Residents struggle to relocate

In a scene reminiscent of some post-apocalyptic vision, the remnants of the Crest Imperial Mobile Estates stand as a grim reminder of a year that still haunts many of its former tenants.

"It’s been hell," said Jeanine Jenkins, who suffers from physical and mental disabilities and has struggled to find a new place to live. "Twice I’ve thought about how you could just pull into that semi, and it would be all over."

Jenkins and 44 other mobile home residents had to leave the mobile park on Ellendale Avenue in Medford before Nov. 6 as the Rogue Valley Manor makes room for a planned commercial development.

Vandals have broken windows, and drug "tweakers" have come during the night to rip off the aluminum siding to sell as salvage, said former tenants and those still living in three recreational vehicles on the property.

"We’ve had to deal with a lot of people stealing," said 25-year-old Chris Marshall, who lives in the park with his disabled mother. "We’ve gotten tired of calling the cops."

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Since June, Medford police have responded to 79 calls at the mobile home park, though it had only four confirmed cases of vandalism and theft of windows, appliances, water heaters, sinks and other materials.

The Manor announced in 1998 its plans to build a hotel, shops, restaurant, office buildings and a residential area on or near the property. In November 2004, the Manor told residents they had a year to vacate and offered them opportunities to apply for its low-income senior and multifamily housing.

Rich Rohde at Oregon Action, an advocacy group for low-income families who negotiated with the Manor on behalf of Crest Imperial residents, said he has mixed feelings about the way the Manor handled the closure of the park.

"People were able to avoid the worst catastrophes," he said.

After many meetings with Oregon Action, the Manor finally agreed not to charge some of the tenants for the removal of the mobile homes as was originally planned, said Rohde.

But he said the experience, requiring months of wrangling with Manor officials, was particularly difficult and stressful for the tenants, many of whom were already on the edge financially and emotionally.

"The way they were dealing with the park closure — it was a complete failure," he said.

Beverly DeLeonardis, chairwoman of Oregon Action, said many of the former residents were struggling to pay the mortgages on their mobile homes, only to discover the homes were valueless because they were too old to qualify for other mobile home parks.

"You’re dealing with people at the end of their resources, rather than at the beginning," she said.

Sarah Prewitt, a Manor spokesperson, said the Manor has been in constant contact with tenants throughout the year to help them find affordable housing.

"Situations like this are always difficult, and we understand that," she said.

However, she added, "I think this transition has been as smooth as it could have been."

Of the 45 mobile homes, 22 have been removed from the park, and Prewitt expects more will removed in the next two weeks. Six of the former tenants have moved into affordable housing provided by the Manor.

Also, working with ACCESS Inc., another six tenants received assistance for housing, said Prewitt. ACCESS helped write up 23 transition plans to help tenants in preparation for the move, she said.

The only residents left are living in recreational vehicles, and they have until April to move out.

Prewitt wouldn’t comment directly on whether the Manor has changed its policy requiring residents to remove their mobile homes.

"We are taking each situation on a case-by-case basis," she said. "We want this to work for people."

The Manor has given $2,000 each to 12 of the former residents who were able to move their mobile homes out of the park.

Prewitt wasn’t aware of vandalism or stealing at the mobile home park, saying there is 24-hour security provided by the Manor. She said some of the aluminum siding and windows were salvaged at the consent of the mobile home owners.

The Medford Fire Department has conducted training exercises in some of the abandoned mobile homes, which Prewitt said could give the impression of vandalism.

Many of the mobile homes, abandoned by former owners because they couldn’t find a place to relocate them, have the words "Ready for demo" spray-painted on them, which indicates they can be used by the fire department for training.

For former residents, the scene is overwhelming.

"It looks like Baghdad," said Jenkins, who was getting ready to live out of her car until a friend offered her a place to live near Jacksonville.

Jenkins doesn’t blame the Manor for what happened. "They’re within their rights," she said.

But still, she asks herself, "How can this happen in the United States?"

She continues to hold out hope that she could either sell her mobile home, on which she still owes $7,500, or find a new location to park it.

But after calling 50 mobile parks in the area, she said, it doesn’t seem promising.

Jenkins, who works part-time, said she now spends about $600 more on living expenses than before.

For another former resident, Dolores Morales-Vega, the past year has been the worst of her life.

In May, her husband, Nicholas Vega, was shot and killed by three police officers after he approached them with a loaded rifle.

Two weeks after her husband was buried, 39-year-old Morales-Vega moved out of the mobile park with three of her children into a two-bedroom apartment in Medford. She is currently looking for a larger place to live, but has found many landlords are reluctant to rent a home to someone with three children.

Morales-Vega, who works two jobs to provide for her family, shares with Jenkins a feeling of despair.

"It’s my spiritual beliefs that have kept me going this far," she said.

Both Morales-Vega and Jenkins said they find some consolation in having a roof over their heads.

Jeanette Slauenwhite, however, hasn’t been so lucky.

The 55-year-old woman said she was evicted from Crest Imperial a couple of months ago because she couldn’t pay her rent. A broken leg had kept her from working, and she’s been struggling to find a place to live.

"I’m not allowed to stay in my house," she said, coming to retrieve some of her belongings during the day last week.

"It’s been rough," she said.

Another unidentified man, who appeared alarmed at seeing strangers in the mobile park, remained inside Slauenwhite’s trailer. "He’s got nowhere to go either," she said.

While she has found a place to live temporarily, Slauenwhite, who was riding her bike to work, isn’t sure about her future.

"Nobody likes to help people out, even elderly people," she said.

Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail dmann@mailtribune.com.