Open Air Camp Road Properties Update as of October 1, 2022

Since sharing our statement with the Eno community in September, we continue to respond to individual questions, requests for clarification, and offers to help. We appreciate the support we’re seeing: for the neighbors involved, for the Eno River Association, and for the State Park. Even the frustrations we’ve heard are welcomed, as it helps us consider more paths to help the three families whose month-to-month leases cannot be renewed into 2023. Today, we offer these new updates and further clarification.

We’ve held property on Open Air Camp Road since the 1980s with the sole intention of turning it over to the Eno River State Park. As such, no renter was promised the opportunity to stay beyond the time of the sale to the Park. Tenants have been on month-to-month leases until the Park was ready to take ownership; the Park is ready now. It’s outside of the Eno’s mission to continue renting these homes. After the Park owns them, we understand they intend to offer them as no- to low-cost housing for park staff, as housing is key to their compensation package. The Eno River Association has helped grow the park to 4,300 acres; now we must support the Park’s ability to retain exceptional staff to manage these acres, within the State’s restricted budget.

We announced last month that for three of our tenants, we would be unable to renew their month-to-month lease after November. We have extended the leases for the three tenants to December 31, instead of November 30.

In addition, we are supporting these three tenants by waiving 3-4 months of rent owed, serving as a reference in their application for new housing, contacting rental agencies and realtors about housing opportunities, offering supplies for packing and moving, and activating our Eno community regarding the specific needs we’ve heard. And as mentioned above, we have extended their monthly lease from the original November 30 date to December 31. Our outreach to these three families has included emails, phone calls, and letters in addition to the notifications sent earlier in September. Two tenants have not responded to our outreach, however, we have been in productive conversations with one tenant.

Right now, we are asking for your help in assisting this tenant. They are currently looking for a 4-bedroom rental home in North Durham for less than $2,000 a month, with a lease beginning in November or December. Please email any resources or leads to [email protected]. Please reach out, also, if you feel called to help with other, specific needs for these families.

Outreach to the four tenants whose leases can’t be renewed after July 31, 2023 has not been the same, as we are prioritizing the three families who have the earlier move-out date. The four tenants who are able to stay thru July have received an initial letter from the property manager in early September regarding the timeline and will hear from us regarding more support before the end of the year.

There might be more we can do; the Eno team is talking daily about it. Again, we welcome any leads on housing, especially those that fit the criteria shared above. Please reach out to: [email protected].