Gail Travers
Gail smiles as a group of people cheer. She is wearing an MHAction blue t-shirt and holds a microphone.
I moved to my home in Akron, NY, in 2017 with my grandson, who had lost both of his parents (my daughter) to a car accident. We moved here because my son lives in Akron with his wife and son and I wanted to make my family whole once again.
Two months after we moved here, the park was sold to a predatory investment firm, Sunrise Capital Investors out of Clearwater, Florida, who preys on Mom-and-Pop parks with aging owners who may be looking to retire. Sunrise immediately started with threats and demands - including raising the rent almost 40%!! In addition, they were unable to figure out how to read water meters, care for the streets properly, deal effectively and with respect towards the residents of the park and seemed to know or care little for NY laws. We struggled for 3 years with them, which included a rent strike and a thwarted attempt to buy the park by the residents with financial support from Pathstone. We failed in the attempt to purchase because Sunrise wanted one million dollars more than the assessed value of the park.
With the help of MHAction, we have established a national presence - increasingly active, and helping to fight for laws to protect NY residents from predatory investors. And we won some of those protections in June 2019.
After agreeing to review a second offer to purchase after January 1, Sunrise sold the park to another private equity firm, Cook Properties on December 24th. Merry Christmas.
If we had the opportunity to purchase, guaranteed by law, we would have been spared the pain and fear of the last three years - TWICE!!! The lived experience of owning my home yet having little control of my future has damaged my and my grandson’s well-being and the well-being of the residents of this park - many are elderly, disabled, retired, and low income who were secure and now live-in fear.
We are the example of what corporate greed does to people who are seen as expendable and undeserving of a roof over their heads.
