Half of Durham Tech students report housing insecurity. Now watch this site
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- A 2019 survey found that half of Durham Tech students lacked stable housing.
- By next fall, a new apartment building will help fill the gap for students and the city.
- The 124 apartments will be a mix of one- to three-bedroom units.
A quarter-mile from the heart of Durham Technical Community College, a new foundation is being poured for 124 future homes.
Soon, at 902 S. Briggs Ave., affordable apartments on the school-owned property will house students, their families and the broader Durham community.
J. B. Buxton, president of the community college, said plans for the apartment homes began with a statistic: Over half of Durham Tech’s students had reported housing insecurity.
“Lack of affordable housing can be an obstacle for families struggling to make ends meet and for people who want to get an education to pursue careers where they can increase their earnings,” Buxton said in a news release.
The plans for the affordable apartments were announced in 2022. Now, excavators, dump trucks, bulldozers and construction crews traverse the 10-acre property.
The apartments come at a crucial time in Durham. A one-bedroom apartment currently rents for about $1,391 on average in Durham. Two bedrooms can run up to $1,700 a month, according to Zillow.
Nearly half of all renters in Durham County, 48%, are cost burdened, meaning they spend 30% or more of their monthly income on housing and utilities, the N.C. Housing Coalition says.
When can people sign up to rent
Construction on the apartments began in April. The $35 million project includes different funding support, including a $620,000 federal grant championed by Congresswoman Valerie Foushee and low-income housing tax credits.
A quarter of the new apartments will be reserved for Durham Tech students. Just over half will go to people earning 30% to 70% of the area median income, roughly $24,300 to $64,750 a year for a single person. The remaining 22% (27 apartments) will got to people below 30% of the AMI.
Residents whose income increases during their tenancy can remain residents until their household income exceeds 140% of the income limit for their unit.
There will be two apartment buildings with a mix of one to three-bedroom apartments.
In a Facebook post, Durham Tech said it will be sharing more information about rent prices once the application for renters opens early next year.
Durham Tech is partnering with Mosaic Development Group and Bank of America Community Development Corporation to bring the housing project to fruition.
Bill Bolstad, the executive director of Mosaic Development Group, said students’ housing insecurity was a “clear call to action.”
“This project is what it looks like when the right partners come together to solve real-world problems,” he said in a statement. “We’re delivering high-quality housing that creates stability and expands opportunity for students and families alike.”
This story was originally published May 11, 2026 at 12:02 PM.