In her mid-20s, Jasminu Moore was pregnant with her second daughter and desperate to find a safe, permanent place to live. But supporting her growing family as a single parent on a server’s wages often felt impossible.

“I prayed, ‘Lord, please let me have somewhere to bring my new baby home to,’” Moore remembers. 

Then came news that she had been approved to rent an apartment through the Housing Authority of the City of Asheville (HACA). On the very day she signed her lease for a space at Livingston Apartments, Moore went into labor. 

Her prayers had been answered. 

Building Stability Step by Step

Moore spent several years living in HACA housing before eventually transitioning into the Housing Choice Voucher Program (HCVP). 

Formerly known as Section 8, HCVP helps low-income families access affordable housing in the private rental market. Through the program, participants contribute a portion of their income toward rent while housing assistance covers the remaining cost. 

During that time, Moore says she began building the financial habits that would later help her pursue bigger goals.

“The voucher program helped me learn how to pay my bills on time and budget better,” she says. “I became more self-sufficient.”

Creating a Path to Homeownership

As she found her footing, Moore soon began considering a possibility that once felt out of reach: homeownership.

“I wanted to have something to leave for my kids,” she says. 

Determined to purchase a place of her own, Moore applied for HACA’s Homeownership and Family Self-Sufficiency Program. Available through HCVP, the initiative helps eligible families prepare for homeownership through financial education, counseling, and long-term planning. 

Once participants purchase a home, voucher assistance can then be applied toward certain monthly homeownership expenses rather than rent, helping create a pathway toward long-term financial stability.

For Moore, the process required patience and persistence.

“There were obstacles, from strengthening my credit to receiving insufficient pre-approvals from lenders,” she says. “Some loan agencies said, ‘No, you can’t do it.’ But I did it. I made it work.” 

In 2022, Moore officially closed on a newly constructed manufactured home on a permanent foundation in Candler with more than an acre of land. 

Coming Full Circle 

Today, Moore’s life looks very different from when she first signed her lease at Livingston Apartments.

Her daughters—once the little girls she was fighting to create stability for—are thriving teenagers. Her oldest, 17, mentors elementary school students through a literacy program, while her youngest, 13, stays busy with softball, cheerleading, and flag football.

Moore’s career path has also come full circle. After years working in the service industry and later in events and sales coordination, she joined HACA in 2024 as an office assistant at Pisgah View Apartments. Within months, she was promoted into leadership and now serves as the property’s site manager. 

For Moore, there is something especially meaningful about helping residents navigate the same challenges she once faced herself.

“Honestly, if it hadn’t been for HACA, I would be barely making it,” Moore says. “It really set me up for the future.”