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Story Archive

Story of the Week: Kris Bee Bee

My name is Kris Bee Bee, and I’ve lived in Trailer Haven Mobile Home Park in San Leandro, California, since 1999. For 27 years, this community has been my home. I moved here because it was affordable at a time when housing prices were overwhelming, and I believed a mobile home would offer me the stability I needed. I own my home, but I pay rent for the space it occupies.

When I first arrived, the park was under kind and responsive ownership. Things felt welcoming. But not long after I moved in, ownership changed hands, and the atmosphere shifted quickly and drastically. In 2016, the new owner took over, and that’s when the real challenges began.

Back in 1999, my rent for the space was $350 per month. That amount covered everything, including gas, water, and propane. Today, my rent is $1,202 per month, and I now pay separately for utilities. My monthly income is $1,205. That means my entire check goes to rent. After paying, I have nothing left for food, toiletries, or other necessities. Every year, the rent increases by 5.5 percent for some residents and up to 20 percent for others. It’s impossible to keep up.

There are 144 spaces in our park, and only one maintenance worker is available. The conditions we live in are unacceptable. Plumbing failures cause sewage to float through our streets. We face infestations of rats and fleas. When we ask for help, no one responds.

What I’m asking for is fairness. Seniors and disabled residents should be protected. Long-term tenants who have invested in this community and maintained their homes deserve recognition. We need rent stabilization. We need Section 8 eligibility for mobile home space rent. And we need a basic rent structure that doesn’t rise every year without regard for our fixed incomes.

I’ve given nearly three decades to this community. I want to see it treated with the respect it deserves. We are not asking for luxury. We are asking for dignity, safety, and the ability to live without fear of displacement.

Matt Chapman (Waukee, IA)