created the HOPE VI program to respond to the severe deterioration of thousands of public housing dwellings around the country. HOPE VI provides a flexible source of funding to make substantial investments in housing and in improving the neighborhood environment. The Housing Authority of the City of Durham (DHA), with assistance from The Community Builders, Inc. (TCB), applied for HOPE VI funding and was awarded a HOPE VI Revitalization Grant in the amount of $35,000,000.  DHA and TCB anticipate leveraging an additional $120,000,000 from public and private sources to support the revitalization of the Few Gardens public housing site and the strengthening of the surrounding community.  The new housing will be well designed and will include a range of rental housing and homeownership opportunities.  DHA is implementing the Few Gardens HOPE VI revitalization effort in partnership with TCB. The Partners The Durham Housing Authority is a non-profit municipal corporation created in 1949 to address the housing needs of persons of limited income.  The DHA serves nearly 4,000 households through its homeownership opportunity, leased housing, and public housing programs.  DHA also owns and operates the Golden Belt Business/Education Center in North East Central Durham. The Community Builders, Inc. is a non-profit organization dedicated to building and sustaining strong communities where people of all incomes can achieve their full potential.  Originally founded in 1964 as a community development corporation in the South End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, TCB has grown to an organization with 13 offices serving more than 50 communities throughout the Eastern United States.  TCB has developed more than 16,000 units of housing, representing $1.3 billion in development.  TCB is currently involved in 14 comprehensive neighborhood revitalization efforts and in the development of approximately 7,100 residential units. TCB and DHA have drawn on the experience of architects and planners, government officials, community residents, and local business participants in developing the detailed revitalization plan, and are drawing on the talents of these people and many others in the implementation phases. We invite you to contribute your views throughout the development process, and to participate in the revitalization of this neighborhood.  Please click the “Get Involved” tab to find out about upcoming events and programs and to sign up for notification of new information loaded on this web page or click the “What’s New” button on the home page to find out about the partners’ recent activities.