Bob Filner: “My amendment could be called the mobile homeowners protection amendment, because it calls for fairness and equity for…”

“My amendment could be called the mobile homeowners protection amendment, because it calls for fairness and equity for thousands of our citizens who live in mobile homes. Currently, as you know, housing assistance payments are made to landlords of rental property, not to the tenants. And in most cases, this makes sense. For example, an apartment renter having received a housing assistance payment could move without using the money for rent. But we have a very unique situation with residents of mobile homes. Most own their own home and rent the land on which it sits. Contrary to the name, mobile home, they are really not free to move quickly. It is both laborious and expensive to do so. For example, in San Diego County, where many of my constituents live in mobile homes, it costs a minimum of $10,000 to move a mobile home. In fact, in San Diego County, they can barely move at all because there are very few empty spaces and they are held captive to the whims of the park owners from whom they rent a space to park their homes. Mr. Chairman, when park owners decide they will not accept housing assistance payments, the mobile home residents are stuck because the law says their participation is voluntary and there is nothing that the department of HUD can do to force owners to accept payments for residents.”