What is St. Philip’s partnership with Urban Ministries of Durham?

At St. Philip’s, we engage in many service opportunities with our neighbors at Urban Ministries of Durham. Since we helped found UMD more than 40 years ago, there have been many ways to get involved, including volunteering in the community kitchen and pantry, projects like tutoring and the Internet Café, clothing and food drives and more. Now, we have a new opportunity to further our partnership with UMD.

What’s the history of this project?

In 2017, St. Philip’s began discerning God’s call for our downtown ministry and property. This work developed a vision for St. Philip’s to help UMD and other strategic partners create a new multi-service homeless shelter. This new center would provide emergency shelter, meals and expanded day services while connecting clients with specialized service providers to help secure permanent housing.

How is St. Philip’s block owned and configured now?

St. Philip’s currently owns approximately three quarters of the 400 block of East Main Street: parcels numbered 1, 3, and 4 in the diagram below. St. Philip’s leases the quadrant bordering the Queen/Liberty intersection (#1 below) to Urban Ministries for its community cafe. St. Philip’s church and and parish house occupy the quadrant bordering the Queen/Main intersection (#3). The quadrant bordering the Main/Dillard intersection (#4) is open space and parking. Durham County owns the quadrant bordering the Liberty/Dillard intersection (#2) and leases it to Urban Ministries for its emergency shelter. 

What changes with the proposed UMD partnership plan?

Urban Ministries and several other partner organizations – Families Moving Forward, Housing for New Hope, Project Access, and Lincoln Community Health – hope to develop a new facility with modernized emergency shelter spaces and expanded day services for the homeless population.

St. Philip’s would like to support this effort by allowing the new facility to be built where we currently have parking and open space (#4 above). In the current plan, St. Philip’s and Durham County would have to agree to reconfigure the ownership of the block, likely by means of a land swap. St. Philip’s would acquire the County’s 0.825 acres (#2) in exchange for St. Philip’s 0.712 acres (#4), where the new facility would be constructed.

This plan would allow the county long-term site control for the homeless services center. And St. Philip’s would own the half of the block bordering Liberty Street – the sites labeled 1 and 2. Once Urban Ministries moved into the new facility, St. Philip’s could redevelop UMD’s existing buildings (which are past their useful life) in a second phase of development to support the future needs of the congregation and neighborhood. St. Philip’s having two contiguous parcels available for development would provide much greater potential and flexibility. 

What’s the current status of this plan?

On Monday, August 28, 2023, the vestry signed a memorandum of understanding with UMD and the strategic partners. Signing the MOU is the next step in determining the feasibility of the multi-service homeless center. Our public declaration of support will help UMD when they apply for funding for a feasibility study.

Our congregation will use this feasibility phase to gather more information about the project’s impacts, identify questions and concerns and develop a list of considerations related to the ongoing vitality of our church.

What’s the feasibility study?

UMD is seeking significant public funding from Durham County (ARPA funds) for a project feasibility study, which would include preliminary design work, budgeting and stakeholder engagement. St. Philip’s formal statement of commitment to this next phase will better position UMD to obtain the funding required to determine if the project is possible.

What would Durham County ARPA funds do for this project?

The public funding UMD is currently pursuing is a grant from Durham County’s allocation of American Rescue Plan Act funds. ARPA awarded significant funding to local governments to be deployed for COVID response plans and infrastructure improvements. Durham County has funds remaining, and we anticipate it will issue a request for proposals for the homeless service center’s pre-development.

UMD and its project partners are preparing to request approximately $3 million for the project’s initial pre-development phase. This would fund:

• 30% design development
• Engagement of an owner’s representative
• Business plan development
• Initial site feasibility studies
• Early fundraising engagement 
• Negotiations of partnership terms with Durham County

How can I give input?

In the coming months, St. Philippians will have many opportunities to give the vestry their input about this project. We’ll work together as a congregation to outline important aspects of project design and define specific conditions required for any binding agreements that would allow the project to proceed on land currently controlled by our church.

Where would the new UMD entrance/ dumpsters/parking be located?

We don’t know yet! All design features will be discussed with architects in the next phase of design development. But there will be opportunities for St. Phillip’s to review plans and have input, particularly on exterior design issues that will impact our campus.

How tall would the building be? 

Regulations limit the height to six stories. Design development will provide more information about height, but it will likely be four or five stories high.

Will our church be obscured?

Probably not. Due to soil and design requirements, the new UMD building would be set back from Main Street. This would preserve the view of our historic church steeple from all vantage points on Main Street.

Where will St. Philippians park if a new facility is constructed on our parking lot?

During construction, our on-site parking would be limited. St. Philippians would need to park on the street or in the parking deck across Queen Street, just as during the roof construction project. We would have the opportunity to negotiate parking terms with the county for its structured parking as part of any development agreement.

After construction, St. Philips would have access to the back half of the block. Parking could be developed there if necessary, particularly for close access to the church through the garden close.

How much green space would there be, and how would it be maintained?

The plans anticipate the building would be set back from Main Street, with meaningfully designed green space between the project and the street. This is for two reasons:

• The area is not easy to develop because the bus station formerly on-site was demolished and buried.
• This would preserve the view of the church tower from the street.

The project plans also include roof green spaces to provide private outdoor access for shelter clients, especially children. We anticipate the project will be responsible the green spaces’ maintenance and security. We can also discuss an agreement to maintain the area as open and undeveloped in the future.

Is the proposed facility big enough?

The number of available beds will be determined as the design is refined, but it’s projected to provide more capacity than is currently available at UMD and Families Moving Forward. The site size will be a constraint the parties will have to consider. One component of the project will aim to move clients more quickly out of emergency shelter to transitional or supportive housing.

Will UMD change its services?

UMD will continue offering emergency shelter and community cafe services. The project would allow them to expand their services to include laundry, shower, mailbox and restroom facilities; on-site health care and counseling; and outreach and other program services. 

A new adjacent facility may provide more volunteer opportunities for supporting day services.

Why can’t UMD build on top of the existing county-owned land?

Building on the existing site would require UMD to interrupt its services. Moving clients back to hotels for an extended period is not financially feasible.

How much would a new facility for UMD cost?

The current estimate is $70 million dollars. Funding support would likely come from local government entities, corporate donations and private philanthropy.

How much money will this cost St. Philip’s?

There is no expectation that St. Philip’s would contribute monetarily.

When will St. Philip’s need to commit to the county about a land swap?

A land swap, or any other definitive agreement about St. Philip’s property, would be negotiated in a later phase of pre-development – after a feasibility study is complete.

Were other uses considered for our land?

One of the first things the Campus Study Committee did was consider several redevelopment uses for St. Philip’s campus. We considered uses like office, housing, retail, restaurant, hotel and school. Our research included a market study and conversations with community partners and stakeholders. Our findings suggested UMD’s location on our block could create challenges for market development opportunities. At the same time, conversations with UMD highlighted its need for improved and expanded facilities.

Because of St. Philip’s long partnership with and commitment to UMD, redevelopment in support of UMD became our compelling priority. Other uses could certainly be part of a second phase of redevelopment.

Why is St. Philip’s supporting partnership with UMD and committing to study the feasibility of a homeless service center?

This vision is rooted in St. Philip’s call to be a community of worship, love and action. And it’s rooted in our baptismal covenant, in which we promise to seek and serve Christ in all people, loving our neighbors as ourselves.

The vestry has heard Jesus calling us to use our resources and influence to care for our brothers and sisters in Christ. Accordingly, St. Philip’s is committed to showing our most vulnerable neighbors that we see them as children of God, deserving of care, compassion and a safe place to be.

Talk to us – This project is still very much in the information-gathering phase. St. Philip’s vestry wants to hear from you! Talk with a vestry member at church, or reach out via email.

Email us – Tell us your thoughts, opinions and concerns. Email Senior Warden Connie Semans

Advocate for UMD – Come to public events in favor of UMD’s new multi-service homeless shelter! Your presence in support of this project speaks volumes. Stay tuned for more news soon about upcoming public meetings. You can also speak to other St. Philippians about the project and why you support it.