Hundreds of residents forced to move from two mobile home parks

Hundreds of residents are now being forced to move at two mobile parks just south of Columbia.

Monday, Whirlwind Properties told residents at Ed’s and Sunset Mobile Home Parks they have six months to get off the property.

There are about 90 mobile homes at the two parks, and many homes have two or more people living in each. That’s hundreds of people that do not know where they are going to be living in six months. Abc 17 News talked to a dozen different residents on the property who say that is not enough time to find another home.

“How do they expect people to move in such short notice?” Sunset Mobile Home Park resident Dena Macias-Yanez said.”How do they expect us to find a home in such short notice? There’s multiple families that’s going to be split up out here.”

“Why?” Felicia Marsh, another resident, said. “What’s the point in getting rid of this place and Ed’s? Everybody’s happy here.”

In a statement, Whirlwind Properties said they sold the property because the park’s old age and outdated infrastructure are worsening resources making them inefficient.

Marsh has been living at Sunset Mobile Home Park for five years and said she is losing everything. Like many others, she cannot move her home because it is too old and fragile.

“We’ve actually added on to it,” Marsh said. “We’ve put new carpet in, we’ve put new air conditioners in, we’ve painted, we’ve redone the drywall. So yeah, we’ve put money into it, and now we’re losing all of that. And with me being pregnant, it doesn’t help the stress.”

Several residents said they have already started looking for a new place. But they said many trailer parks in the area are already full or near capacity, and others do not accept pets.

Marcias-Yanez said she has already begun looking for housing outside of Boone County because of limited housing options in Columbia.

“It’s wrong the way they done this, the way they done people out here,” Marcias-Yanez said. “It’s a shame. Just because we live in a trailer court don’t mean that we need to be treated like dogs. And that’s exactly what they’ve done.”

Whirlwind Properties said to help with the transition, residents do not have to pay rent, trash, water or sewer fees for the next six months. But several residents said saving that money will not be enough to cover the cost of moving a trailer. One resident who got a quote from a trailer-towing company this week said it will cost $2,800 or more.