In 2011 I filed a lawsuit against the City of Garden Grove in Orange County, CA on behalf of permanent residents of a mobile home/RV park and a local organizing nonprofit for removing over 100 affordable homes from the City's housing stock and failing to comply with State laws governing relocation, replacing affordable housing, and fair housing practices.
This case - and the families I got to know over the next two years - really opened my eyes to what our affordable housing crisis really looks like. Unfortunately, it took nearly four years (after I moved from Public Counsel to LTSC) for this case to be resolved in favor of the residents. While, we were not able to save the park, we were able to get adequate relocation to the residents and force the City to construct new affordable housing units.
This recent article in City Lab highlights how residents of a mobile home in Duvall, WA are organizing and applying a co-op model to save their homes. I encourage you to read it and to learn more about how mobile home parks are addressing the housing needs of residents with lower-incomes everywhere.
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