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Ken Vargas
Managing Editor
On July 29, 43 families at the Gateway Estates mobile home community were informed by the park’s owner, Gateway Development LLC, that their month-to-month leases would not be renewed. They were given 60 days to vacate their lots.
The news shocked many residents, who immediately contacted the City of Dripping Springs, pleading for more time to relocate their mobile homes. However, city officials said there was little they could do to stop the eviction.
Local housing advocates have stepped in to assist the residents in finding housing. Many of the families lack sufficient savings to move their homes and belongings. Finding an affordable lot with essential services like electricity, water, and septic or sewer is difficult in Dripping Springs, and rental costs for mobile home lots can be as high as $1,400 per month, depending on location and amenities. Moving a mobile home can cost up to $20,000, including preparation, towing, and setup.
Advocates from Dripping Springs Helping Hands, Dripping Springs Hometown Missions, Project Connect, and the Friends Foundation formed the group Gateway for Hope to raise funds and pool volunteer resources to support the Gateway families. For two months, volunteers have been working with residents to explore housing alternatives and draft action plans.
The developer has offered to work with residents and provide more time to move if they can demonstrate, with documentation, that they have a plan in place. For those with a moving plan, the developer has agreed to cover the cost of relocating their homes within a 50-mile radius.
Some residents are moving to the Windy Hills mobile home park in Dripping Springs but will need to take out $10,000 loans to pay for water and septic installations. Others plan to sell their homes and move into rental properties. Thanks to Gateway for Hope, most residents have a plan in place before the deadline.
Volunteer Carrie Napiorkowski has acted as a liaison between residents and the developer. Another volunteer, Sivia Byers, who brought this story to the media, has been communicating with residents about their options. Byers, a trusted advocate, has been a key voice for Spanish-speaking residents, many of whom are her friends. Mica Gutierez, a bilingual Realtor with Compass Realty, has also volunteered her expertise to assist residents in planning their moves.
Gateway for Hope has raised more than $115,000 to help with moving expenses, including a $50,000 grant from the Capital Area Housing Finance Corporation and funds from a benefit concert at Rose Haven Event Center.
'While that sounds like a lot of money, once you divide it by 43 families, it’s really not,' Napiorkowski said. She added that even after moving the house to a new lot, families still face utility connection fees, porch and stair installation, and skirting expenses totaling up to $10,000 or more.
Many families will need loans to cover these costs, in addition to financial assistance from Gateway for Hope. “We would love to see local nonprofits and churches consider adopting a family to help with these expenses they simply cannot afford,” Napiorkowski said. LIFE Dripping Springs Church adopted one family, covering their $9,000 lot fees, and Canyon Church is also helping a family.
“These families work in our community,” Napiorkowski said. “The unexpected move has disrupted their lives, and they don’t want to leave Dripping Springs because they have family nearby, and their children attend school here.”
She shared the story of a young man who earned a full scholarship to college in California but decided to stay home and work to help his family afford housing.
Although the deadline to vacate was Monday, most residents and their mobile homes remain at Gateway Estates, waiting for their new lots to be prepared or for move-in dates at rental properties.
The developer has agreed to allow residents to stay temporarily as they await their moves. Gateway Estates is not immediately developing the property this year, but said through a spokesman that it has to first clear the lots before it can proceed with development which it has yet to disclose.
If you or your organization would like to adopt a family or simply donate funds, contact Carrie Napiorkowski at [email protected].
