Time is running out.
Several families, including children, are still in need of housing with less than three weeks until the Franklin Manor Mobile Home Park closes.
Residents were notified in April that the park, on North Atherton Street in Patton Township, is closing. Tenants have until Oct. 1 to move out.
Roughly 18 families have relocated, some moving outside of the State College area to places like Port Matilda and Bellefonte. However, there are at least seven families that are still in limbo.
“I work every day. I own my home. This is all I can afford. I’m sorry, I’m poor. Some people do work hard to try and make a living,” one resident told StateCollege.com. “What about these families here who don’t have places to go – where are we supposed to go?”
Several residents recently spoke with StateCollege.com about their circumstances; however, they requested their names be withheld.
The residents say they face several obstacles.
First, the families say they cannot afford the expense involved with moving, such as first and last month’s rent and a security deposit along with the spike in rent each month. Currently, residents at Franklin Manor pay less than $200 a month for rent.
Secondly, many of the families have pets, which restricts their housing options and, when available, it often equates to higher rent and security deposits.
Thirdly, their children attend schools in the State College Area School District and ideally parents want to see the children remain in their current schools.
Finally, the residents work in State College, so moving outside of the area for more affordable housing creates transportation issues.
Some residents say they attempted to obtain a home loan, but after waiting for more than a month the bank rejected their applications. One of those applicants says he makes too much money to qualify for government assistance, but not enough to obtain a loan.
“This is our home. No matter what people think about this place, this is our home. Everybody was a family. You could come here and they’d give you the shirt off of their back. This was home to a lot of people. This was a community for a lot of people,” says another resident. “The problem is right now we don’t have a place to live. We didn’t just give up. We’re out every day looking.”
Frustrations are running high among residents as the Oct. 1 deadline approaches. Some residents say there has been a breakdown in communication and assistance with the agencies tasked with their cases.
“We are the forgotten people,” says one resident.
At the same time, Housing Transitions Executive Director Ron Quinn says the agency knows there are still several families who need placement and his staff is actively working to assist those residents.
“We are aware of the folks who are living there. We will continue to work with them,” says Quinn. “We will be helping folks until they find housing without a doubt, but there are complexities that we have to deal with to make sure they have viable housing.”
As of Wednesday, Quinn said case workers were handling seven households at Franklin Manor with five households still in need of housing and two families working through the funding process to finalize housing arrangements.
Meanwhile, Interfaith Human Services, a non-profit group consisting of various local churches that provides assistance to low-income residents in Centre County, is collecting donations for the remaining families.
All donations are tax deductible and can be sent to Interfaith Human Services, c/o Displaced Residents Fund, 2100 E. College Ave., State College.
Franklin Manor is the third mobile home park to close over the last two years in the State College area, eliminating a major portion of the area’s affordable housing.
Patton Township officials zoned the property as commercial in the 1960’s. It’s likely the park will be the future site of retail outlets.
Property co-owner Ed Temple notified residents in April the mobile home park is closing. He has since passed away.
Joan Ferguson, a co-owner of the site who was visiting the property when a StateCollege.com reporter was on the scene, declined to discuss the property until next week.
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