mission & History

EMPOWERment Inc.’s mission is to empower individuals and communities to achieve their destiny through community organizing, affordable housing, and grassroots economic development.

Chapel Hill is a vibrant community that is everchanging and developing. As university culture and the history of local residents intersect, there is a great potential for rich diversity. However, in 1996, two UNC Social Work students, Myles Presler and Termain Kyles, observed a communication and community service gap.

Focusing on the Northside, Pine Knolls, Carr Court, and Lloyd Street communities, these students heard directly from residents about some of the challenges they were facing, including high housing costs, low-quality housing, political and economic disempowerment, and low household incomes. These systemic problems were local manifestations of the many issues facing our entire nation.

EMPOWERment Inc. was established to not only build homes but also to build lives. To raise community awareness and dialogue, the growing organization created a multi-pronged and ambitious mission.

Over the years and through changes in community, leadership, and staff, EmPOWERment has remained vigilant in honoring the integrity of that mission and continues to focus on several key areas:

• Affordable living options through quality rental units

• Education surrounding pre and post-home purchases

• 1-on-1 counseling for ownership preservation and foreclosure management

• Community building and organizing

• Grassroots economic development

Aside from facts, figures, and accomplishments, EmPOWERment, Inc. has become a listening ear, a helping hand, and a trusted friend to many people in our communities. Some successes cannot be measured by statistics, rubrics, or graphs, but instead lie in the social capital of connecting people with the tools to construct their dreams into reality.