The dense treetops and sparse traffic at Ridgewood Mobile Home Park in Chapel Hill make the neighborhood feel vastly different from the apartment complexes and busy streets downtown. The serenity—and the school district it’s located in—make it seem like a great place to raise a child.

Elizabeth, a young mother using a pseudonym for safety, grew up in Ridgewood. When her mother was provided a house by Habitat for Humanity, their mobile home became Elizabeth’s, so that she could raise her son. It was also the most cost-effective option, she says, considering local rental prices.

“That’s the whole reason my parents were living in something they can actually own,” Elizabeth told the INDY. “My parents worked hard to give me the home that I have: they bought a mobile home; they became homeowners. It might not be a fancy house, but it’s something that was theirs, and now they were able to pass it on to me.”

Elizabeth is one of about 40 Orange County residents whose home security was upended when Ridgewood was bought by an LLC owned by the hedge fund Alden Global Capital. She and her neighbors welcomed U.S. Rep. David Price to their quiet neighborhood Tuesday afternoon after a group of residents stood outside his office last month asking for help.

Since that press conference, the group has seen some changes. One septic tank has been replaced, and more are to be inspected this weekend. 

However, there is still work to be done. The owners won’t inspect dying and diseased trees, so the group has had to call in an arborist to survey the area. There are still necessary repairs for roads and other septic tanks, and the group still does not receive documents available in Spanish or any communication between the homeowners and landlords. The current land leases are month-to-month, meaning residents could be priced out of their homes. For most, this would mean being priced out of Orange County.

Although Price told reporters Tuesday that he and a congressional colleague were exploring the possibility of introducing a Tenants’ Bill of Rights in the House specifically for mobile home residents, he said state and local governments could likely do more.

“So much of the agenda here is specific hazards and problems with the property, like these overflowing septic tanks. So it’s important to have county government involved,” says Price, a Chapel Hill Democrat representing the 4th Congressional District. “And to me, it’s very clear that we need to keep pushing on for affordable housing, immigration [reform].” 

Price says that his office agreed to meet with the owners of the park, but they have yet to set a time. He mentioned that, unlike issues related to public housing or properties with HUD loans, there is not a specific procedure when working with private companies.

“A lot of [private developments] operate very, very well, but I think there are enough problems out there and enough threats,” Price says. ”Particularly as the land in a lot of places becomes more valuable, it’s tempting to divide these places out and leave these people out in the cold. When you’re facing a situation like that, you probably need to pay more attention at the federal level to basic protections.”

While so much is left unanswered, residents like Elizabeth are just grateful for Price’s commitment to show up and raise these concerns.

“Thanks to him and his media, and everyone that he brought along, for all the representatives of Orange County, it’s being heard,” she says. “Now because of being heard through the media, other mobile home parks will have the courage to also speak up, and that’s really great. I would love to gather with them, so we can all be a force, so that we can all have rights to continue having a safe place.”

Support independent local journalism. Join the INDY Press Club to help us keep fearless watchdog reporting and essential arts and culture coverage viable in the Triangle. 

Follow Digital Content Manager Sara Pequeño on Twitter or send an email to [email protected].