In Barrhead Trailer Court, some tenants refer to their community as a family. They pride themselves on looking out for each other – one day it could be babysitting a neighbour’s child, the next minding a pet or running an errand.
Now the family faces being torn apart after many tenants learned they have to leave the trailer court over the next two years.
Owner Colleen Stein plans to turn the park into a community for those aged 60 and over, fulfilling what she perceives as a need in the area.
The news has been greeted with shock and dismay by tenants. They say many people are affected, leaving only a few who can remain because they meet the age requirement.
Several claim they have nowhere to go and fear they will be forced to leave Barrhead.
Some are worried about moving costs, while one man protests he has splashed out thousands of dollars on doing up his property – something he would not have done had he known about the change of use plan.
For a young mother like Shawnna Costello, the future has been plunged into uncertainty.
“We now have to uproot our babies, our children, and our homes without knowing what to do or where to go,” she said.
“It’s honestly hard enough to find a home in Barrhead where you can raise your children without having the one you currently live in ripped out from under you. So all of us are asking Barrhead for help.
“We want to keep our homes. We want to keep our children’s homes. We want to keep our family here. We want to stay and be a part of Barrhead.”
In a letter to the Leader, Costello said single people, couples and young families – their lives intertwined in the little community – were devastated by the prospect of moving.
“It doesn’t matter how long you’ve lived here. It doesn’t matter if you pay your lot rental every month with no problems. No complaints? Well that doesn’t matter either. As long as you’re under 60 you’re out. So now we ask, where do we go?”
Twenty-one-year-old Kayla Bablitz fears she will have to postpone her wedding because of the upheaval in her life.
“I want to get married in 10 months, now everything has become much more complicated,” she said.
Janette Branden, 31, said she had gone to the Town office, but was told nothing could be done since the trailer court was private land.
It was on Tuesday, Oct. 1, tenants learned they had to leave in stages over the next 24 months.
The written notices were from Stein, owner of Barrhead Trailer Court Ltd.
At the same time, tenants were told of a rent increase. Large/corner lots will cost $325 per month, effective April 1, 2014. The 180-day “notice of change” is given in accordance with Section 16 of the Mobile Home Site Tenancies Act (RSA 2000).
Tenants who must move have now organized a petition, drawing attention to their plight.
So far they say they have more than 100 signatures from people around Barrhead, including seniors.
They plan to deliver the petition to the offices of the Town of Barrhead and Barrhead-Morinville-Westlock MLA Maureen Kubinec.
On Wednesday, Oct. 9, a group of tenants gathered at the entrance to the trailer court, brandishing a sign with the message “What about us?”
Their faces and mood may have appeared at times as downcast as the chilly autumn evening, but there was still joking and laughter.
Kayla Bablitz first lived in Barrhead Trailer Court when she was nine or 10.
She returned about two years ago, settling down with her fiancé, Thomas Thompson. The couple rent their trailer.
“It’s a great community for young people to bring up families,” said Kayla.
She said it was unfair to drive young people from their homes and replace them with seniors.
“There are already a lot of places in Barrhead for older couples,” she said. “In Barrhead it’s hard for young people to get an apartment. There are always restrictions: No children, no pets, no smokers.”
Kayla said she works at a daycare centre. Living at the trailer court gives her a chance to make ends meet
“I don’t make that much money and being here takes a load off my chest, as far as expenses are concerned.”
“We have nowhere to go,” said her fiancé, Thomas. “We will have to try to get an apartment.”
He added that many of the people in the area had young kids and were on a low income.
Branden has lived at the court seven years, moving in with her son.
“Where are people going to go? Campsie? Manola? I don’t think people want to live there.”
She describes the community as close-knit, pointing out she is babysitting Shawnna Costello’s three-year-old son, Austin Capiuk.
“We all look out for each other here,” she said.
Branden wonders who will look after Barrhead’s seniors if young people have to leave the town through lack of affordable accommodation.
Jesse Hank, who has lived at the trailer court five years, said he had spent over $17,000 on his home.
Work included putting on a new roof, sidings, skirting, front deck and windows. Currently, the property is worth about $50,000, he said.
He added he can’t keep the trailer at the court because it is too old; only newer ones can stay.
Hank said he had received a letter two years ago, saying he had to tidy up the property.
“If I had known that they were planning on moving us out, I wouldn’t have sunk in so much money,” he said.
“We understand we have two years to move – but that’s two years of stress and not knowing where we are going.”
Hank reckoned it would cost tenants a lot of money to move their trailers using a dolly system. He had learned that just an assessment about a possible move could cost $1,500.
“I will probably have to leave Barrhead,” he said. “There is nowhere to go in Barrhead. There is nothing here for the younger generation. I am sorry, but even middle aged people up to 50 have nothing.”
Lori Shupack is worried about the future for sister, daughter, granddaughter and niece. They have lived at her trailer for the last four months, and in the park two years.
Now, says Shupack, they face being forced out on to the streets.
One neighbour who can stay sympathized with tenants who must leave.
“It’s a terrible situation,” she said. “Some people have moved in over the last two or three months. I feel so saddened by the situation. When I heard about it I cried. Some people have animals. You can’t just get rid of them.”
