P.E.I. steps in to help buy mobile park to allow residents to stay in homes

Residents of a mobile home park in Prince Edward Island who have had an eviction notice looming over their heads may be able to stay in their homes after all.

About a month ago, 57 households at the Evergreen Village mobile home park in Summerside received a letter in the mail from their landlord stating, due to rising costs, the park will need to be sold.

The landlord gave residents the option to buy their lot for $40,000 or move out.

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The letter said at least 50 per cent of residents needed to purchase their lots, while those who didn’t want to or were unable to would be given a one-year notice to relocate their home.

Residents had about 30 days to inform the landlord if they were able to form a condo co-operative involving at least half of the current residents who would pay $40,000 each – an option many living in the park said was impossible.

Now, the province is stepping in to help purchase the park.

“I had a conversation with the owner on Tuesday, I believe it was, and he proposed a deal that would involve a third party that would be more of a community kind of partner – which is ideal for this type of situation – and he asked me to give him a week to come up with a deal that he can come back to me with,” said Steven Myers, P.E.I.'s minister of Housing, Land and Communities.

Myers says he hopes to hear back from the owner by Tuesday and says the province would be more than willing to work with community partners who would help fund the purchase of the park.

“I’m happy with the direction it’s going and I’m quite confident that we’re going to see the end of it now before Christmas,” he said.

“What we’re looking at is finding a partner who works in this kind of realm, who does co-op-type housing and help finance them to purchase it from the current owner and then it would be status quo for the residents.”

The housing minister says Evergreen Village is a top priority since taking the appointment last month.

He hopes to have the deal complete by next week.

For more P.E.I. news visit our dedicated provincial page.