Nonprofits partner to help displaced mobile home residents
HURON – Erie County Community Foundation and Firelands Forward are teaming up with Canopy Tuesday, Salvation Army – Huron Service Unit, and Huron St. Vincent de Paul Society to help provide displaced residents from the Oster’s Mobile Home Park.
In March, Huron City Council voted to purchase the mobile home park for $900,000. As part of the sale agreement, the City of Huron required the previous owner to have all of the current residents removed from the park.
City Manager Matt Lasko has not released any plans for the future of the property and stated that the City was purchasing the park because it “created challenges for the City in terms of ongoing code and zoning infractions, utility disconnections and regular safety force intervention.”
During the March meeting, many community members raised concerns about the future living situations of displaced residents. For the past five years, the three partner nonprofits have been the primary advocates for displaced residents across the area.
“It is going to be a struggle for these residents to find new homes,” said David White, Director of Firelands Forward. “Erie County already has a rental housing gap of over 1,600 units, primarily for units having rents under $1,700 per month. Firelands Forward is using our Employer Resource Network to case manage these residents and their families to help them negotiate their immediate and future needs.”
The Erie County Community Foundation has created a fundraising where individuals can donate to help displaced residents offset their unexpected expenses. The fundraiser can be found here on the foundation’s website.
“All funds donated will go toward moving, storage, rent assistance, and other expenses these displaced residents incur,” said Roxanne Goss from Salvation Army – Huron Service Unit. “The limited housing options here make this exceptionally difficult. Nearly three months since the purchase, and after continuous search for new homes, only a handful of Oster residents have been able to find adequate housing.”
This article was written by Nate Hinners. Contact Nate at nhinners@huroninsider.com.
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