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St. Vincents Takes Over Struggling Mobile Home Site

Paul Neville
/
St. Vincent de Paul Society of Lane County

A low-income housing site with a history of poor maintenance and environmental quality has a new owner.  As KLCC’s Brian Bull reports, St. Vincent de Paul has purchased the Saginaw Mobile Home and RV Park.

The organization paid $1.35 million for the site, which is between Cottage grove and Creswell.  It’s the sixth mobile home park in Lane County that St. Vincent has bought, with the intent of preserving safe and affordable housing for struggling families.

Paul Neville is the Society’s spokesman.  He says many of the tenants in the 41 homes have had to travel into neighboring towns for basic services.

“We want to put in new bathrooms, showers," Neville says.  "We’re going to put in a roadway, right now there is only dirt road that in the winter becomes nearly impassable. 

Credit Paul Neville / St. Vincent de Paul Society of Lane County
/
St. Vincent de Paul Society of Lane County

"We’re going to put in a community room, new office building as well.”  

Previous owners neglected the 14-acre Saginaw property, resisting Lane County orders to obtain permits and fix the septic system.

Three years ago, St. Vincents bought the Oakridge Mobile Home park, which has since seen a drop in crime-related calls.

Copyright 2017, KLCC.

Brian Bull is an assistant professor of journalism at the University of Oregon, and remains a contributor to the KLCC news department. He began working with KLCC in June 2016.   In his 27+ years as a public media journalist, he's worked at NPR, Twin Cities Public Television, South Dakota Public Broadcasting, Wisconsin Public Radio, and ideastream in Cleveland. His reporting has netted dozens of accolades, including four national Edward R. Murrow Awards (22 regional),  the Ohio Associated Press' Best Reporter Award, Best Radio Reporter from  the Native American Journalists Association, and the PRNDI/NEFE Award for Excellence in Consumer Finance Reporting.
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