L’Arche North Carolina is Moving Forward!

For over a decade, Friendship House has been a place of welcome in Durham’s North Street neighborhood. A residential program offered by Reality Ministries and in partnership with Duke Divinity School, these homes have provided an intentional living community where people with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities gather, celebrate, and belong. Residents experienced countless moments of joy, friendship, and transformation.

Now, L’Arche North Carolina has the opportunity to carry this legacy forward—and to plant deeper roots in Durham.

Across North Carolina, thousands of adults with intellectual disabilities are seeking homes where they can belong, contribute, and flourish. By adding Friendship House, L’Arche NC will welcome more core members into vibrant community life—expanding the impact of friendship, inclusion, and care.

This opportunity emerged when Reality Ministries decided to sell the two Friendship Houses—opening the door for L’Arche NC to continue and grow this important mission in the North Street neighborhood. We have a community ready to grow. The final piece comes from people like you.

That’s why we are launching Forward in Friendship, our campaign to raise $1.5 million to purchase Friendship House and ensure a strong start for our newest households. Thank you for moving forward with us—so that belonging can continue to grow here in North Carolina.

Your Gift Creates Two New L’Arche Homes

Once we close on the two Friendship Houses, we will blend the care and community life of L’Arche with the friendship and formation model that has made these homes so special — including the meaningful relationships between adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and Duke Divinity School students. One house will be licensed to provide long-term daily living support, while the other will offer more independent communal living. Both will offer vibrant, inclusive living rooted in shared relationships and mutual learning.

Your gift makes it possible for people with and without intellectual disabilities — along with Duke Divinity students committed to hospitality and ministry — to share daily life: meals, celebrations, struggles, and the sacred work of becoming friends.

These two homes will become L’Arche NC’s second and third households, expanding our capacity to welcome core members, strengthen relationships, and deepen our presence in the Triangle.

Forward in Friendship will cover the home purchase, renovations for improved accessibility, and the critical startup costs needed to launch these new homes well.

Our New Homes

Acquiring the two Friendship Houses will expand L’Arche NC into three households—making room for more core members to be part of daily community life. Once the sale is finalized, we will begin preparing the homes in Durham’s North Street neighborhood, a place already known for its vibrant spirit of welcome and belonging.

This opportunity allows us to:

  • Secure an established Durham property that will become two L’Arche residential homes
  • Create space for eight additional core members to share life together with live-in assistants and Duke Divinity students
  • Honor and extend a meaningful legacy of hospitality and friendship while stepping into L’Arche NC’s next chapter of growth
  • Deepen L’Arche NC’s presence in a neighborhood celebrated for creativity, diversity, and strong community connections
  • Continue the longstanding partnership with Duke Divinity School, offering formation and shared living opportunities

Ensuring a Strong Start

Purchasing the houses is only the first step. To create two thriving L’Arche households, we must prepare spaces that meet licensing standards and support daily life where core members and assistants can flourish together. This includes:

  • Necessary renovations to make the homes licensable—such as adding a safe exit on each floor, remodeling bathrooms to accommodate second exits, and other safety and accessibility upgrades
  • Furnishings, adaptations, and supplies to transform the buildings into warm, welcoming homes
  • Initial operating support to ensure financial stability during the critical first year
  • Equitable compensation for assistants that honors the sacred work they do and makes it possible to stay long enough to build lasting friendships
  • Training and formation programs that prepare assistants for the mutual relationships at the heart of L’Arche
  • Resources for shared meals, celebrations, routines, and community life that strengthen belonging in both households

Core members can participate fully in community life—and lead the lives they want—when assistants are present every hour of every day. Your support ensures that those who feel called to share life in L’Arche can say “yes” and remain long enough for true friendship to grow.

Why Now?

This is a pivotal moment of growth for L’Arche North Carolina. By purchasing the Friendship Houses in August 2026, completing renovations, and finalizing licensing, we plan to welcome new Core Members by late spring 2027. This timeline ensures responsible fundraising and continued stability in our first Durham home.

We have Core Members eager to join, Assistants ready to share life, and a neighborhood that embodies belonging. Now is the time to step forward in friendship and make room for more community to flourish.

 

 

Significant Expansion

More than doubling our capacity to welcome core members by adding second and third homes.

Sustainable Growth

Two homes that allow us to focus on community-building, not construction, and save overhead costs.

A Legacy of Welcome

Continuing the beautiful work Reality Ministries started, honoring the purpose of Friendship House.

The Perfect Neighbors

Establishing L’Arche’s presence in the North Street Neighborhood, which shares our values of diversity, inclusion, and welcome.

Joining the North Street Neighborhood

The North Street neighborhood is known for its diversity, creativity, and strong sense of community—values that align beautifully with L’Arche’s mission. By establishing Friendship House here, we’re not just adding homes; we’re becoming neighbors.

Our core members and assistants will:

  • Attend neighborhood gatherings and events
  • Welcome neighbors for meals and celebrations
  • Participate in the rhythms and life of North Street
  • Shop at local businesses
  • Contribute to the neighborhood’s culture of welcome and belonging

L’Arche communities thrive when we’re woven into the fabric of our neighborhoods. North Street offers the perfect environment for our next households to flourish—and for our presence to enrich the neighborhood in return.

Two Homes, More Housing for Adults with IDD

L’Arche North Carolina is building on our care model by integrating the formation and belonging of Friendship House into our values of long-term care and community.