[Raising Durham] Harper’s Home: Beyond Our Four Walls

In 2007, I spent over a year searching for my forever home.

I had a long list of must-haves – so long that even my amazing realtor gently suggested I might need to reconsider what I was willing to compromise on. But when I walked into this house, on the very day it was listed, I just knew it was The One. My forever home.

I couldn’t possibly have predicted that one day, that same house would play an enormous role in my daughter’s survival – and become the beginning of something that could offer the same comfort and stability to others.”

When Harper was diagnosed with leukemia in October 2021, everything changed. Suddenly, living just under two miles from Duke Children’s wasn’t just convenient – it was life-giving. We could go home. We could rest. We could be together. And that was everything

The Unseen Cost of Medical Crisis

During treatment, Harper and I would end each day with a gratitude ritual while lying in bed. No matter how hard things got, we always found things to be thankful for and often it came back to the gift of being at home. But many of our hospital friends weren’t so lucky.

We saw families separated from their other children or from each other. We watched them scramble for a place to stay, sleep in chairs, or live out of suitcases in a city that was relatively unfamiliar to them. And through all of that, they were still trying to make critical, often terrifying decisions about their child’s care.

Housing shouldn’t be another hurdle to overcome. Yet for so many, it is.

From Lived Experience to Purpose

That’s how Harper’s Home came to life – not from a vague idea, but from experience. From knowing what it’s like to be in that hospital room, to live in that uncertainty. From understanding, in a deeply personal way, what makes the difference between barely getting by and feeling safe enough to exhale.

Harper’s Home is being built for families facing all kinds of pediatric medical crises – not just cancer. Whether it’s a NICU stay, a sudden diagnosis, or ongoing treatment for a complex condition, the need is the same: a nearby, stable, home-like place to land during an unimaginably hard time.

Every detail of the homes we’re building has been shaped by empathy and purpose:

• Bathtubs for kids with PICC lines or a surgical incision, because showers aren’t always an option when you’re healing or protecting sensitive areas.
• Private kitchens so parents can cook the one thing their child suddenly craves at midnight after days of nausea.
• In-unit washers and dryers, because when your child’s immune system is fragile, clean sheets and sanitized clothes aren’t optional.
  
• Two bedrooms, because during treatment, closeness shouldn’t come at the cost of comfort – and families need space to rest, regroup, and recover together.
• Convenient on-site parking, because getting to appointments shouldn’t add more stress – and pets are welcome, because they’re family too.

These aren’t luxuries. They’re necessities that most people don’t think about – unless they’ve lived it.

A Home-Centered Answer to a Systemic Gap

Harper’s Home will include three cottages, two duplexes, and a carriage house apartment – all nestled right here in Durham. Our goal is simple: to offer families in treatment at Duke Children’s a place of comfort and consistency. A place to rest, to cook, to be together. A place to fall apart if they need to, and to take a breath when everything feels overwhelming.

We aren’t replacing existing services – we’re complementing them. Some families won’t need us. But for those who do, our homes will offer more than four walls and a roof. They’ll offer a sense of calm in the chaos.

What’s Next – and How You Can Help

We plan to submit our site plans to the City of Durham by the end of April. If that timeline holds, we hope to break ground by the end of the summer. But between now and then, we have a long way to go – and a lot of money to raise.

Here’s how you can help move Harper’s Home from vision to reality:

• Donate: We accept online donations, stock gifts, and checks – every contribution brings us closer to welcoming our first families. Right now, we’re raising funds to cover critical early costs like permitting and utility access. These include approximately $10,000 for city permits, $60,000 for two water and sewer taps ($30,000 each), and $15,000 for trenching to bring utilities to the property. If you or someone you know can help offset one of these foundational expenses, we’d love to connect. Give here.
• Subscribe: Join our newsletter to stay in the loop on milestones and upcoming events.
• Share: Everyone knows somebody. Share our story, introduce us to potential donors, partners, or connectors. You never know who might say yes.
• Pitch in: Have a skill, service, or resource you want to offer? We’d love to hear from you.

Though we’re building Harper’s Home in the heart of Durham, we’re building it for families who are coming here under some of the hardest circumstances imaginable. Let’s make sure they feel welcomed, supported, and cared for by the city they’ll temporarily call home. Together, let’s show them what it means to be part of our community.

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