Residents of a Cary mobile home park were in downtown Raleigh on Tuesday demanding support and compensation from a potential developer as they're being forced to leave their homes.
"Where we live now, it doesn’t look like much to many people, but for us it’s home," said Abigael Dawah. Some of the144 families who live at Chatham Estates pay $400 a month to rent their lots.
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They got a letter in January from the current owner, who is selling the land, citing his age and health.
The potential new owner is expected to redevelop the area with more than 300 multi-family units and nearly 100 townhouses.
"We’re asking the Town of Cary for a percentage of those units to be affordable," community organizer Katie Roebuck said, "Everything is so expensive now. There’s not enough affordable housing."
The current residents -- 700 people -- say they expect rents in the new development to be more than they can afford, and they can't afford to move anywhere else.
Cary Councilwoman Michelle Craig said, "We’re not able to stop the Chatham Estates residents from needing to move, but we need to do whatever we can to make this transition as easy as possible."
She said the town had allocated $800,000 to help the residents relocate.
On Tuesday, about a dozen Chatham Estates residents attempted to deliver a letter to developer Toll Brothers' legal team asking for additional help with moving costs. Security guards greeted them at the office and kept them out, organizers said.
A non-profit is also helping people with their housing options for the time being.
