Engage Communities

DataWorks performs an essential service for the greater Durham community. Their coverage of the eviction crisis before and during the moratorium period was instrumental in showing the community which landlords were moving forward with evictions despite governmental protections. Further, the monthly eviction report and geo-mapping keeps the community informed of the eviction trends throughout the county. In so doing, DataWorks provides the much needed transparency that we would otherwise lack in addressing this crisis.

The team at DataWorks is invested in supporting marginalized communities. Their work has supported Merrick-Moore Community to be awarded fundings to develop a community garden, stop a rezoning bid, and educate our community residents on using the Neighborhood Compass. Knowledge is power, having statistical information to validate your conversation is invaluable.

DataWorks has truly been a blessing for gaining knowledge of what goes on in Durham and how some decisions are made, especially in my community.  Recently I asked for property tax data showing the disparities between neighborhoods in Durham when it comes to paying property taxes.  The impact of this information was alarming, but was not a surprise.

DataWorks has supported the Bragtown Community Association New Developments Committee with data analysis and visualization that has allowed us to go toe-to-toe with big developers, push back against common narratives around housing and gentrification, and fight for more affordable housing and equitable development. In meetings with City and County Planning Commissioners, City Council, and the Mayor, we were able to pair DataWorks analysis with the lived experiences of our community members to make a compelling case that has changed both the way that the city does engagement around development, what city staff and elected officials believe is possible with regards to affordable housing, and what developers know they must bring to the table to have a successful proposal.

DataWorks partnered with DurhamCares on a project where a collective of churches in East Durham learned about the history of their neighborhood. DataWorks offered compelling, well-researched presentations that were precisely tailored to the questions the congregations were asking. Not only that, they attended additional sessions with the congregations to help them connect the data with the everyday life of their congregations. The DataWorks team was present, engaged, caring, and passionate about the work. The work that DataWorks brought to the congregations illuminated many realities that the congregations were unaware of and sparked a new imagination for community engagement that would not have been possible without their support.

The work that DataWorks is doing for so many communities is beyond words. To obtain data that can give health statistics from diabetes, high blood pressure, and cancer. When needing information to help build proof for a grant application we use DataWorks. The data collection ranges from health care, evictions, what areas of a community that have been red lined, it can give you the number of renters within a community, as well the number of home owners, it can tell you which communities are being over taxed. This is information that children and adults can use in so many ways. We want to thank DataWorks for setting up a gallery walk at our Juneteenth Event on June 19, 2021 which was a data collection of issues that Bragtown is facing this time. Again thanks for all the hard and beautiful truths your works tell of Durham.

DataWorks empowers residents and communities with the research and mapping tools needed to resist displacement and self-determine prosperous futures. For the last two years, the organization has supported the Walltown Community Association’s organizing efforts around the redevelopment of Northgate Mall by analyzing surveys, facilitating focus groups and planning retreats, and making visible through maps the aspects of neighborhood life most critical to our cause (ex: property taxes, median income, home sale prices). As Walltown residents lobbied local elected officials to help preserve community wealth, the DataWorks team worked with us to show the historical connection between communities that were redlined in the 1930s and those experiencing dramatic rises in property taxes due to gentrification. As we have advocated for affordable housing, it was DataWorks’ insightful research that allowed us to highlight the disparity between what is affordable based on HUD’s AMI standards and what is affordable based on the median income in the Walltown community. More than just providing us with tools, they have been invaluable thought partners in determining how best to leverage data and maps towards our organizing goals.

I have worked with DataWorks in my capacity as a member of the Bragtown Community Association over the past couple of years.  I am continually amazed by the generosity of this organization, who has done so much to support our group in being able to more clearly understand the nuances of our current housing crisis in Durham, and the specific situation here in our neighborhood. I deeply appreciate the careful attention DataWorks offers to the experiences of residents who have been most impacted by histories of housing inequity and current residents who are impacted by gentrification . The rigorous attention to detail regarding relevant data combined with a dedication to working in support of and in solidarity with community groups while allowing impacted community members to “steer the ship” of a specific project is truly remarkable. Access to information about housing is truly life changing in that it illuminates how this system works and gives impacted residents tools to address potential harm by being able to see the bigger picture more clearly. I LOVE DataWorks and admire the dedication of the DataWorks team and the integrity of the work they do. Thank you!