PROJECT: Hollister, Halifax County, NC

Background info

(from American FactFinder website,
searching 27844 zip code)


  • Unincorporated
  • Population: 2,341
  • 56% American Indian
  • 35% African-American
  • $16,969 median household income
  • 35% families below poverty; 38% individuals

Hollister is an unincorporated community in southwest Halifax County. With approximately 2000 residents, this community is comprised of a large African American and Native American ethnicity. It is also one of the poorest communities in NC, where decent housing, safe water, and safe wastewater disposal are major needs.

In 2003, Hollister REACH applied for a Rural Housing and Economic Development Capacity Building grant from HUD. The award of this grant project, titled the Alternative Sewer Campaign, united the community to address their wastewater needs. As a partner with this HUD grant, NCRCAP has worked in Hollister since the beginning of the Alternative Sewer Campaign.

Timeline

  • NCRCAP organized a septic-system maintenance and ‘how-to’ training in Hollister by NC State University Extension specialists in August 2004. Training included soil analysis and explanation of how treatment occurs in the soil.
  • NCRCAP facilitates placement of VISTA volunteer with Hollister REACH. Alternative Systems resource library established.
  • The Meadows Sewer District was formed in 2005 and awarded a Capacity Building Grant from the NC Rural Economic Development Center. The grant provided funds for a preliminary engineering report from the county’s engineer. The report, completed early 2007, outlines a $7 million project to serve the residents of Hollister.
  • Using steps described in the Wastewater Planning Handbook of the National Decentralized Water Resources Capacity Development Project , the Meadows Sewer District Advisory Board and task force forms in late 2005 comprised primarily of Hollister residents. NCRCAP serves as technical advisor to this committee and has arranged for training courses for committee members. NCRCAP also works with the committee to tour nearby wastewater treatment facilities, advise the Board of Commissioners on engineering results, and to explore wastewater options for the community.