For more than 35 years, Janice has built her life in her home in Burgaw. It is where she started over, where her family grew, and where she intends to remain. After her divorce, Janice used her settlement to purchase land and a mobile home of her own. “A fresh start,” she called it. After 20 years of marriage, she had to relearn how to navigate the world independently while raising two daughters. The home became a place of stability, self-reliance, and pride. Over the years,

Rising housing costs, aging homes, and climate related damage are reshaping what it means to be a homeowner in North Carolina, and with it, the quiet but profound psychological toll of housing-related stress.