Evictions at Victoria mobile home park leave residents with nowhere to go

CHEK

WATCH:  Residents of 41 units at a Victoria mobile home park are now looking for a new place to live after they were handed eviction notices. They have eight months to move their units or abandon them on the land set to be re-developed. Isabelle Raghem reports.

Betty Brown was telling her son on Friday that she has to be out by May and she is getting “nothing.”

Brown is among 41 residents who are being given eight months to leave Triple Oaks Mobile Home Park in Victoria.

That’s because the park has been sold and will be turned into apartments.

” I was devastated,” said the resident of 13 years. “I thought we would be compensated. At least for moving expenses. Something.”

She paid close to $80,000 dollars for her home and spent a couple thousand dollars on upgrades over the last 13 years. She also paid her $400 monthly pad fees.

Her unit is too old to be moved so she’ll be forced into Victoria’s hot rental market.

“The reason I didn’t get an apartment way back was because I wanted that stability to know that when I retired I’d have a roof over my head and be able to afford it, and now I’m back into that world,” said Brown.

A few homes down, Ty Lindenchaler was angry.

“I believe it should be illegal because they’re really screwing people over, not just myself, but people have investments in here,” Ty Lindenchaler said.

More than $100,000 was spent on renovations to turn this place into a home.

Lindenchaler says even if they were able to move it, the shrinking number of mobile home parks means it’s unlikely they’ll find a spot.

“Gives me the shakes like I don’t know what I’m gonna do and I worry about everybody too,” Lindenchaler said.

Eighty-seven-year-old Joy Lucavz is in disbelief.

“You think to yourself where am I going to go? How am I going to go?” Lucavz said.

The company managing the park, Tribe Works Creative, released a statement.

“Infrastructure at Triple Oaks has failed (over 50 years old) and the 63-year-old First Nations owner can’t afford to carry on the business as is. Tribe Works is committed to finding workable solutions for the land owner and the current occupants.”

The park operates on a month-to-month rental basis, so no long-term leases are being broken by the owner.

Isabelle RaghemIsabelle Raghem

Recent Stories

Send us your news tips and videos!