I know I can't be the only one feeling frustated about this whole housing crisis.

Hi, My name is Nelly Betancourt. I am writing this petition to call on all policymakers and officials to raise awareness of the ridiculous price increase of homes in the Raleigh-Durham Area. I am 33 years old, a single mother who moved here from New York because it was too expensive. I was well in my 20s but still living with my parents with zero hopes of moving out independently. I would end up renting a small 1-bedroom apartment in an awful neighborhood or be stuck with a roommate for the rest of my life. In 2013, I decided to move to Raleigh, North Carolina. I drove from NY to NC in my 2003 Toyota Camry with nothing but clothes and toys in a suitcase.

I planned to rent, finish paying my car off and eventually buy a house. I was able to transfer with the same company I worked for in NY, kept my pay, and found a 2-bedroom apartment for my daughter and me at a reasonable price and in a friendly community. I bought most of my furniture from garage sales and thrift shopping. Being 25 years old and finally having my own place was one of the most accomplishing things I have done as a single parent. In 2013, a 3-bedroom house averaged less than $200K. I could afford a $140,000 home easily. The first couple of years down here, I worked on my credit, paid off my car loan, and saved a little bit; I was proud of myself.

I was finally ready to go house hunting, but when I went back to the market, the same houses that I could afford that were once $140,000 are now selling for $240,000. Do you know how frustrating that was? Here I am, doing everything I can to be independent, even moving 500 miles away for what? To end up in the same position, I was in back in 2013? I can only afford a 1-bedroom apartment or homes or houses that need a lot of repairs, which seems more like a burden than a blessing. Now I feel like my only options are to continue renting my 2-bedroom apartment (where rent has gone up by $200 since I moved there) or to move farther out where homes are still affordable. It’s frustrating that I had a plan, and I was so close to having my dream home. But now, I must consider driving two-plus hours each day back and forth to work. That takes away from spending time with family, and let’s not forget my gas expense will now increase. I shouldn’t have to up route my entire family and way of life just because the market in a particular area spike drastically in just a few months/years. I already did that when I decided to move to North Carolina. I should not have to settle on buying a house I CAN afford and risk compromising my safety, comfortability, and convenience.

This is making the “American Dream” harder to achieve. I want our government to acknowledge that this is a problem and do something about it. They should NOT allow housing prices to increase meanwhile salaries remain the same. They should not allow apartments to increase their rents every year while the tenant’s wages stay the same. They should not allow people to buy houses and let them rent them out for twice as much as the mortgage. They should not allow large corporations or entities like wall street to buy up all these homes, not giving your average American the chance to purchase a home. Too much competition, and they are winning every time. The housing market is only going to get worse. I can’t imagine how much an apartment/house will cost when my daughters are ready to move out. I’m starting to think this is the government’s way of pushing people of specific demographics to certain areas with poor school ratings and high crime rates because that is exactly where I can afford a house these days. Please sign this petition if you, like me, strongly believe that housing should be a human right and NOT a commodity.