Frontier Lands mobile home park residents relocated

All 50 displaced residents in new (temporary) homes

By Katherine Nettles

With 50 Frontier Lands mobile home park residents, half of which are children, having to leave their mobile homes in the city of Gunnison last week, a theme of community collaboration prevailed. Each family and individual had somewhere else to move, albeit only for the immediate future. 

Frontier Lands park owners notified tenants in July that their leases were being terminated at the end of August to make major infrastructure upgrades and install newer mobile home units at a higher cost of rental. Since that time, Gunnison Valley Regional Housing Authority (GVRHA) has worked with several organizations and public entities to find places for each resident to land—on short notice and in an area with a sparse housing market. Still, the spirit of collaboration and creativity prevailed. 

  GVRHA director Andy Kadlec spent weeks working with the soon-to-be uprooted residents. Kadlec presented the cause to many organizations up and down valley, entreating anyone with available units to help with the housing puzzle. One of those organizations was the Gunnison Valley Rural Transportation Authority (RTA), which had six brand new units available at the recently finished Lazy K development in Gunnison. The units are intended to house RTA drivers beginning in early November, but in the meantime the RTA agreed to work with the GVRHA and offer the units to the displaced residents for the next couple months.

 Last week, all 50 residents said goodbye to Frontier Lands and settled into new residences. According to the GVRHA, there are now six families at the Lazy K, and a family of three is temporarily staying at the Ruby in the town of Crested Butte, which is owned by the town of Crested Butte and used to house local workers. A few other families secured housing through Gunnison Real Estate and Rentals.

Additionally, “There are one or two [individuals and families] who are living with family and/or found something on their own,” said Kadlec. 

One of the GVRHA’s goals, to keep school age children near their established schools, was achieved as every student was relocated with their family to another location within Gunnison.

One family moved to Crested Butte, noted Kadlec, but their only child is an infant.  

Kadlec said it took many different sources to complete the relocation, but the biggest lift was getting six families in the RTA housing. “I don’t know where we’d have been if the RTA wasn’t willing to work with us and give us some time to breathe,” he commented. “That type of collaboration is super important.” 

RTA director Scott Truex said the Lazy K lease is good through November 7, “and we might be able to extend some of them if we have availability and if it is necessary.” Some new residents acquired information about getting a job with the RTA as drivers, which would enable them to stay in the Lazy K units long-term. “I’m not aware of anyone applying for a job yet,” said Truex, as of Tuesday, September 5.

“I think a lot of people assume the Housing Authority has a lot of secret housing, but that’s not the case,” said Kadlec. Most property the GVRHA manages is at the north end of the valley, which doesn’t achieve the consistency access to the same school for children, and tends to be smaller than needed for many of the large, multi-generational families involved in the Frontier Lands situation. 

“Everything we do have is full right now,” he added. “And we don’t really manage a lot of property in the south end of the valley.” 

While there is relief that all 50 residents have been housed temporarily, the work of long-term solutions is still ahead.

“We’re still looking for more permanent housing,” said Kadlec. He asked that anyone with leads or ideas please reach out to work with the GVRHA. 

“We are happy to facilitate the process. Many of the people involved speak primarily Spanish. I am fortunate to be able to speak Spanish,” he said, which can make the process easier. 

“And that’s what helps community too, is people helping one another.”