Photo by Susan Glairon
For nearly two decades听Michael Peirce worked as an adjunct philosophy professor for CU Boulder. Drawing a modest salary and unable to afford a home听within听Boulder County,听Peirce and his partner purchased a 1957 mobile听home in the Sans Souci Mobile Home Park in the late 1990s, then paying roughly $800 in mortgage payments and roughly $250 for the听lot rental听each month. At the time most of Sans Souci's residents fell in the听20听to 50-year-old age range, and many听graduate students, teachers and adjunct faculty lived there.听
"Quite a few of the residents thought Sans Souci听was an ideal situation, especially the听musicians and听artists, who found it difficult听to make a living off their听trades," Peirce says.
In August 2018听a large corporation听purchased Sans Souci, and the following spring听the new landlord implemented an annual听12 percent lot rent increase听and听imposed听new听rules. Lot rents for Sans Souci residents currently are听$540; they听will rise to $600 in January and will continue听rising annually till the rents reach听"market rates."
Although his aging mobile home is paid off, Peirce says听the increasing lot rental has been听difficult for many residents听to afford.听 Many of his neighbors听have lived听in Sans Souci for 20 to 40 years, and听at least听half of the park's residents are now听senior citizens on fixed incomes.
In 2013听Peirce's mobile home had sustained significant water damage during the听floods that ravaged Boulder County, and he could not听afford to renovate his unit. Then after teaching at CU Boulder for 17 years,听the philosophy department reorganized its teaching line, and Peirce听lost his听academia position.
"I听ended up struggling听to make ends meet," says Peirce, who was living听off his retirement funds. "As a result, I became an activist听to help others听in similar positions."
A transfer of park ownership
Changes at Sans Souci began soon after residents found blue bags from the听new landlord听dangling听from their front doors. The printed bags read:听 鈥淲elcome to your new community."听
"We were already a community," says Peirce, who by then had lived at Sans Souci roughly 20 years.听"They were the ones coming in."
The welcome packets contained听a list听of new park rules, including听a 9 p.m. curfew. Rusted or dented cars were no longer allowed, a difficult requirement听for the low-income residents. Children could no longer play in the "streets," which were just one-lane alleys.
Most disturbing was the landlord's "right of self-help," giving the owner听rights to enter residents' lots unannounced at any time, Peirce says. The first time the new management came听on the premises, a crew removed听gardens and shrubbery from residents' lots. They also removed听tree limbs that were shading and providing privacy.
"They did this all without forewarning," Peirce says. "They just walked on our premises and effectively took control."听
Peirce describes the community before the new owner听took over.听 "We felt at听home," he says.听"The resident artists painted a mural on a听big water tank and听a 'please do not speed sign,'听with a painting of kids playing and riding in the street. Some artists displayed their artwork on their lots. Residents would landscape their lots in interesting ways, and everyone听would walk around the park, look at each other鈥檚听properties听and talk."
"The听corporate owners don't care about preserving our community," Peirce continues. "They are driving out the artists who can鈥檛 afford to live here anymore, and听their heavy-handedness on how our lots look put a damper on听people鈥檚 control听of听their surroundings. With the increased rents, many听long-term homeowners鈥損eople who have lived here at least 20 years and some听30 to 40 years鈥搘ill not听be able to afford the rents. If they are driven out, the park's history will听be gone, and that鈥檚 a really scary prospect for us."
Although the new landlord's attitude had a "chilling effect," at the same time "activism solidified the community spirit," Peirce says. The new rules "brought residents听out of the woodwork."
"People were saying, 'What鈥檚 going on? This is America. They can鈥檛 just do this, can they?'"
Soon after residents began holding impromptu park meetings听and formed an HOA, and Peirce was appointed the group's organizer. As he became familiar with听more of his neighbors, he听discovered strong community connections鈥搉etworks of people who helped each other, musicians who played听at each other鈥檚 gigs听and small tool-sharing outfits.
The group focused on听increasing resident activism at Sans Souci and other mobile home parks. One of their many goals was to pass legislation that听addressed the rights of Colorado's mobile home park听residents.
"One of the most successful things we did was get a lot of press attention," Peirce said.听"After that the county commissioners recognized what was happening and sent a letter to our new landlords asking them to behave. The landlords stepped back from the aggressive rules. They became much nicer, which was appreciated. But one thing they would not do was change the escalation of rent."
Activism and the formation of CoCoMHO
After Ishbel Dickens retired as the executive director of the national Mobile Home Owner's Association, the city of Boulder hired Dickens听to assist mobile park residents with听landlord issues. Dickens first helped organize CMOB, the Coalition of Manufactured Homeowners for Boulder. Eventually the members听decided to expand CMOB to a state-wide organization, and Dickens听helped with the founding of the Colorado Coalition of Manufactured Home Owners (CoCoMHO), also听looping in the听Leadville, Colorado group, Lake County Build a Generation, and 9to5, which advocates for听low-income women鈥檚 rights and disadvantaged minorities.
In 2017听CoCoMHO and CU Boulder's Community Engagement, Design and Research Center (CEDaR) began working together to organize a manufactured housing fall forum, connecting听mobile home park residents with state and county officials and with groups such as Colorado Legal Services, 9to5 and ROC听USA, which finances park purchases. During the forum, literature was distributed about residents' rights. Forum sessions听included teaching residents how听to effectively organize听and offering solutions that could lead to听park residents living听more autonomous lives.听
In the fall of 2018 and under the leadership of Dorie Glover, coalition members began听to transition听CoCoMHO into听a nonprofit听organization with a budget and paid staff. CEDaR听became the organization's fiscal sponsor, helped听launch an , a听 and听assisted听the organization during听the transition to nonprofit status.
In October 2018, Peirce began听volunteering for CoCoMHO, "to help build a more vital, known and respected organization."听He and other volunteers worked for months听to map the organization's goals听and submitted applications for grants that could help execute them. In 2019 the group received a rapid response grant from The Colorado Health Foundation, which听funded听a program manager and resident leaders.听Peirce worked as a paid resident leader and in the summer of听2020 transitioned to a paid, part-time project manager position for CoCoMHO, a role he has held to this day.听
Before Peirce joined CoCoMHO, the organization requested that the听Department听of Regulatory Affairs (DORA) perform听a sunrise review of the Mobile Home Park Act, and the听request was granted. The ensuing report听recommended more legislation and enforcement of existing legislation,听and after the report was released, Peirce and others听took听advantage of the opportunity it provided.听
"We immediately started pounding the pavement," Peirce says. CoCoMHO volunteers听called听other state groups. Residents wrote听their legislators explaining how their rights were being violated, pointing out听that听the 1985听Mobile Home Act was not being enforced because mobile home听residents generally cannot afford attorneys听and often don鈥檛 qualify for legal aid.听
Activism and Legislation Passed
In 2019 and 2020, CoCoMHO played a central role in passing three bills that听support the rights of Colorado's mobile park residents:听Mobile Home Park Act Oversight (HB19鈥�1309);听Mobile Home Park Act听Update (HB20鈥�1196) and the Mobile Home Park Residents Opportunity to Purchase (HB20-1201).
After听the DORA Sunrise Review report was released,听Colorado State Rep. Edie Hooten (Boulder HD-10)听introduced the听Mobile Home Park Act Oversight (HB19鈥�1309), which passed, in part due to听the activism of CoCoMHO members.听 The bill was designed to provide听enforcement for the听original regulations outlined in the 1985 Mobile Home Parks Act.
HB19鈥�1309 created听the "Mobile Home Park Act Dispute Resolution and Enforcement Program," whereby residents can file complaints against park owners听through the Department of Local Affairs鈥� Division of Housing. If听a mutually agreed upon solution can鈥檛 be reached, the agency is听authorized to issue determinations, cease and desist orders and听fines.听 The new program went live May 1, 2020, and to date roughly 60 complaints have been filed. Peirce says the program cannot yet keep听up with the volume of complaints because听it听was not fully funded in its first year.听Currently the program,听which has a funding mechanism of听a $2 per听month fee per lot, supports听a听two-person staff,听and听when fully funded will ramp up to four and a third positions.听
CoCoMHO's work also helped pass听two bills听in 2020, the Mobile Home Park Act听Update (HB20鈥�1196), which added听more clarity and increased resident rights to the Mobile Home Park Act听and the Mobile Home Park Act Dispute Resolution and Enforcement Program; and the Mobile Home Park Residents Opportunity to Purchase (HB20-1201), which听guarantees residents the听right to make听a purchase offer any time park owners are thinking of selling their parks. HB20-1201听puts the sale听into a hold period, so that park听residents have enough time to put together a purchase offer.
"I feel very good about the successes that CoCoMHO had, both by stimulating legislation and by playing a central role in the content of the legislation," Peirce says.
Effects of COVID-19
After the pandemic hit, CoCoMHO's efforts expanded to include work aimed at preventing evictions. Park residents听who听lost their jobs were able to receive听financial assistance, in part because of the organization distributing information听about protections for renters and rent relief.听
Peirce worries听about seniors and people with disabilities living on Social Security as they frequently receive below $1,000 a month, forcing them to work part time, which听increases听their risk of contracting COVID-19.
Peirce says the amount of time CoCoMHO spends to prevent听evictions has slowed the process听of finding听resident leaders and helping residents file complaints through the new legislation. Adding to the bottleneck is that activists听can't go door-to-door during the pandemic, and many residents do not have听email accounts.听
Residents purchasing San Souci
Soon after the pandemic hit, Sans Souci's听landlord announced an additional听12 percent increase in lot rentals, and the park's听HOA听notified the press with an open letter sent听to the landlord. It read,听"Please do not raise the rent; instead sell the park to us."
Peirce says Sans Souci's residents are spending increasing percentages听of their incomes on lot rents, and the group听would like to purchase听the park to stabilize the rent. In听2019 the听residents submitted听an offer, but听Thistle Community Housing, the local technical assistance provider for听ROC听USA, which finances park purchases,听did not have the capacity to help听because it was already helping three resident groups purchase their parks.
In 2020 Sans Souci residents made another offer to purchase the park. Peirce says听if Sans Souci's听owners accept the purchase price and the residents听finance the听loan听without supplemental听help, such as听through听tax breaks, government or foundation grants听or donations from local businesses,听it will cost residents approximately听$800 per听month per lot to repay听the loan, but it would provide substantial benefits. The rent would听be stable and for the first time, residents' equity in their lots听would increase in ways similar to other local homeowners rather than the increase being captured entirely by park owners. But Peirce notes听the $800 monthly rent will still be out of reach for many current residents.
Peirce and CEDaR are听currently seeking funding to offset the cost to residents so that longtime Sans Souci community members as well as听mobile home park residents across the state can purchase their parks and remain in their homes.
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