PEMBROKE — The Lumbee Tribe’s Dream Catcher project to build 50 affordable homes on tribal land took a major step to becoming reality on Monday.
Ground was broken on the Union Chapel project site at 3855 Evergreen Church Road. The Union Chapel site, the first of three Dream Catcher housing developments, will include 15 low-income rental homes. Each home will be about 1,250 square feet in size, with three bedrooms, two bathrooms and covered parking areas, said David McGirt, New Construction manager for the tribe.
The $10 million Dream Catcher Project is funded by a $6 million U.S. Department of Housing and Development Title 6 loan, $585,000 from the Golden LEAF Foundation and $3.5 million from HUD’s Native American Housing and Self-Determination Act. The project also calls for 12 houses to be built in Prospect and 23 in Raynham.
“This is our effort to increase our housing stock,” said Bradley Locklear, Lumbee Tribe Housing director.
Construction already has begun at the Union Chapel site.
“They’re putting in water lines today,” McGirt said Monday.
Installing water lines was the first phase of Union Chapel project that will take about a year or more to complete, he said.
Applications for housing can be completed at the Tribal Housing Complex, located at 6984 N.C. 711 in Pembroke, McGirt said.
Also in attendance at Monday’s groundbreaking ceremony were Lumbee Tribal Council members Dewey McNeill and Corbin Eddings, Coulter Jewell Thames engineer Jim Thames, S&L Contracting President Trent Locklear, Lumbee Tribe Cultural Ambassador Reggie Brewer and Kaya Littleturtle, Lumbee Tribe Cultural Enrichment coordinator.
Lumbee Tribe Chairman Harvey Godwin was unable to attend because of illness.
Brewer and Littleturtle performed a Blessing of the Site that began with a prayer and the burning of sage.
“The sage is a purifier,” Brewer said.
Burning sage rids the area of negativity and creates a calming effect, he said.
“We always use it for a blessing,” he said.
Brewer blessed each member with the sage before saying a short prayer.
Littleturtle also performed a prayer song.
“We’re really happy that the tribal administration and the Tribal Council were able to work together and make this happen for the people,” Littleturtle said.
The project is “a long time coming,” said Eddings, who represents District 8, in which the Union Chapel project is located.
Eddings said the development can provide an opportunity for housing for people who are poor or who have been displaced by Matthew or Florence.
“You know there’s a lot of people in this district that are in substandard housing,” he said.
The project will be a “first-class development,” which will be well-maintained by the tribe, said S&L Contracting’s Locklear.
“I just appreciate the opportunity to do the work for the tribe,” he said.
Prospect residents have voiced concern about a housing complex in the area.
In September 2019, the Lumbee Tribal Council voted 12-8 to deny funding for the Dream Catcher project in Prospect, after hearing complaints from community members.
Godwin vetoed the denial of funding. Council members failed in November to override the veto.
Godwin posted a video on YouTube on Oct. 5 explaining his veto. In the video he championed the benefits the tribe’s members would realize from the project, particularly low-income and elderly members.
“I believe in the Dream Catcher project,” the chairman said.
