PHOENIX — About 150 residents won’t be evicted from Weldon Court Mobile Home Park, which was scheduled to officially close on Friday.
The property owners “agreed to file no eviction actions against residents" still living at the property, the Community Legal Services attorneys told 12News late Tuesday.
“Between now and July 15, we hope to reach a final settlement,” a message sent out to tenants and provided to 12News by the organization read. “We continue to negotiate with the owners for additional relocation assistance.”
The 50 families that remain living in their mobile homes had until June 30 to move out, after getting a three-month extension in April, following the landowner’s decision to redevelop the land.
Uprooted lives
Uncertainty reigned at Weldon Court Mobile Home Park, located near 16th Street and Osborn Road, on Tuesday morning, before attorneys landed on a no-eviction deal with landowners.
“We’re sad, we don’t have a place to go ,” said Federico Romero. “We would like to stay longer but understand the reality that the property is not ours.”
Mobile home park residents like Romero, who had lived at Weldon Court for two years, typically own their homes but lease the land underneath them.
Some of the people that remain living there still don’t have a place to go, while others told 12News they aren’t being properly compensated for the homes they are being forced to leave behind.
Margarita Carrillo purchased her mobile home a decade ago and has been remodeling it ever since. She replaced her roof two years ago and recently spent $3,000 for a carport. But said she is only getting $5,000 for all her property.
“The money they are offering is nothing,” Carrillo said. “I’ve been depressed overthinking what will happen to my family and my home.”
About 13 families have moved out of the park, either finding a place on their own or after getting some type of financial assistance from the city and state.
Attorneys from the Community Legal Services and the Poor People’s Campaign, who represent the tenants, would not speak on camera with 12News, citing pending negotiations with the landowners.
But the attorneys said they are working to extend the move-out deadline and get the residents better compensation for their homes.
Financial assistance
While attorneys and landowners negotiate, residents who remain at the property tell 12News they have health and safety concerns, alleging they are worried about squatters and property neglect.
Out of the 63 mobile homes at Weldon Court, about 40 have applied for financial assistance through the City of Phoenix Human Services Department. Of those, about half have received money for rent, utilities, and moving expenses, the city told 12News.
The money so far provided by the city has been financed through the Emergency Rental Assistance Program, Industrial Development Authority (Phoenix IDA), the American Rescue Plan Act, and other programs.
In March, the city council voted five to four to create a $2.5 million emergency fund to help displaced mobile home residents of the three parks that have faced or are facing eviction: Periwinkle mobile home park at 27th Avenue and Colter which officially closed on May 28, Beacon Palms (formerly known as Las Casitas) mobile home park at 19th Avenue and Buckeye Road set to close in October, and Weldon Court.
As of Tuesday, no money of the $2.5 million approved by the council has been spent, because funds already within the city’s programs have covered the assistance that’s been requested, a city spokesperson told 12News.
Out of the three mobile home parks where residents were displaced, about 70 have applied for some type of assistance through the city, a spokesperson said. From those, about $50,000 have been provided for tenants.
Only 31 residents from the three mobile home parks have applied and been approved for the state’s Mobile Home Relocation Fund, which grants money to those who must relocate or abandon their homes.
As of May 23, the fund had a $7,764,255 balance, the Department of Housing told 12News.
The grants give $12,500 to $20,000 to residents who can relocate their homes, and $5,000 to $8,000 to those who must abandon them. A large majority of the homes have been too old to move.
Twenty-four Periwinkle residents applied and got money to abandon their homes, and two relocation applications were approved. One abandonment application from Weldon Court and four from Beacon Palms (Las Casitas) has been approved since the start of the year, the state told 12News.
The Department of Housing expects 5-10 additional abandonment applications from Weldon Court and three more from Periwinkle residents to be approved for payment.
“We want them to give us something fair so that we can leave comfortably and leave behind what we have to leave,” Romero said.
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