The PEACH Apartments

An EMPOWERment, Inc. affordable rental housing unit that puts low-wage workers first.

EMPOWERment Inc., a local affordable housing non-profit, is building The Pine Knolls, EMPOWERment, Affordable, Community, Housing (PEACH) apartments! It is Chapel Hill’s first-ever affordable multi-unit complex with zero-debt funding. With funding completed, EMPOWERment Inc. broke ground on October 17th, 2023.

Labeled “a unicorn” by a Chapel Hill Affordable Housing Advisory Board member, the PEACH apartments will house low-income individuals and their families who cannot afford to live in the community where they currently work.

What are the PEACH apartments?

Serving an integral population of our community.
“We feel that we should still be here” - Phillip Walker, the inspiration for the PEACH apartments

The Inspiration for PEACH

Phillip Walker, a native of Chapel Hill, was challenged to find affordable housing in the community he grew up in. Making only $9 an hour working at UNC-Chapel Hill, with rising rental prices and gentrification in the area, Phillip and his family were left without permanent housing.

Thus, the PEACH project found its mission: to provide rental housing, for essential workers like Phillip, that will afford them the opportunity to live in the Chapel Hill community they serve.

Making history in a historical community

The PEACH apartments will break ground in the historically African-American neighborhood of Pine Knolls. The community includes many permanent residents earning 30-60% of the median income who are already housed.

Located in downtown Chapel Hill on a bus route within walking distance of The University of North Carolina and NC Memorial Hospital, these apartments will provide quality, affordable housing for essential workers to be able to live in the community that they work in.

A model for future affordable rentals

The PEACH Apartments will offer vulnerable populations with a variety of floor plans including ADA-accessible units. The complex will include two studio, four one-bedroom , three two-bedroom, and one three-bedroom apartments. This allows for a diverse selection of families and individuals to be served.