See Where Habitat Has Built!
Learn more about the communities Orange Habitat has built since 1984.
Neighborhood Engagement
What is the Neighborhood Engagement Team?
Together, we build strong, connected communities. In 2021, Orange Habitat began formalizing a neighborhood engagement strategy to ensure our work is shaped by the voices of the people who live where we build. A cross-departmental team leads this work, integrating community engagement into every part of our mission.
- In the first year, we partnered with UNC’s Community Practice Lab and hired four Community Consultants from Habitat neighborhoods to share honest feedback and help guide our approach.
- In the second year, we hosted listening sessions in two neighborhoods and created Community Profiles that highlight each community’s history, strengths, and demographics.
- In the current third year and beyond, we’re focused on staying engaged in neighborhoods where construction and repairs continue, completed homes with homeowners, supporting resident- and partner-led initiatives, hosting listening sessions for future developments, and helping homebuyers and homeowners build identity and connection in new communities.
What is the Quality of Life Framework?
The Quality of Life Framework uses data and research to help to understand how your home and neighborhood affects your health and wellbeing. Our neighborhood engagement work centers the gifts, dreams, and concerns of residents and informed by this framework. By focusing on relationships and local leadership, we help build a strong foundation of community connection, social cohesion, and collective action. These outcomes create the conditions for neighbors to work together toward lasting change—including addressing social determinants of health and other systemic challenges.
Weave Your Way Transit Equity Grant
Transit equity, or transportation equity, is the idea that transportation decisions should be made with community input to create transportation networks that support everyone’s needs. The goal is to provide fair access to affordable, reliable transportation options that support health and well-being, environmental sustainability, and equitable access to resources and opportunities.
In partnership with Food, Fitness, Opportunity Research Collaborative (FFORC), Orange Habitat was awarded a Triangle Transportation Choices Equity and Inclusion grant from the Central Pines Regional Council with funds from the United States Department of Transportation’s Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality program. Over the course of this two-year grant (FY2025-2026), we will study how to facilitate the adoption of active transportation modes (biking, walking, and public transportation) among residents of Habitat communities throughout Orange County. Activities will include travel training, the development of social marketing campaigns to dignify public transportation use, and biking events to get people comfortable using bikes for transportation.
See what the Neighborhood Engagement Team is up to!
Community Partners
Orange Habitat partners with many community organizations in support of this work, including:
Contact Us!
For more information on how to get involved, contact Logan McVey, Program Manager.
