by Glenn Minnis
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs has quickly moved to turn into law a bill that offers assistance to valley mobile home residents facing eviction over the coming days so developers can build new units on the land they once called home.
“Today, I signed HB 2381 into law,” Hobbs posted to Twitter. “Mobile home residents are our neighbors, and deserve adequate compensation when they are forced to leave their homes behind. By increasing resources available through AZHousing, we are taking immediate action to support through families.”
Sponsored by Rep. Matt Gress, R-Phoenix, HB 2381 received widespread bipartisan support and is slated to take effect immediately. It will also increase the level of support mobile homeowners can collect from the state if they are evicted because of a change in use or redevelopment of the mobile home park. A single-section mobile homeowner could collect $12,500, up from $7,500 and a double-wide mobile homeowner could net as much as $20,000, up from $12,500. Tenants forced to abandon their homes would be eligible for up to 40% of the allotted payouts.
With the Phoenix area being home to one of the hottest housing markets in the country, residents of Weldon Court, Beacon, and Periwinkle mobile home courts have received notice that they’re to vacate either in late April or May. More than 300 people faced the prospect of losing their homes.
“I’m pleased to see HB 2381 signed into law today,” Gress said in a statement. “The legislation I introduced will provide much needed and immediate financial relief to Arizona families and seniors living in mobile homes who face an uncertain future about where they will live. As someone who spent his childhood growing up in a single-wide mobile home, this bill was personal, as our family and many others living in mobile homes have few extra dollars to spare, especially in a life-altering event like these park closures.”
The bill officially passed from the Senate Commerce Committee earlier this month, though some senators objected to increasing the total amount appropriated in the fund by $2 million to $10 million. Others wanted to expand it to cover mobile home renters.
With Gress highlighting that the fund only allocated $16,000 last year, a Senate staffer recently told committee members the fund is projected to have $7.7 million in reserves by the end of the current fiscal year.
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Glenn Minnis is a contributor to The Center Square.
Photo “Katie Hobbs” by Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 2.0. Photo “Matt Gress” by Matt Gress. Background Photo “Arizona Capitol” by Roger Starnes Sr.
