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As the eviction deadline of June 30 approaches, residents of the Chatham Estates mobile home park in Cary, North Carolina, are raising their voices and organizing to demand a just transition for the displacement of more than 144 families.
On Saturday, March 21, members of the Chatham Estates Neighborhood Association (CENA), along with community allies and faith leaders, held a press conference in the neighborhood to highlight the housing crisis facing their community.
The 37-acre property was acquired by luxury home developer Toll Brothers.
At the press conference, residents highlighted the following points:
- Announced the fund that was created with Neighborhood Up.
- Requested that representatives from Toll Brothers meet with the Neighborhood Association and El Congreso Latino.
- Proposed that Toll Brothers invest $2,000,000 in the fund to help relocate families. (Residents organized in 2024 and, together with El Congreso Latino/One Wake, secured $800,000 from the Cary government to support families moving to other neighborhoods.)
“A very big uncertainty”
“We are facing a very, very big uncertainty, and it is very sad because these are not just ‘trailers.’ These are our homes, which we have built over a long time with sacrifice and effort,” María González, a leader and resident of Chatham Estates for more than 20 years, told Enlace Latino NC.
María said the uncertainty is growing because many people are not qualifying for assistance, including those who need it most, as Neighbor Up, formerly known as Dorcas Ministries, which manages financial assistance for residents, requires many qualifications.
“Just as there are people for whom we can cover rent of $1,500 to $2,000, there are others we cannot help because they are single mothers with three or four children and receive no assistance. There are four families with single mothers. They do not qualify,” she said.
“Have a heart and do not require so much paperwork”
As a solution, María González is asking Dorcas to be more flexible and not require so many qualifications for people to be eligible. “Because this is help they need, and it is something they should provide as a community, as an organization — they are Christian and they are helping people”, she said.
“I ask them to have a heart and not require so much paperwork so that those who are single mothers can qualify,” María said.
“The other day I spoke with a young woman who is a single mother with four daughters. She said, ‘I don’t want to be approved to move; I would just like help paying one month of rent and electricity, and even then I do not qualify,’” she added.
With no alternative organization to receive and distribute the funds, González said she is asking Dorcas to listen to residents’ needs.
“Those who have not qualified should receive the help they need, the help they deserve. I ask them to open their hearts and be human. Right now, we need compassion and humanity toward others,” she said.
The pain of losing a home
With deep sorrow, María Linares is facing the reality that in just a few months she must leave the home she bought 17 years ago.
“I bought it here at the office. At the time, it was in very bad condition. My children and I fixed everything inside. It became my home and my children’s home,” María told Enlace Latino NC.
“Now it turns out that I can’t move the ‘trailer’ because it’s a 1975 model. So everything we invested stays in the ‘trailer,’” she said.
María explained that she is in a very difficult situation because every place requires a deposit and one month’s rent upfront.
“Right now, I don’t have the money like that to leave. On top of that, I struggle a lot with English, and I just can’t,” she said.
“I am struggling a lot to find housing. I truly ask, from the bottom of my heart, that the owner of this park donate the last three months of rent,” she added.
Like many of her neighbors, she is waiting for financial assistance from Neighbor Up, which they expect to hear from this week. “The help they are giving us is not much, but it is welcomed. But what we are losing, the memories, the work, and the love we put into this home, has no price,” she said.
A process described as complex and costly
Ande Curry, director of Community Services at Neighbor Up, said during the press conference that the organization has worked for months — and in some cases years — alongside Chatham Estates families, many of whom have been part of the community for decades.
Curry explained that the announcement of the land sale created “an immediate need for families to find new housing,” a process she described as complex and costly, as it involves moving expenses, deposits, repairs and, in some cases, relocating mobile homes.
Curry noted that, through the Stable Homes Cary program, funded by the town, direct support has been provided to families.
“We have been very grateful that the town of carry stepped forward with funding through the Stable Homes Cary program to support residents who must relocate,” she said.
“That investment reflects Cary’s long-standing commitment to the wellbeing of residents and it is already making a very meaningful difference,” she added.
Through the program, Curry said Neighbor Up is working individually with each household that has requested assistance.
This support, she said, includes developing a relocation plan and providing financial assistance for moving costs, deposits, rent, repairs and other related expenses.
“Families are at different stages of the process, but many have already secured apartments purchased homes or made plans to move their mobile homes,” she said.
“We are seeing real progress: families are actively moving, securing housing and taking the next steps forward. This work is having an impact on people’s lives,” she concluded.
“We are being forced to change our lives”
Residents received the official eviction notice on Dec. 29, 2025, with a six-month deadline to leave the mobile home park by June 30, 2026.
Chatham Estates, located near East Chatham Street just minutes from downtown Cary, is considered one of the last affordable places for low-income families in the town.
“We are not only moving our mobile homes; we are being forced to change our lives,” said Abigael Dawah, a CENA representative, in a press release. “We are losing our neighbors, schools, businesses and our sense of community,” she added.
Community solutions and demands
As part of their response, CENA announced the launch of a Community Solidarity Fund, a grassroots initiative aimed at providing direct financial support to affected families.
The fund will help cover moving expenses, security deposits and urgent housing needs.
At the same time, residents are demanding that developers Toll Brothers and Kennedy Wilson take responsibility for the impact of the project.
Among their main demands is a contribution of at least $2,000,000 to a relocation assistance fund.
Community members view this investment as a moral obligation, given the impact of the development and the profits it will generate.
In addition, residents are demanding that a portion of the more than 300 new housing units planned be legally designated as affordable housing, so that working families who built this community can continue living in Cary.
A community fighting to stay
CENA, a resident-led organization, continues to advocate for the rights, dignity and housing security of Chatham Estates families.
The organization is part of the Congreso de Organizaciones Latinas de Carolina del Norte, a nonpartisan statewide network made up of congregations, associations and Latino neighborhoods.
As the deadline approaches, residents say they will continue organizing and raising their voices to ensure that no family is left without a home.
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