De aguas residuales y calor a seguridad y confort: cómo un programa estatal revivió un parque de casas móviles en California

In the unincorporated Coachella Valley, the Shady Lane Estates Mobile Home Park once epitomized the harsh realities of aging infrastructure. Dirt roads turned to muck with every rain, mixing with raw sewage from failing septic tanks.

Parents would drive their children through the toxic slurry to catch the school bus. Summer temperatures regularly exceeded 110 degrees, and the park's antique electrical system would fail, turning poorly insulated mobile homes into dangerous ovens.

Rubi Castro, a mother of four, recalls placing her young children in buckets of cold water until the power returned.

That chapter ended in late April when Shady Lane Estates reopened after a dramatic transformation. Funded largely through California's Manufactured Housing Opportunity and Revitalization (MORE) program, the park now boasts a robust electrical system capable of powering dozens of air conditioners, connections to public water and sewer utilities, paved roads, a shaded playground, and 40 new manufactured homes—replacing 32 old units with eight added.

“It feels like we live in winter,” Castro said proudly on a day that hit 113 degrees. “I can’t wait to experience the rain.”

The park's revival under nonprofit owner Caritas Corporation is a testament to the MORE program, which was overhauled in 2022 from a dormant 1980s loan initiative. The program now funds not only park purchases by residents or nonprofits but also repairs to infrastructure and replacement of dilapidated units.

Private owners can apply, and terms are generous, with many loans potentially forgiven. Lawmakers added $200 million through two one-time budget bills.

Of the $136 million awarded in 2023 to 28 parks, Shady Lane received $10.6 million and became the first rehabilitation project completed. Nineteen others have broken ground, according to the state housing department.

Yet the program's success is tempered by immense challenges. California has 4,635 mobile home parks, providing nearly half a million units—a critical source of affordable housing in a state where single-family homes are out of reach for many low-income residents.

However, many parks are aging, with pre-1976 units particularly vulnerable to moisture, mold, and fire. Infrastructure like water, sewer, and electrical systems is often owned and operated by park owners, who may lack resources or expertise.

“While it’s not as shiny or flashy as a big beautiful new rental apartment, it’s a vital source of affordable housing,” said Betsy McGovern-Garcia of Self-Help Enterprises, which manages two parks in the San Joaquin Valley.

The Buena Vista Mobile Home Park in Palo Alto illustrates the hurdles. Awarded the largest grant—$24.7 million—in early 2023, the project was initially slated for a full redevelopment, replacing decades-old homes and infrastructure.

But cost overruns, funding shortfalls, resident pushback, and a use-it-or-lose-it deadline of mid-2027 forced a scaled-back plan: only common infrastructure will be replaced, and residents from 49 homes will be relocated during eight months of construction, then returned to their existing units. The move-out date has slipped from February to September.

“It keeps getting pushed back,” said Sabrina Ramirez, a childcare worker who has lived at the park since 1999. The delay has been a mixed blessing, allowing her to care for her extensive plant collection.

Funding remains a major concern. The MORE program denied applications totaling $186 million in 2023, and demand likely exceeds that figure, as many park owners either didn't apply in time or were unaware of the program.

The bulk of funding came from one-time budget allocations, and the strained state budget for the coming year includes no top-up. The remaining funds come from a special account fed by park permit fees, which holds only $27 million—described by housing advocates as “peanuts.” For owners like Self-Help Enterprises, which applied for a $3.7 million grant to replace units at La Hacienda Mobile Home Park in Fresno but was denied, the future is uncertain.

“It would have changed the entire trajectory of the community,” McGovern-Garcia said. “It really is like getting Willy Wonka’s golden ticket for the mobile home world.”