Agenda Abstract - 01-30-2018 Assembly of Governments

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We Executive Summary A survey was conducted of 8 mobile home parks in Orange County identified as high risk for displacement and /or because of an interest in general information about residents and living conditions. 96 surveys were conducted by Navigators from the Family Success Alliance. Almost all families were Hispanic, very low income, and own their own homes, but rent space from the mobile home park. Most of the families are satisfied living in their current mobile home and prefer not to move. Residents often look to their neighbors for assistance with child care, transportation, and other services. Many also rely on public transportation to get to medical appointments, work, and school. Although residents are generally satisfied, many residents also feel they don't have many options other than living in their mobile home; their low income limits their ability to move elsewhere, and they prefer not to move because of the schools, public transport, and proximity to services. The residents were also very clear that moving into an apartment complex is not a preferred option —they commented that in addition to the huge difference in cost, there's a lack of privacy and concern about limited places for children to play. Although not collected in the survey, documentation status was also an issue raised by many families as a significant obstacle in securing affordable housing. The biggest concerns residents had about the parks themselves were infrastructure in the mobile home parks and the age and condition of their mobile homes. Many of the homes are very old —the newest home was manufactured in 2002, and residents are concerned about limitations on moving their homes based on the age and condition of the home and the cost to move it. When it comes to management, residents commented that many of the mobile home parks need infrastructure maintenance, especially for roads and landscaping, e.g., filling in potholes with gravel, for dead trees to be cut down, fixing drainage issues. The Navigators, who administered the surveys, noted that residents often seemed proud of their homes and hoped to stay there long -term. Many residents also shared that they are carpenters, electricians, and construction workers and discussed their ability to contribute their extensive skills to the building or repairing of homes and the park. In summary, many of these mobile home parks consist of tight -knit communities of families with children, who are proud of their homes and where they live. They own their own homes and would like to own their land as well. Because of their documentation status and their income, many of these families feel they have no place to go— that they can't afford to move and are afraid that they won't qualify for assistance, if developers displace them.