'Between a rock and a hard place': Ohio mobile home park deemed uninhabitable after years of neglect and extreme safety issues — and now its remaining senior residents are being forced out

But the city says a lack of water and sewer service, dangerous electrical conditions and severe structural issues has made the area a dangerous place to live.

“It’s not proper to be living here, I’ll put it that way,” Carol Kelly, another resident, admitted to 13 Action News. However, she also says exiting the park presented a challenge to those still there.

“Four of us remaining are all senior citizens, and we all have animals, so we’re kind of between a rock and a hard place,” she said. “We don’t have the finances for, you know, making a move.”

Looking for answers

Kelly says the writing had been on the wall for some time and she wasn’t shocked by the city’s decision.

“Well, we weren’t really a bit surprised because we’ve been after the owner out of Chicago to do the repairs here for the past year, two years,” she said.

According to the broadcaster, notices by the city identified Marisa Garcia and River Side Mobile Home Estate LLC as the property’s owners. They were ordered to fix the problems or the park must be vacated. A city spokesperson told 13 Action News the owners haven’t been in contact with officials since late 2024.

Attempts by journalists to reach out to ownership were mostly unsuccessful. One person who answered a phone call said they were not affiliated with the property, despite their number appearing on a document at the mobile home park. When looking up the company’s Chicago office, 13 Action News reports building managers listed it as unoccupied.

In the meantime, the community’s remaining residents are left scrambling for alternatives. Kelly says she’s looking into filing a class action lawsuit against the owners, per the broadcaster, while city officials say they plan to clean up the property at the owners’ expense.

Where to turn for help

The City of Toledo says it contacted residents to help them find housing options and navigate available resources, such as through the 2-1-1 United Way hotline and other social service partners.