From a submitted story by Tatum Clements
Roanoke Island Presbyterian Church was recently awarded the Outer Banks Community Foundation’s inaugural Focus Grant to help the church build 12 workforce housing units on their 2-acre property in Manteo.
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“We have spent the last nine months working with the Ormond Center at Duke Divinity School to determine how the church can use our resources to best serve our community,” said Roanoke Island Presbyterian Church Pastor Rev. Dr. Michelle Lewis in a news release. “The more we talked about it, we said ‘housing is the biggest need in our community’. Our schools need teachers, and our community needs public service employees, and these people need places to live. Working with the Ormond Center at Duke Divinity School has given us a realistic understanding of what it will take to make workforce housing happen in this community. We want to use the church to fulfill our mission.”
The nonprofit foundation, which fosters philanthropy and supports community causes through its charitable funds and grant programs, said that of the applicants, the Roanoke Island Presbyterian Church’s plan to develop housing for essential workers on church property stood out among the applications received.
“What intrigued us about the application was the church’s interest in creating a new model that inspires churches and nonprofit organizations to undertake additional projects,” said Foundation President and CEO Chris Sawin in a news release. “It’s pretty clear that the government can’t just wave a magic wand and solve the housing problem – the way our community must address it is through lots of little projects that together, make a big impact.”
The foundation cited the Dare Community Housing Task Force’s 2024 report illustrating the problem. According to the report, in 2024, the average home price in Dare County was $622,000, with long-term rental rates between $1,800 and $2,000 per month for a two-bedroom home.
The report also notes that the average median two-person household income for Dare County residents is $58,750.
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“Average annual salaries have stagnated while home prices have continued to rise in Dare County, making it increasingly difficult for residents to find housing,” according to the news release.
The foundation also cited North Carolina Housing Coalition statistics showing that 52% of renters and 25% of homeowners in Dare County have difficulty affording their homes.
“Housing insecurity has created a ripple effect across the Outer Banks, deeply affecting businesses, essential personnel, and individuals in the community,” the foundation said. “While many people have been actively trying to solve the workforce housing crisis in Dare County, no one has cracked the code.”
The foundation said its new Focus Grants are part of its effort to tackle some of the region’s most pressing challenges, including healthcare access, affordable housing, and child care.
“The Focus Grant provides funding up to $50,000 and was designed to support innovative, large-scale projects that address critical needs within the Outer Banks community, with a potential for multi-year awards,” stated Grants Committee Chair Frank Hester.
The church was already working on the housing project idea. The grant will enable the church to begin work on a feasibility study, the initial architectural plans and the site design.
“The grant takes us from an idea to a plan of action,” stated Lewis. “We are now moving forward in a meaningful way. Once we have the logistics in place for the project, we will be able to begin fundraising to build.”
The housing is intended for teachers, EMTs, and other public service employees. Teacher housing is available on Hatteras Island and in Kill Devil Hills, but not on Roanoke Island, making their needs a priority.
“We were truly inspired by RIPC’s creative and forward-thinking approach,” said Foundation Chief Operating Officer Nandy Stuart. “What may seem like a relatively small project has the potential to spark a much larger movement—one where churches and nonprofits across the Outer Banks reimagine how their properties can serve the community’s most pressing needs. That’s exactly what our grants program is about: empowering bold, replicable solutions that address both urgent challenges and promising opportunities.”
The Community Foundation said another factor in its decision was that the church’s idea could be replicated elsewhere.
“One of the things that is important to us is finding ways to use our church in non-church ways,” said RIPC housing committee member Dr. Blythe Hayes. “We want to serve the community in a way that the community most needs. We hope the model we develop with this project will be a model that other churches and nonprofit organizations in our community will be able to use as they continue the work of creating housing on the Outer Banks.”
The Outer Banks Community Foundation’s next grant application deadline is Friday, Oct. 31, for Impact Grants, which are open to all types of projects with no restrictions on scope or focus and have funding requests exceeding $10,000. Visit the Community Foundation’s website for detailed guidelines, eligibility criteria and the application portal. Early submissions are encouraged to allow time for review and feedback.
For more information or assistance contact the staff at 252-423-3003.
