JACKSON, Wyo. — Residents of Hoback RV Park are asking the community to sign a petition after they were notified last week that they are required to evict their homes by Dec. 31, 2020, without having any prior notice or understanding that the park would close in the middle of winter.
According to the petition, the park owners stated that the eviction is due to the new septic system that is being constructed, which will no longer have the capacity to satisfy the number of residents on the property. As such, the owners are not offering any compensation, methods, alternate housing, or solutions except eviction.
The tenants say they assumed that the owners understood the new capacity of the sewer system when they were quoted for the work and when they assumed ownership of the property in fall of 2019.
“Instead of notifying tenants during the summer of 2020, the owners chose to continue to lease the property with the intent of evicting elderly, disabled, and lower-income families in the middle of winter,” the petition reads.
The petition also says that many of the residents have lived at the park for over 15 years and do not have the means to move their trailers, and many of the trailers do not have the capacity to be moved. The petition aims at extending the deadline to move out to May 31, 2021.
“Given the current temperatures and the lack of communication by the owners, moving at this time is impossible,” the petition said. “The country is currently facing the COVID-19 pandemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention put a halt on rent-related evictions in September to help curb the spread of COVID-19, but that order expires December 31, 2020. We anticipate this order will be extended, and Tenants of the Hoback RV park are susceptible to this virus. This eviction could lead to more than a loss of affordable housing, it could be a loss of life. We, the tenants of Hoback RV Park, hold the owners accountable for any loss of property or life due to the unjust circumstances of this eviction.”
So far, as of 4:00 p.m. Nov. 23, the petition has 158 signatures out of a goal of 200.
The petition concluded with, “We urge the owners of Hoback RV Park, MV Farms I, LLC & Crowley Capital LLC, to extend the eviction date from December 31, 2020 to May 31, 2021 and to allow access to full amenities including water, sewer, and electric until the new eviction date.”
