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Community Hopes To Avoid Homelessness

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By TODD LESKANIC

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 13, 2008

HUDSON - Most residents of the Whispering Oaks Mobile Home Park would be homeless if not for this place.

That means 82 people, including 22 children, would be on the streets of Pasco County.

But park owner Deloras Johnson lets her tenants live in the old trailers for next to nothing. That means no water bill, no garbage bill, no electric bill. They're all included in weekly rents that start as low as $110.

"I won't evict someone unless they don't take care of their kids, cause problems or don't try to help themselves," Johnson said.

But county code enforcement officers don't view the 26 single-wide mobile homes off Houston Avenue in a positive light. They see them as dilapidated tin boxes that expose residents to dangerous conditions, and they want them fixed immediately.

In November, officers cited Johnson for ordinance violations involving almost every mobile home in the park. Some units had exposed wiring. Others had their windows screwed shut - making it tougher for people to get out in a fire. Garbage was piled up around at least one unit, making the area "a breeding ground for mosquitoes, rodents and vermin," according to a citation. One unit's steps were rotten, while another's floor had holes in it and a ceiling that was falling down.

The violations came with fines that totaled more than $150,000.

Johnson said she has spent thousands on upgrades and repairs since then and has taken out several mortgages on the property to pay for them. A court hearing set for June 26 could decide the park's fate. At that hearing, a judge could close the park, order some of the mobile homes removed, give Johnson more time to make repairs - or anything in between.

That uncertainty worries Johnson, advocates for the homeless and the people who live there.

"If they close this park, we're done," said resident Tommy Frost.

Johnson, 78, lives in Dade City and has bought and sold real estate in Pasco County for more than 30 years. She purchased the 2.4-acre Whispering Oaks park in 1988 as an investment property for son Paul Branch.

It doesn't look like much of an investment, though.

Mobile homes line both sides of a potholed pavement strip that runs north off Hudson Avenue. Cigarette butts litter the sandy ground. Exteriors show obvious signs of wear.

Crews Working, Owner Says

The mobile homes have deteriorated through the years, but Johnson attributed some of that to their age, her clientele and some unreliable managers. She said crews are working furiously to bring the homes up to code, installing new floors and windows, and replacing antiquated electrical wiring.

"I'm not looking for any pats on the back," Johnson said. "But I do a lot of things for these people that no one else will do."

Resident Stephanie Koning said workers renovated the inside of her unit this year, including new cabinets and floors. She lives in the home with her husband and their three children, ages 6, 4 and 2.

Her husband works at an aluminum company but clears only about $300 a week. She had a job at McDonald's but stopped working in January because of a benefits issue. She receives $200 a month in food stamps.

Johnson charges the Konings $200 a week in rent, which includes all their utilities. Koning said moving somewhere else and paying deposits and other upfront costs would be too expensive.

"This is the only place you can get into that won't hurt you that bad," she said. "A lot of people in here, this is all they have and if they close this they'll be homeless."

Homeless advocates say the problem is getting worse. A homeless count done in January put the number of homeless in Pasco at about 4,000. Still, advocates say the number is probably higher because the homeless are often hard to find.

A Service To The Community

Jan Martini, chairwoman of Fresh Start for Pasco and a member of the county's homeless coalition, said Johnson is doing the community a service. She said closing the park would only add to a severe problem.

"I get five or six calls a week from people out on the street that have nowhere to go," Martini said. "All the shelters are filled, and there's nowhere to send these people. I have been turning people away for the last two weeks."

Johnson said her homes are rented out almost as soon as they become vacant. She knows the tough-luck stories of each of the residents and of how they came to live in the park, reciting each as she walks down the park's center strip. Most tenants refer to her as "Grandma."

"I would like to put all new trailers in here and let them live in here," Johnson said. "But I just can't afford it."

Even in the less-than-perfect conditions, a community has taken root at Whispering Oaks. Residents help each other when food runs low or when someone needs a ride to work or a buck for milk.

"I have lived in apartments with central air and heat," said resident Amanda Perry. "But this place, it's the best. People might think we're trailer trash, but it's the best."

Reporter Todd Leskanic can be reached at (727) 815-1084 or tleskanic@tampatrib.com.

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