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36 °F Forecast | Road Cams Saturday, January 15, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Opportunities Moving to Southern Oregon? MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend December 24, 2004 Mobile home residents seek help from Manor Landlord offers to pay $2,000 toward moving or razing costs, but some say it’s not enough By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune Low-income residents whose mobile home park in Medford is scheduled to be closed in a year hope their landlord, the Rogue Valley Manor, will take pity on them. Christina Urton told more than 40 fellow residents of the Crest Imperial Mobile Home Park at a gathering in the United Methodist Church Friday, "In less than a year my family and I may be homeless." Balancing a full-time job and taking classes at Rogue Community College, she struggles to make ends meet for her family of three children. Urton and other residents in the 43-unit park have been notified by the Manor that they will need to move by November 2005 to make room for a commercial development. The residents have complained that they didn’t receive adequate notice and that some made investments not realizing the park was scheduled for demolition. Advertisement But officials at Pacific Retirement Services, owner of the Manor, say they have been open about the pending closure ever since the city approved plans in 1999 to convert the 6.37-acre park into a commercial development. Residents say they have asked the Manor not to charge them for the demolition of their trailers and that their rent be waived for the remaining year so they can save money to cover the cost of moving. The Manor has offered $2,000 to any resident who was in the park in 1999 to help with moving or demolishing their mobile homes. But the older mobile homes are not allowed in many parks and residents say the $2,000 won’t cover the cost of moving or demolition. Urton, who moved into her mobile home on Halloween, said she would have never bought the trailer if she’d known the park would be closed. She said she wasn’t told by the previous owner of the pending closure. Lupe Aispuro, a 33-year-old mother of four children, was overcome with emotion when she spoke to the group of residents. "I really think this is a complete injustice," she said. "While the Manor stands to make a fortune, we will lose everything." Jill Collins, operating officer for the nonprofit PRS, said it’s upsetting to hear accusations that the Manor is unfeeling. "That’s a sad thing to say that the Manor doesn’t care about affordable housing," she said. "Nobody cares more than we do." In Southern Oregon, PRS has 500 affordable housing units, and will be adding another 62 in Central Point by the end of next year, she said. Nationally, it operates 1,100 low-income units. Residents of the trailer park have been encouraged to sign up for one of the new units in Central Point, she said. Low- income residents must qualify under the federal Housing and Urban Development program. She said the Manor has warned any new tenants that the mobile home park would be closing and requires that they sign a document acknowledging that fact. However, some residents apparently purchased their mobile homes from previous owners who may not have told them about the closure. The park’s residents have gained some allies since the November closure date was announced. Martha Rangel, a Medford attorney, has agreed to represent the park residents for free. "It just struck me as strange that a homeowner would be charged for the demolition of their home," she said. Rich Rohde of Oregon Action’s Medford office said the Manor needs to show more compassion for the mobile home park residents, many of whom are elderly or struggling to make a living. Rohde said it’s hard to imagine that 43 affordable homes will be eliminated. "It’s about how would a community respond if a tornado came in and wiped them out — the community would be there to help them," he said. Abraham Chapman, a single father who was disabled in a car accident two years ago, bought his mobile home 30 days before receiving the eviction notice. Like Urton, he said he wasn’t told by the previous owner. Long after his home is demolished and he’s forced to leave the trailer park, Chapman said, "I will have to pay for my trailer for the next six years." Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers