This week an Orange County Sheriff's deputy affixed a paper to the door of the house where the Johnson Interns live. He didn't use a hammer and nail, but a couple of pieces of masking tape. The paper wasn't a challenge to the church but to the owner of the house that we rent. The property has been seized and will be sold in public auction. In a matter of weeks the eight Johnson Interns could be out on the street.
In this day and age of instant communication via e-mail, cell phones, text messages and Twitters, it amuses me that across this advanced nation sheriffs and deputies are encumbered with the duty of posting papers to the doors of foreclosed properties. This paper states that the "property of the named defendant has been Levied upon and Attached (capitals theirs) by the Sheriff of Orange County, North Carolina, under a Writ of Execution issued by the Clerk of Court..."
In addition to being "Levied upon," which sounds rather crude, the writ goes on to state that this property may not be "used, molested, or tampered with under penalty of law."
Since our interns are living on the property under a legally executed lease, I am not sure how they are supposed to cease from using the property, and I fear that in the course of living there they might well do something that could be construed as molesting or tampering as well, like cleaning the oven.
This Writ of Execution is the latest in a long line of housing challenges that the Johnson Intern Program has endured. The main problem is the high cost of housing in Chapel Hill and Carrboro and the highly restrictive housing codes in Chapel Hill. We need a five-bedroom house for the eight interns who come to Chapel Hill/Carrboro each year to serve and learn for 11 months.
The program was begun in 2000 by the Chapel of the Cross Episcopal Church, and our interns come from all denominations and backgrounds. They live together in what we call "intentional community," which means they operate like a family, with commitments to the group. They work in area service organizations (such as Club Nova, Freedom House, the Seymour Center) and participate in a leadership training course called Servant Leadership. They spend this "year apart" to develop a spiritual path and consider how they want to live their lives and where they feel called to serve. We turn out unique, gifted leaders.
We outgrew our 2006 house when we enlarged the program to eight interns. Our 2007 home developed plumbing leaks that made our continuation there untenable. We found a great house for the 2008 interns, but the neighborhood tried to evict us, and then the house was sold. Moving every year has proven costly and exhausting.
This Carrboro house, while a bit small, is still pretty perfect, and we'd intended to stay there a few years while searching for a long-term home. We're trying to view this new development as an opportunity instead of a threat. Our need in a house is opposite of what is built for students. We desire smaller, shared bedrooms and more copious, shared living space. We'd need a duplex in Chapel Hill, but prefer a house in Carrboro, on the bus line. We've long hoped for a situation much like the Women's Center has, in which an individual or partnership owns a house but leases it to the organization for a reduced rate.
There are no five-bedroom houses for rent in our price range. I have my own piece of paper ready to post on the door of the right place, if I find it. "The Johnson Interns need this house."
Susan Gladin is a freelance writer, United Methodist minister, and executive director of the Johnson Intern Program in Chapel Hill. She tends horses and a home business on the farm she shares with her husband. Their two grown daughters live nearby. You may e-mail her at sglad1210@aol.com or write c/o The Chapel Hill Herald, 2828 Pickett Road, Durham, N.C., 27705.
