[Raleigh, NC] December 14, 2022 — Southeast Raleigh is no stranger to economic hardship. That’s why the groundbreaking to the last and final phase of this first of its kind project in North Carolina has met with great celebration and anticipation. The Beacon site, part of a larger campus that is now home to an affordable housing development and a joint elementary school/YMCA facility, is being built using a national model that focuses on supporting the community in a holistic way. That broad vision includes small business, financial services, health clinics, healthy foods and more to create pathways to a better future for an emerging neighborhood.
On Thursday, December 8, members of the partnership between the YMCA of the Triangle, Southeast Raleigh Promise and Self-Help gathered with public officials and residents from the community to celebrate groundbreaking for that final phase of that vision, which started with neighbor listening projects many years ago with hopes to revitalize this area of Raleigh that has been widely underserved for decades.
Self-Help Ventures Fund, a nonprofit sponsor, was selected by the YMCA of the Triangle to develop the capstone Beacon Point with a mix of commercial uses that complement the neighborhood’s broader plan.
Yvette Holmes, CEO Southeast Raleigh Promise welcomed attendees and gave an overview of the effort.
“Our promise and our vision for Southeast Raleigh is that our history and culture is acknowledged and celebrated, structural barriers are removed, and it’s a place where all residents have access and pathways to success and prosperity,” Holmes states. “This project will help ensure that Southeast Raleigh residents have access to opportunity to grow and to thrive.”
"The people of southeast Raleigh are at the core of this project," emphasized Self-Help executive vice president Tucker Bartlett. "What Southeast Raleigh Promise, DHIC, Inc., the YMCA of the Triangle and Wake County Public School System have done in creating Beacon Point is incredibly inspiring. It’s high-impact, it’s community-driven, it’s holistic - a perfect fit with our mission and we're excited to be part of it."
The project is the last part of the Purpose Built Communities initiative spurred by Southeast Raleigh Promise and the YMCA of the Triangle along Rock Quarry Road in Southeast Raleigh, a historically Black neighborhood that has long experienced generational low wealth and disinvestment. The site is now home to the Southeast Raleigh YMCA, which includes an outdoor pool; Southeast Raleigh Elementary School, a Wake County public school serving over 350 students; and Beacon Ridge, 120 affordable apartment homes developed by DHIC, a local nonprofit, where over 275 individuals, families and children live.
Each element of the Beacon Point project responds to the needs of the community and provides programs, services, and opportunities essential to the success of families and the community at large. Tenants at Beacon Point will provide an estimated 90 permanent jobs, serving approximately 85,000 customers per year. Additional impacts will stem from millions of dollars of design and construction investment to help support jobs while the project is under development, including a focus on significant utilization of federally designated Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) contractors.
A new branch of Self-Help Credit Union, one of the largest community development financial institutions in the country, will be on-site, with its mission of helping underserved communities to build wealth through homeownership and fair affordable loan products. Other committed and prospective tenants include:
- A rotating specialty care health clinic operated by UNC Health Specialty Care.
- A complex care health clinic operated by Advance Community Health, a Federally Qualified Health Center.
- A Black-owned coffee shop and café serving fresh and healthy salads, soups, and sandwiches.
- Southeast Raleigh Promise’s headquarters, so that they can locate their staff in the community they serve.
- Additional suites available for nonprofits and small businesses.
Construction is scheduled to be completed in 2023.
Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin had this to say: “From a government perspective, this is what you want to see…transformation. You take an underutilized property and create a recreation center, an education space, affordable housing and now the pinnacle-health care, financial literacy; a purpose-built community that can really change people’s lives.”
“And it’s happening. It’s happening because of all of you,” she added.
Wake County Commissioner James West was elected to Raleigh City Council in 1999, has served on various boards, committees and commissions and now serves as a County Commissioner representing some of Raleigh’s poorest residents, including Southeast Raleigh, where he’s lived for over 50 years.
“I believe Frederick Douglass once said, ‘Where there is no struggle there is no progress.’ This is truly progress, there is no question. You can have a vision but sometimes action doesn’t align with that vision. Southeast Raleigh has had a lot of promises, but many things have not stuck. Here’s there’s no question.”
“I see this as a beginning, West concludes. “This transformational, it’s transitional. This initiative has built hope and demonstrated commitment to a generation of people. A great psychologist once said there’s an ending, there’s a transition, and there’s a beginning. This is truly a new beginning.”
About Self-Help Credit Union
Headquartered in Durham, NC., Self-Help Credit Union was founded with $77 in proceeds from a bake sale. Self-Help initially focused on helping small businesses and home buyers in underserved areas. It now helps drive economic development and strengthen communities by providing responsible financial services; lending to individuals, small businesses and nonprofits; developing real estate; and promoting fair financial practices across the nation. Since 1980, Self-Help has provided over $11 billion in financing to over 198,000 families, individuals, and businesses. Through its credit union network, Self-Help serves thousands of people in Florida, California, Illinois, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. For more information, go to www.self-helpfcu.org and www.self-help.org.