The annual meeting for ONE Wake 2025 was held October 21 at Christ the King Lutheran Church, Cary, NC. Over 100 attended in person and many watched the live stream as well. 

The meeting agenda included:
Why We Are Here
Action Proposals (Cary Assembly, Fundraising, Training, Research Teams, Public Meetings)
Budget & Strategy Team Slate
Institutional Breakout Sessions
Report Results & Next Steps

ONE Wake Annual Meeting Recap: Building Power for Affordable Housing

On October 21, ONE Wake's Countywide Leaders Caucus gathered to chart the organization's strategic direction for 2026, with a continued focus on the Homeownership to Equity Campaign and expanded grassroots organizing across Wake County.

The Challenge We're Addressing

Leaders opened the meeting by grounding the work in stark realities: Wake County faces a 65,000-unit affordable housing deficit, and systemic inequities persist. Black-owned homes in Raleigh are valued 15.5% less than White-owned homes with comparable features, and rising housing costs continue to push Black and Brown families out of Wake County, weakening community institutions and political power.

Progress and Recognition

Despite operating with reduced staff (down from three organizers to one), ONE Wake has achieved significant momentum. This year, eight elected officials—including six Raleigh City Council members and two County Commissioners—attended a tour of Brooklyn's Nehemiah community to witness ONE Wake's vision for 1,000 affordable homes and 1,000 affordable apartments in action. For the second consecutive year, over 1,000 people packed Watts Chapel Missionary Baptist Church for the Accountability Assembly.

New Research Action Teams

A major development from the September key leaders retreat was the launch of six research action teams to strengthen ONE Wake's strategy:

• Land Acquisition – researching the Randleigh Tract, government-owned land, and church-owned properties
• Internal Fundraising – increasing donor contributions and pursuing grants
• Municipalities Research – expanding ONE Wake's presence beyond Raleigh and Cary into other Wake County communities
• Bond Referendum – gathering data to support the $200 million affordable housing bond request
• Campaign Fundraising – supporting election-season organizing
• Clergy and Key Leader Caucus – broadening the base of member institutions

Looking Ahead: 2026 Strategic Plan

The proposed strategic plan divides 2026 into three phases:

• Spring (through June): Fundraising and research data collection to build power across municipalities and identify land for affordable housing
• Summer (June-August): Strengthening core teams and preparing for fall elections
• Fall (September-December): Large non-partisan candidate assembly with Raleigh City Council and Wake County Board of Commissioners candidates

Financial Goals and Next Steps

ONE Wake aims to raise $60,000 in individual donations in 2026, with Metro IAF matching up to $35,000 in recurring donations. The budget seeks 55% of income from the membership base and 45% from foundation grants, with proceeds supporting current staffing and hiring a new organizer.

Immediate action items include:

• October 25: Cary Candidate Assembly
• January 29-31: Three-day organizing training (40 slots available)
• Ongoing: Sign-ups for attending city and county public meetings throughout 2026

The meeting concluded with institutional caucuses ratifying the strategic plan, budget, and research team proposals, demonstrating ONE Wake's commitment to leader-led organizing and building sustainable power for housing justice.