CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Residents in a Charlotte mobile home community are now panicking after letters sent to some neighbors informed them their leases would not be renewed. A housing advocate warns they could face unstable housing situations.
Families in the Countrywoods Mobile Home Park say they don’t have the money to live anywhere else and they fear they may become homeless. That includes Nohelia Estudillo Vasquez, who has called the community home for 14 years. After the letters went out, she now fears for her family.
"I don't know where I'll go because rent is too expensive, I earn very little, I have three small children," she said.
The letters went out the week of January 23, 2022, for residents on month-to-month leases. According to the letters, those who are month-to-month will have to be out by March 31, 2022.
The timing of the letters also comes after the management company told residents they would bring in new mobile homes to the community. Those homes, neighbors say, are too expensive for them.
Jessica Maria Moreno is a community organizer for Action NC, focusing on housing issues. She said the fears Countrywoods neighbors have are validated by rising housing costs, including for mobile homes.
“Prices are going up and people are getting priced out," she said. "They are terrorized because, honestly, there’s not a lot of options that they have for housing -- there’s not a lot of places they can go that they can afford."
Residents voiced their frustrations on Thursday, saying they needed more time to stay in their homes. They said this would allow them to secure more financial footing for their children and find more affordable housing.
WCNC Charlotte reached out to the property management company to ask why some residents are facing lease termination. A response was not provided before the 5 p.m. newscast on Feb. 3, 2022. Any response provided to WCNC Charlotte later will be provided here.
Contact Lexi Wilson at lwilson@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.