Habitat for Humanity of Orange County, NC (Orange Habitat) and HOPE NC celebrated a milestone in inclusive housing on Tuesday, October 13, with a ribbon cutting for four duplexes in Weavers Grove. Purchased by HOPE NC from Orange Habitat, the homes will provide safe, affordable housing for eight adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), offering opportunities for greater independence, connection, and belonging in a mixed-income community. 

One resident has already moved into their new home, and the remaining residents are expected to move in soon. HOPE NC will also employ a community support staff member to help residents navigate this transition, support them in their new homes, and develop community programming that all Weavers Grove residents can enjoy. 

“From the beginning, Weavers Grove was designed to be more than just a housing development,” said Jennifer Player, Orange Habitat President and CEO. “We set out to create a neighborhood where people of different incomes, ages, backgrounds, and now abilities could live side by side. That is the weaving part of Weavers Grove: a neighborhood where connection, inclusion and belonging aren’t aspirations, but realities. And you can see that reality taking shape before you here today.” 

For HOPE NC, the homes are an important step toward a future in which adults with I/DD have more choices about where they live, with whom they live, and how they participate in their communities. 

“These homes represent the belief that people with disabilities belong in every neighborhood,” said Laura Wells, executive director of HOPE NC. “They represent what can happen when a community decides that inclusion isn’t an afterthought: it’s a part of the vision from the very beginning.” 

Founded in 2018 by three parents of adult children with autism, HOPE NC works to create inclusive communities where people of all ages and abilities can experience a sense of belonging. Its founders envisioned more than a place for their children to live. They wanted adults with I/DD to have homes in welcoming neighborhoods, with opportunities to build relationships, make choices, and contribute to community life. 

That vision became the foundation for a multi-year partnership between HOPE NC and Orange Habitat. Together, the organizations worked to develop a model that would make affordable housing available to adults who would not qualify to purchase a home through Habitat’s traditional homeownership program. 

Habitat built the four duplexes and sold them to HOPE NC, who will rent the homes to residents at affordable rates. The initiative was made possible through collaboration among local and state partners and other supporters working to expand affordable housing opportunities. 

The Town of Chapel Hill played an important role in making the project possible, including through funding supported by the community’s bond referendum. Other partners and supporters recognized at the ribbon cutting included Orange County, Alliance Health, the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency, and private foundations and community investors. 

“Every partnership begins with a vision, but sometimes that vision alone is not enough,” Player said. “Sometimes it takes being willing to say yes. Yes to trying something new, yes to solving problems that don’t have easy answers, and yes to a partnership that stretches everyone involved.” 

The collaboration is part of a broader effort to expand inclusive housing options across North Carolina. HOPE NC now serves 46 people with disabilities across communities in Durham, Raleigh, and Chapel Hill. In Weavers Grove, the organizations are already looking ahead to the next phase: seven additional homes expected to be completed and sold to HOPE NC in 2028, providing housing for nine more adults with I/DD. 

Both organizations hope the work at Weavers Grove can help inspire similar partnerships in other communities. 

“We don’t see these homes as the finish line,” Wells said. “We see them as the beginning.” 

There is hope this partnership will serve as a model for other communities across the state and country. “I have talked to so many parents who worry about what will happen to their adult children when they are no longer able to care for them and oversee their support,” said Chapel Hill Mayor Jess Anderson. “This meets an unbelievable need, and we need to see it multiply.” 

For the residents preparing to make Weavers Grove home, the ribbon cutting marks the start of a new chapter: one with the opportunity to build relationships with neighbors, participate in community life, and make a home of their own. 

Josh, one of the residents who will soon move into his new home, shared his excitement about this new chapter. “Securing independent, adult housing here is a milestone for my success and my life, and it has become a reality,” he said. “Stable housing empowers individuals with varied abilities like myself to thrive.” 

About Habitat for Humanity of Orange County, NC
Habitat for Humanity of Orange County, NC, partners with individuals and families to build homes, communities, and hope. Through affordable homeownership, home preservation, and community partnerships, Orange Habitat works to expand access to safe, stable, and affordable housing throughout Orange County. 

About HOPE North Carolina 
HOPE NC creates inclusive communities where people of all ages and abilities can experience a genuine sense of belonging. Founded by parents of adult children with autism, the organization works to expand housing opportunities for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, supporting greater choice, independence, relationships, and community participation.