Community comes together to give Durham family new home

Businesses banded together to refurbish Jessica Barnes' home for free. The single mom of two children, Jaden, 9, and Janai, 8, had been stressing about the distressed condition of her home on Owens Street.

"It's amazing. It is the most amazing thing that's ever happened to me," she said.

Barnes' mother, who died 40 years ago, originally bought the home.

"It's a piece of our life. You can't replace that or get rid of those memories," Barnes said.

A friend of a friend mentioned the family's plight to Marcelle Thomas, a broker at Urban Durham Realty, which is in the business of selling houses. She says Durham is a growing market.

"But at the same time, (we’re) displacing so many families who cannot afford to maintain their homes, fix their homes up, and are often selling at a much lower price," Thomas said.

The realty company teamed with Rebuilding Together of the Triangle to remodel the house free of charge. Other businesses also volunteered their services.

Barnes said she had hoped her father and aunt could see the home. He father died Sunday of cancer. Her aunt was burned in a house fire.

"My aunt is in critical condition,” she said. “I really wanted to surprise both of them, and I can't.”

Barnes' big reveal is Friday.

Thomas said her goal is to inspire other realty companies to select families in need and help to refurbish their homes, in an effort to allow them to stay in the home they love.