"I don't have a place to go"

"I don't have a place to go"

Albert Wyatt Vaughan Jr. and other Americana Mobile Home Park residents have been given notice to vacate the park by the end of the year so the property can be redeveloped. "A lot of these people don't have the money to just pick up and go," says Vaughan, Americana's residential representative and spokesman.

Darnell Williams worked hard as a truck driver to come up with a $3,500 down payment to buy his first home. Just months after purchasing a trailer at the Americana Mobile Home Park for $69,000, he found out his neighborhood was going to be razed to make way for a new mixed-use development of shops, offices and homes well out of his price range. Williams and other Americana residents are now scrambling to find new homes by the end of the year.

"I bought my home from Americana, and now I don't have a place to go to. They [Americana] lied to me, and I don't know what I'm going to do. I'm stuck and might have to go into foreclosure," said Williams. "I need somebody to help me."

Needing help was a common theme during a community meeting last week for Americana's soon-to-be displaced residents. More than 75 residents came out to express their anger, frustration and fear about what will happen to them as they frantically search for new places to live. Ordered to vacate the park by the end of the year, many residents don't know how they will come up with the money necessary to have their trailers moved - a service costing anywhere from $2,000 to $7,000 - or where they'll be able to move them.

One Americana Mobile Home Park resident is trying to get a jump on moving from the neighborhood by selling their trailer. It will have to be moved from the property by the end of the year.

Americana's landlord is offering displaced residents up to $4,000 for moving expenses, but that money will not be distributed until after the individual residents each leave their lots in good condition.

During the meeting, residents were informed of resources that might be helpful in their relocation efforts. Representatives from the Better Housing Coalition, the United Way, the United Methodist Urban Ministries of Richmond and the Chesterfield County Department of Social Services were on hand to answer residents' questions.

Fielding the rancor of Americana residents at the meeting, Scott Rogers, a member of the Jefferson Davis Association and chairman of the Coalition to Assist the Residents of Americana Mobile Home Park, responded, "It's difficult to find affordable housing in this area. There aren't a lot of options in Chesterfield County." When asked if the coalition will be able to help residents financially, Rogers said, "Right now, we don't have any money to provide assistance, and we understand that this is the greatest need."

The coalition has begun a donation drive for Americana residents, requesting $25 from individuals and $100 from businesses willing to pitch in.

Many of Americana's 200-plus residents are elderly or chronically ill. Most - if not all - live on fixed incomes or are low-wage earners.

"I was very fortunate to have a church adopt me in offering $1,300 to help me relocate," said resident Claudia DeFilippio. She'll move to another trailer park after living at Americana for the past 16 years. A private duty nurse, breast cancer survivor and widow, DeFilippio is currently raising her two young grandchildren on her own and is relieved to have somewhere to go. "[My husband] bought me the trailer to take care of me and keep me safe and would be upset to see me in this situation."

As DeFilippio prepares to move in her senior years with two young grandchildren in tow, she tries to remain positive. "I'm alive, and I know God helps me in every way he can."

Sharon Payne, DeFilippio's neighbor at Americana and best friend, also attended the meeting. "I feel devastated," she said. "If this were a flood or hurricane or tornado displacing so many families, it would make the national news. I feel helpless. I'm 55, and you just don't think of starting over at my age. You think you'll be fine."

Now faced with a housing crisis, Payne says she feels abandoned by the county. In January, county supervisors unanimously approved the rezoning that allows Americana's owner to redevelop the property.

"The county should have stood by its residents. [Americana] was built in the 70s when no one was there, and we helped them [by moving in], and now they don't want us. I know the county doesn't want mobile home parks because I heard them say so more than 10 years ago at a planning commission meeting. Chesterfield is on a rampage to eliminate trailer parks, and it's hard to live with a big target on your back."

Payne plans to remain in the park until September, after which she hopes to be eligible for the $4,000 payout.

While reminiscing about the 12 years she's lived at Americana, Payne became tearyeyed. "It was a wonderful place to live. You had people from all over the world, all these cultures, as good neighbors. We had our own little United Nations."

Displacement fund

A fund has been set up to help displaced Americana Mobile Home Park residents. Donations can be mailed to CCHASM, P.O. Box 1741, Chesterfield, VA 23838 or made online at www.cchasm.org. For more information, call the Chesterfield County Americana Assistance Line at 318-8799.