Kooley High, Batalá Durham drummers and Blackspace poets will headline a party benefiting Durham Community Land Trustees on June 1.
DCLT is Durham’s only community land trust. The nonprofit housing developer builds, renovates, and advocates for permanently affordable housing, managing two hundred and thirty affordable rental properties and fifty single family owned homes in seven Durham neighborhoods.
The benefit party will be held in Durham Central Park, 501 Foster St., from six to nine p.m.
Under the land trust model, homeowners buy DCLT houses and lease the land they sit on from DCLT for a low fee, ensuring the property remains affordable. According to DCLT’s website, its properties are fully occupied, with a twelve-month waiting list for its rental properties.
“We need the community’s help to continue to create, manage and advocate for permanent affordable housing in Durham,” a DCLT press release reads. “By raising money through our annual celebration from the Durham community, DCLT will be able to build and manage MORE permanently affordable homes, both for rental and homeownership.”
The event will feature Raleigh hip-hop group Kooley High, which recently released its fifth studio album Never Come Down, as well as the Community Empowerment Fund’s Advocacy Choir, speakers from DCLT, students of Blackspace Poetry, drummers from Batalá Durham, and an outdoor kids activity corner. Pierce Freelon, musician and Blackspace founder, will emcee.
Tickets are $28 in-advance online at dclt.org, $30 day-of (cash only), or pay what you can at the door. You can also purchase sponsorships and solidarity tickets to subsidize admission for others.
