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New Mobile Home Facts from DHCA

Posted January 18, 2012

2011 Mobile Home Park Information:

  • Number of parks is 248
  • Number of total lots is 7,194
  • Number of vacant lots statewide is 310 or 4.3%
  • State median lot rent is $302

More Information on Mobile Home Parks

 


Mobile homes razed; officials laud a first step in resolving post-Irene, low-income housing issues

Posted January 4, 2012

December 29, 2011 – Andrew Nemethy – www.vtdigger.org

MONTPELIER – A statewide effort to clean up widespread devastation at Vermont’s mobile home parks after tropical storm Irene was lauded Thursday for its remarkable partnerships, volunteers and accomplishments.

Lt. Gov. Phil Scott said the cleanup effort disposed of 68 badly damaged mobile homes in six parks around the state through a unique partnership of state, private and nonprofit organizations and a host of people who pitched in with time, money and equipment.

“I think that’s what I’m most proud of,” said Scott.

Vermonters from all walks of life just started “solving” the problems, as he put it, that cropped in the effort to remove mobile homes swamped by Irene.

More than $300,000 was raised to assist the project through donations big and small, and in a race against the onset of winter, 68 units were demolished and removed in six weeks at an approximate cost of $2,500 per unit, according to Scott.

Scott spearheaded the cleanup when it became apparent many mobile home owners did not have the $3,500 to $4,500 in funds to dispose of their homes – which meant recovery after the Aug. 28 disaster would be delayed since new units could not replace damaged ones, hard-hit mobile park owners would be left without rental income for their lots, and valuable low-income housing sites would be removed from the state.

Link to Full Article

Link to Article PDF

 

 


Irene-damage mobile homes razed in Berlin

Posted November 1, 2011

ERLIN — Pete Ainsworth snapped photos Monday of the excavator chomping through the roof of his neighbor’s trailer. Ainsworth’s mobile home, which had also been flooded by Tropical Storm Irene, was next on the chopping block.

“We tried to save what we could, some of the stuff that was hanging on the walls,” Ainsworth, 35, said. “But pretty much everything was no good.”

Lt. Gov. Phil Scott, standing in front of the wreckage at Weston’s Mobile Home Park in Berlin, implored Vermonters to continue to help the people who lost their homes in the storm two months ago. A task force, organized by Scott and Secretary of Commerce and Community Development Lawrence Miller, has raised more than $150,000 to demolish uninhabitable mobile homes for their owners across the state. However, the group says it still needs another $150,000 to carry out its campaign.

Article Taken From burlingtonfreepress.com

PDF: Irene-damage mobile homes razed in Berlin

URL: Irene-damage mobile homes razed in Berlin

 


Flood Diaries: Patterson Park Residents Face an Uncertain Future

Posted October 24, 2011

The smoke is the first thing I see. As I come down Main Street in Duxbury, I see the fire. The half-century old Patterson’s Mobile Home Park is burning.

Inside the park, I find about a dozen people working feverishly under a light rain on this early October day. An excavator with a claw prowls the grounds like a predatory animal, tearing off large pieces of a mobile home. It is as if the machine is feeding on the forsaken structures. Entire walls give way with a loud crack, the final submission in a month-long, losing battle to survive.

Joe Preus, 40, is tending a brilliant orange bonfire that roars in the middle of what looks like a battlefield. Friends and relatives move purposefully around him, sorting the debris. Preus, wearing a rain-soaked New England Patriots hoody, feeds the fire by adding broken pieces of lumber. His face is streaked with rain and soot …

Full Article PDF

Link to Article

 


Mobile home owners to lawmakers, state officials: ‘We are definitely not OK’

Posted October 21, 2011

Their frustration was palpable, their stories heart-wrenching, and their concerns numerous.

But the hardest thing facing mobile home owners flooded out by Tropical Storm Irene, judging from a meeting at the Old Labor Hall in Barre Wednesday evening, is that they feel “abandoned” while the rest of the state moves on with recovery.

“We have a right to housing and dignified lives like everyone else,” declared Sandy Gaffney, one of over 70 residents of Weston Mobile Home park in Berlin who were dislocated by the Aug. 28 storm.

Around 40 flooded-out mobile home residents gathered with advocates, legislators and local and state officials Wednesday to detail their dire housing and financial situation and urge help for those Vermonters “least able to deal with the disaster,” as Gaffney put it. Many wore T-shirts that said: “We are survivors of Irene 2011.”

Article Taken From vtdigger.org

PDF: Mobile home owners to lawmakers, state officials

URL: http://vtdigger.org/2011/10/20/mobile-home-owners-to-lawmakers-state-officials-we-are-definitely-not-ok/

 


Mobile Home Residents Announce Deadline for Action at Post-Irene Housing Forum in Barre

Posted October 19, 2011

Post-Irene Housing Forum in Barre TONIGHT

When:
Wednesday October 19, 2011 at 6PM

Where:
Old Labor Hall, 46 Granite Street, Barre, Vermont

Who:
Mobile Home Residents for Equality and Fairness (MHREF), a new resident organization of Vermonters displaced by Irene, have witnessed first-hand the acute affordable housing crisis, and unique challenges to remove their destroyed homes in order to rebuild, relocate, and recover before impending winter.

Background:
With winter quickly approaching, many mobile home residents — made weary first by disaster, have experienced disappointment, discouragement, health issues, car troubles, and the
pressure of day-to-day survival. By November 1st, many will face mounting expenses on a home that is no longer habitable and are struggling to find long term housing solutions.

“Trying to find a way through the maze of available services left after budget cuts on top of budget cuts is never ending road of dead-ends and referrals to other agencies. It still seems that no one wants to hear our voices or include us in any decisions being made about us. We are asking Governor Shumlin to take action to help us now,” says Sandy Gaffney, a leader of MHREF and (former) resident of Weston Mobile Home Park in Berlin, Vermont.

Residents are asking that removal of homes in parks across the state begins by the end of the business day Friday 10/21 — and are calling on the Governor to direct his staff to take any and all means necessary to ensure residents see decisive action on this issue. After nearly 8 weeks, residents believe enough time has gone by make affordable removal options available to those that need it. Businesses and non-profits have pledged their support through donations to cover the cost, yet residents have seen no tangible progress.

Resident leaders also recognize that the kind of response truly needed is for people to find homes as quickly as possible without so much red tape and in ways that are truly affordable. “I’ve gone from a home in a park that was affordable to a rental unit that costs over $1,000/month. My family can not sustain these expenses for long. I’m
worried we’ll be homeless in January,” says Tracy Towne, a former resident of Patterson’s Mobile Home Park in Duxbury, Vermont.

“We know there have been many fundraisers to help with rebuilding Vermont and helping those have lost their homes and belongings,” said Gaffney. “We know there is help out there. Somewhere. We need to see that help now. Affordable housing is needed now.”

Residents, recognizing that time is of the essence, are planning a demonstration encampment outside the Governor’s office on Saturday, October 22nd if progress is not made at Weston’s and other mobile home parks across the state in order to lift up the plight of so many facing housing challenges in these hard economic times.

Leaders and advocacy groups have been invited, and the public is welcomed to attend the Housing Forum in Barre on October 19 at 6PM at the Old Labor Hall.

For more information: www.workerscenter.org/mobilehomehousingforum or call (802) 861-4892.

 

 


Irene Disaster Relief Updates

Posted September 30, 2011

Irene Disaster Recovery Update

IMPORTANT NOTICES

  • Deadlines are approaching for Irene assistance:
    • October 7th – FEMA deadline for unemployment assistance
    • October 17th – Towns and non-profits must register with FEMA for public assistance with infrastructure.
    • October 30th – Individuals need to register with FEMA by this date, even if they believe they don’t need help now.
      • Calling 211 is not the same as registering with FEMA – please do both.
  • October 31st – U.S. Small Business Administration Assistance deadline. This is not only for businesses but can be for homeowners incurring $30,000+ in damages.
  • Vermonters may appeal FEMA decisions
    • You MUST register with FEMA no matter what you believe the extent of your personal damage is.  With flooding problems like mold can appear years later and be very detrimental for homes.

 

FEMA INFORMATION / DEADLINES

FEMA FACT SHEET FOR INDIVIDUALS

FEMA FACT SHEET FOR PUBLIC ASSISTANCE AND PRIVATE NON-PROFITS

FEMA Pushed October 1st Deadline for Government Agencies and Non-Profits to October 17th for Infrastructure Assistance

September 29, 2011

The deadline for government agencies and certain private non-profit organizations needing funds to rebuild infrastructure damages caused by hurricane Irene to register with FEMA is extended to October 17th for all Vermont Counties.FEMA’s Public Assistance (Infrastructure) program reimburses state and municipal governments for the cost of eligible emergency protective measures, debris removal, and the repair, restoration, reconstruction or replacement of public infrastructure such as roads and bridges, water control facilities, public buildings and contents, public utilities and parks, and other recreational facilities damaged during a disaster.   FEMA will fund up to 75 percent of the cost of approved projects

Registering with FEMA does not obligate you to accept the assistance. If you miss the deadline however, you will not be eligible for consideration of disaster relief funding

Some private non-profit organizations may qualify for aid to restore certain types of facilities that include educational, utility, emergency, medical, custodial care, and other facilities that provide essential government types of services.   FEMA, working with the Vermont Agency of Transportation, will make a determination if the services provided by private non-profit organizations are critical or non-critical. If FEMA determines that the services provided are non-critical, you will be required to exhaust assistance from SBA before being considered for assistance from FEMA

Download a copy of FEMA’s Request for Public Aassistance form. The completed form should be faxed to 802-828-2848.

If you need assistance in completing the form, please contact:  Alec Portalupi: 802-828-3889, email: alec.portalupi@state.vt.us or Gary Schelley: 802-828-0425, email: gary.schelley@state.vt.us

For more information about this type of assistance, read FEMA’s Fact Sheet for Public Assistance and Private Non-Profits or visit a Disaster Recovery Center near you.

Directory of FEMA/SBA Disaster Recovery Centers Mon – Sat; 8AM to 6PM,  Sun; 12PM – 6PM

Individuals and Small-Businesses needing funds for housing related expense or to rebuild after damages caused by hurricane Irene must register with FEMA no later than Oct. 31, 2011.

If you have not yet registered, please do so by visiting www.disasterassistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-3362.

Disaster assistance for Individuals may include grants to help pay for temporary housing, home repairs, and other serious disaster-related expenses not covered by insurance and other sources. There are no income limits when applying for FEMA emergency status.

If you are an individual and you have received an SBA disaster loan application in the mail, it is important to fill it out and return it. You are not obligated to accept a loan, however filling out an application will determine your eligibility for a loan should you need additional compensation above the currently allocated grant amount. If you do not qualify for a loan, you will be referred back to FEMA and could receive additional grant money.

Small-Businesses are encouraged to register with FEMA and encouraged to complete an SBA disaster loan application.  In addition, Small-Businesses needing assistance should contact The Vermont Economic Development Authority (VEDA) at 802-828-5627 or visit www.veda.org.  Small-Businesses should also visit www.dca.state.vt.us or call 802-828-3211 to learn more about possible grant or low interest loan programs.

Registering with FEMA does not obligate you to accept assistance.  If you miss the deadline however, you will not be eligible for consideration of disaster relief funding.

Please register no later than Oct. 31, 2011 with www.disasterasssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-3362

FEMA Deadlines

U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) upcoming deadlines for nonprofit organizations to apply for disaster assistance

Please click here to learn more about how this determination may be made and the assistance available from SBA.

U.S. Small Business Administration Assistance

If you suffered physical damage and are directed to SBA for assistance you have until October 31, 2011 to return your application. If you suffered only economic injury you have until June 1, 2012 to return your application.

Disaster loan information and application forms may be obtained by calling the SBA’s Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955 (800-877-8339 for the hearing-impaired) Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sat/Sun 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET or by sending an email to disastercustomerservice@sba.gov. Applications can also be downloaded from www.sba.gov. Completed applications should be mailed to: U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155.

Private Non-Profits (PNPs) affected by the disaster may also apply for disaster loans electronically from SBA’s website at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela/. Assistance in completing an SBA application is also available at any of the Disaster Recovery Centers. SBA representatives there can guide you through the requirements for Private Non-Profits.

For more information visit: Vermont Agency of Commerce & Community Development website

FEMA News Release: Vermonters May Appeal FEMA Decisions

Don’t be discourages, if you believe you should be eligible for assistance or are dissatisfied with the amount you receive, you may call FEMA’s Helpline for information on how to file an appeal. Specialists are available from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day at 1-800-621-FEMA (3362). Those with a speech disability or hearing loss who use a TTY can call 800-462-7585 directly; or 800-621-3362 if using 711 or Video Relay Service. Some applications are simply being denied for missing signatures and would be approved upon review.

Full Press Release

Vermont Housing Task Force Seeks Those in Need of Housing and Available Housing Units

September 26, 2011

Hundreds of Vermonters are still without a permanent place to live after their homes were destroyed by flooding caused by Tropical Storm Irene at the end of August.  Many of these individuals are currently in temporary housing – staying with friends and family, or in hotels with help from FEMA or the Red Cross.  These are only short term solutions and each of these Vermonters need a more permanent place to live.

The Irene Housing Task Force urges anyone displaced from their home and needing help finding housing now, or may in the weeks and months to come, to register with  FEMA.   The number is 1-800-621-3362 (1-800-FEMA) or visit www.disasterassistance.gov In addition to providing information about possible grants and other assistance, a FEMA representative will help individuals find housing.  The Irene Housing Task Force is working with FEMA on identifying every available unit in the state.  All individuals impacted by the storm should take the time to register, even if they are unsure that they qualify, for grant or loan assistance.  Registering with FEMA will also allow Vermonters to access possible resources in the event that their living situation changes at any time before they find permanent housing.

The IHTF is asking everyone who has rental housing available to contact FEMA at 866-330-5286 so they and FEMA can match people with available units.

Full Information

Mobile homes were among the hardest hit by Tropical Storm Irene

September 27, 2011

Tropical Storm Irene wrecked havoc on many of Vermont’s mobile homes and mobile home parks. Since they are more affordable than most other types of owner occupies housing, mobile homes residents are more likely to be lower income and lack the resources needed to repair or in some cases remove their homes.

Vermont Public Radio Story

Burlington Free Press Article

State Officials: Mobile home disposal cost will be $1,500 under post-Irene plan

September 22, 2011

Lt. Governor Phil Scott and Lawrence Miller, Secretary of Commerce and Community Development, have been talking with private-sector partners for the last several days to nail down the framework for the plan, which they say offers a quick, responsible and affordable solution to a problem facing nearly 150 mobile home owners in more than a dozen parks around the state.

Full Article

Congressman Welch Forms Bipartisan Irene Coalition

September 14, 2011

After Hurricane Irene caused widespread damage in 12 states, Rep. Welch formed the Hurricane Irene Coalition. A bipartisan group of over 50 lawmakers whose districts were affected by the storm, the coalition is now working together to ensure that FEMA has the resources it needs to help states like Vermont recover. The Coalition recently met with FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate to get an update on recovery efforts and is urging House leaders to ensure FEMA is fully funded.

­­­­­­

More Resources for Vermonters

Congressman Welch Resource Guide for Vermonters recovering from Tropical Storm Irene

As Vermonters work to recover from Tropical Storm Irene, there are a number of resources that you or someone you know may find helpful. Visit www.welch.house.gov/irene for information on assistance available to individuals, businesses, farmers, and municipalities, a list of counties eligible for individual and public assistance, and a list of FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers around the state. If you need additional assistance,  please contact our office at (888) 605-7270.

Multi-Family Rental Repair Program

The State of Vermont, in partnership with FEMA, is looking for multi-family properties uninhabitable before the storms OR not damaged by these storms, preferably with a minimum of four units, that with some improvements, could accommodate Vermonters needing housing as a result of Tropical Storm Irene.

This unique opportunity will allow FEMA to fund rehabilitation activities for eligible properties that will, in turn, be made available to those displaced by the storm. FEMA will work directly with property owners to determine the cost of repair and the costs of repair will be deducted from the monthly rents.

For more information, please contact Christian Oakes at christian.oakes@fema.dhs.gov

Efficiency Vermont Helps Homeowners and Businesses with FREE Flood Repair Assessments, Air Sealing, Appliance Rebates, and More

Efficiency Vermont assessments, air sealing and other measures are available for a limited time. Limited funding is available for the rebates that will be provided on a first-received basis. More information can be found by contacting Efficiency Vermont at 888-921-5990 or www.efficiencyvermont.com/irene.

Community leaders in flood-affected areas who want to schedule workshops are encouraged to contact Liz Schlegel of CVCAC at 802-477-5237 or lschlegel@cvcac.org.

For more information about all of Efficiency Vermont’s services to help Vermonters with Tropical Storm Irene recovery, visit www.efficiencyvermont.com/irene, or call toll-free 888-921-5990.

Full Information

Protect Yourself Against Fraud – Be Vermont Smart

Not everyone really wants to help – Follow these steps before you hire someone to clear or repair your home or property:

  • Hire someone you know. Ask friends, family, neighbors for names and phone numbers of people they would hire to work for them.
  • Get a written estimate and read the fine print
  • Ask if they have insurance and see a certificate
  • Pay by check

If you think, feel, or suspect you’re being taken advantage of call the Consumer Assistance Program: 800-649-2424 or dial 2-1-1

Full Information

Increase in CY2011 Funding Allocation from HUD, Vermont State Housing Authority may have funding to serve an additional 140 Households

Due to an increase in the CY2011 funding allocation from HUD, Vermont State Housing Authority may have the ability to serve an additional, approximate 140 households. VSHA proposes to use this funding to serve displaced individuals and families affected by Hurricane Irene in Vermont. As such, these public notices (available at www.helpingtohouse.org under “Informational Resources”) serve two purposes: 1. Proposal to establish a new Presidentially Declared Disaster Preference; and 2. Proposal to open the VSHA Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher waitlist to serve households that are eligible for the Presidentially Declared Disaster Preference. In addition, it is anticipated that VSHA may be able to serve some additional households, with other preferences, who are already on the VSHA Sect. 8 HCV waitlist.

For additional information, call 802-828-3295 (voice); 800-798-3118 (TTY); 800-820-5119 (messages). Equal Housing Opportunity

Vermont State Housing Authority Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program

 


Still waiting to rebuild at Weston’s Mobile Home Park in Berlin

Posted September 26, 2011

BERLIN — Paul Premo, 70, escaped the flood with only the shirt on his back.

His neighbor Bob and Patty Goodell grabbed their cat and drove to higher ground where they slept in their car for the night.

Premo said in the days after Tropical Storm Irene swamped Weston’s Mobile Home Park, there was talk of sewage in the floodwaters. He saw pools of kerosene throughout the park.

Saturday, displaced resident Sandra Gaffney led a news conference at the park to address the residents’ recovery issues. Seventy homesin the park were destroyed.

Gaffney is just one of a growing number of mobile home park residents who have formed a group called Mobile Home Park Residents for Equality & Fairness, designed to give voice to mobile home owners. Gaffney and others spoke about the lack of assistance to their specific needs …

Full Burlington Free Press Article

 

 


Irene’s major casualty: Vermont’s mobile home parks

Posted September 15, 2011

“Piece by soiled and muddy piece, the cozy, comfortable lives of dozens of Vermonters were being disassembled Wednesday at the Weston Mobile Home Park in Berlin.

Chairs and tables. Couches and refrigerators, big-screen televisions and small end tables, throw rugs and oriental rugs, cleaning products, clocks, pots and pans, dining room chairs and kitchen utensils, radios and bicycles — all the things that make a home a home headed into the Dumpster, along with large piles of crumbled sheetrock, batts of pink fiberglass insulation, wooden framing studs and damaged siding and particleboard.

For some of the poorest and most vulnerable Vermonters, this is the scene some two weeks after Tropical Storm Irene swamped the state…”

Source: Vermont Digger September 14th, 2011

Full Story: Irene’s major casualty: Vermont’s mobile home parks

For PDF, click here.

 


Rountable Discussion on Vermont Mobile Home Parks

Posted August 10, 2011

There will be a Roundtable Discussion on Vermont Mobile Home Parks featuring Paul Bradley of ROC USA (See http://www.rocusa.org/) and Andy Danforth of the Cooperative Development Institute. It will take place on Friday, September 23 from 9AM – noon. There is a $10 fee to help cover lunch and there will be time to network after lunch. [More ...]

 


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