Mobile homes have been one of the most accessible affordable housing options for thousands of families in California for decades. However, the continued closure of residential parks and housing pressure are rapidly reducing this alternative, leaving seniors and low-income people with few options to remain in their communities.

According to a report in the Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles County has lost nearly 200 mobile home parks since 1986, which is about a quarter of those that existed almost four decades ago. In cities like Santa Monica, where 11 parks previously operated, today only two remain.

The situation is worrying because this type of housing continues to be one of the most affordable in the state. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that those who live in a mobile home spend an average of $1,200 a month on housing, considerably less than the cost of a traditional apartment or house.

Land values ​​threaten thousands of residents

Although the owners own their homes, the land where they are installed belongs to the owner of the park, who charges a monthly rent. When the owner decides to sell the land to develop apartments or commercial complexes, residents are exposed to eviction and, in many cases, moving the home becomes practically impossible.

Stephanie Hawke, associate director of research at the Terner Center for Housing Innovation at the University of California, Berkeley, explained to the aforementioned media that mobile homes represent “the best affordable housing that exists naturally,” although she acknowledged that building new parks is practically unfeasible due to the high price of land.

In Carson, one of the cities with the highest concentration of these parks, many residents pay between $400 and $700 a month for land rent, well below the around $1,500 that similar spaces usually cost in nearby municipalities.

Entire communities fear losing their homes

The report also documents cases such as that of Bell, where nearly 300 residents must abandon two mobile home parks due to their sale. Although California law requires relocation support, finding a new space is becoming increasingly complicated and expensive.

Yudith Meza told the media that moving her parents' mobile home could cost more than $20,000, in addition to the fact that many parks no longer accept older homes.

While some municipalities, such as Carson, have approved new rules to make it difficult for these developments to disappear, specialists warn that the affordable housing crisis will continue to worsen if mechanisms are not created to protect this housing model, considered one of the last accessible shelters for thousands of families in California.