Local nonprofit provides affordable housing as pandemic causes households to miss payments

Meanwhile, a moratorium on evictions in North Carolina that was put into place as a response to the pandemic has been lifted, and the need for affordable housing has become more prevalent.

"We've had a number of people lose their jobs, lose access to services that they really depended on before the pandemic, said said Kim Westermann, of advocacy group CASA NC.

The nonprofit manages affordable apartment buildings across the Triangle.

"We see an [increasingly] desperate need for affordable housing in our communities," Westermann said.

Each unit is aimed at providing one more person or one additional family with a place to call home.

"A lot of people think that homeless people don't have good sense," said Robert Moore, a resident of one of those buildings. "It's very emotional for me because I've been there. I had to stay in a homeless shelter. I've had to sleep outside."

Before CASA, Moore spent most days not knowing where he would rest his head.

After a two-year wait, CASA placed him in a building with others who are both living with disabilities and experiencing chronic homelessness.

His one-bedroom apartment changed his life.

"I walked in, it was the largest place," he said. "To me, it was a mansion. It's still my mansion. This is my palace."

And for the rest of his time, Moore says he'll be grateful for nonprofits like CASA orchestrating a peace of mind for those in need.

CASA plans to add 500 new apartments by 2025.