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For some, it may as well be eviction
Jeff Rose says he will be forced to leave Lower Pines Trailer Park once his rent is raised 67 percent to $250 a month. He and his new bride, Melody, will have difficulty accumulating enough money to move on two minimum-wage incomes. By JOHN DARLING ASHLAND — Residents of the 10-unit Lower Pines Trailer Park on Highway 66 have received notices that their rent will increase from $150 a month to $250 — a hike of 67 percent. The rent will go up $75 on July 1 and another $25 in October. The increase will place the park beyond what most of the low-income tenants can afford and well beyond what the location is worth to renters, said Rich Rohde, regional organizer for Oregon Action, a statewide social justice organization. Park owner Gregg Adams had planned to sell the half-acre lot to PremierWest Bank for a branch office, but the deal fell through when loss of affordable housing in Ashland became an issue in the sale. Adams and partner Chris Galpin purchased the property across from Wendy’s last year for $250,000. "It seems clear that the rent hike is really an eviction notice," said Rohde. "If he (Adams) wanted to evict tenants and not pay relocation costs, he would have to give them a year’s notice under law. But there’s no law against rent hikes." Adams declined to comment on the rent increase or the park property. Oregon law requires mobile-home court owners to pay relocation costs of up to $3,500 if tenants are evicted on less than a year’s notice, Rohde said. "I’m bummed," said six-year tenant Dave Brocksome, a paraplegic who uses a wheelchair. "Honestly, I think it’s an attempt to get everyone out without paying to relocate us." "They want us out, I guess," said Ki (who uses one name), mother of Brocksome and a resident of Upper Pines Trailer Court across the street. Upper Pines is not owned by Adams; however, residents often have joint meetings with Lower Pines tenants. Brocksome lives on $530 monthly supplemental security income and said his $150 rent was ideal. The rent increase will require him to move, he said. "This is the perfect location, near the pharmacy and grocery. When it’s sunny, I can roll with my dog to get things. I don’t know where else I can live. But it’s his property, so he can do what he wants." Barbara Williams, 60, a custodian and crossing guard for Ashland schools and 20-year resident of Lower Pines, said the increase would be a hardship. She would have to come up with money to move her mobile home and find a place that would accept it. "It’s almost a doubling of rent, but what can I say? They have the right to do it. I’ve been here 20 years and seen it go from a nice place to a dump," she said. Newlyweds Melody and Jeff Rose said they would have to leave and would have difficulty accumulating enough money to cover first and last month’s rent and deposit on an apartment. "It’s scary," said Melody Rose. "We’ve got two incomes, but they’re minimum wage and it’s not enough. When the property changed hands, we expected a rent hike — I mean, the whole purpose is to profit, right?" Ki said Adams attended a meeting of tenants last month and informed them there were no plans for the property to be part of the affordable housing solution in Ashland. Oregon Action is mobilizing community residents, lawyers and city officials to find possible solutions to the tenants’ dilemma, such as acquiring grants to purchase the land or building a dome community on the site, Rohde said. Domes are small, wooden structures that are inexpensive and easy to build, Rohde said. A strategy meeting of tenants and Oregon Action workers will be at 6:30 p.m. Monday at the First Presbyterian Church on Siskiyou at Walker. |
