The Residents of Kelly Butte
Who We Are
Ron
Twelve years ago my late wife of 52 years Mary and I retired and were looking for a perfect retirement home: easy to care for, on one level, small yard in which we could garden, and a private patio or deck. When we found Kelly Butte Place we were quite surprised. The house itself met all our requirements, was reasonably priced, and surrounded by similar well kept homes. The park owner was a longtime professional park operator with several parks and he had owned KBP for more than a decade. Later we found we had a real bonus, a widely diverse set of friendly and helpful neighbors - a real old time neighborhood.
​
Over the last twelve years time has taken its toll. I lost my wife two years ago to cancer and my COPD has grown worse to the point that I am on oxygen equipment 24 hours a day and I have a limited amount of time left.
Not because of anything I have done, I will lose much of my
financial security and be forced out of my home; the home in which my wife and I expected to live out our years, independent, and surrounded by all of those things that make up over 50 years of our life together. I lose all of this through no fault of my own, just so a developer can
make a profit selling so-called affordable homes none of my neighbors or I can begin to afford.
Bev & Phil
My wife and I, age 74 and 67, are about to be displaced in October from our residence at Kelly Butte Place, which is a Manufactured Home Park in SE Portland, due to the park closure notice we received. We bought our home 10 years ago after we got married, and expected this to be our forever home.
This is dangerous for us personally. We have no savings left to pay for moving our home, let alone the cost of the preparation work to put the house on a new site, which will cost roughly $45,000 to $60,000—as our next-door neighbors have already paid to move their home.
The only financial security we have is in the equity of our home, which we own outright. But when forced to pick up the house and leave, we lose about half the equity value in our home due to the cost of the move. Yet, even this is impossible for us personally. Putting $45,000 on credit cards to pay for the move renders an $800 minimum monthly payment for many years to come—an impossible dollar amount for us to add-on in our retirement years ahead.
Hence, we are in crisis. We have no recourse, or resources to just walk away and buy, or even to rent another home, because current mortgages and rent are so high in the Portland area. We need to stay where we are in order to preserve the equity we have, or we must throw ourselves at the mercy of the city, or the land owner to pay for moving our home. There are no other options for us personally.
Felix, Eva & Brian
26 years ago, I left Cuba on a raft to look for new horizons. A woman from the Catholic church recommended I move to Portland, Oregon, in 1996. She said this was a beautiful and quiet city, with wonderful and fraternal people. I arrived in Portland 4 days later.
My wife Evita arrived shortly after me, and shortly after her, our son Brian arrived. He was born at Emanuel Hospital in Portland in 2002.
I have tried to do everything right. To immigrate the right way; to pay my taxes correctly; to vote in every election. I have seen hardship. Our second child died suddenly in 2012 as an infant. In 2015 a work accident left me unable to work but was not covered by my Medicare insurance. I now have a gross monthly income of $660.00 and recently been diagnosed with cancer. And now I am facing homelessness if this park closure is allowed to continue.
I speak for myself and also for the remaining ten families at Kelly Butte Place. These families own their homes, but will lose everything. Our home values range between $100,000 and $150,000, but the value this community provides us is immeasurable. The City must find a humane solution. This park closure is technically legal, but is incredibly unfair and will wreak havoc on a community that has already been hit by so much.
Sassi
My name is Sandra Lovingier. I bought my house in 2009 with all my retirement money. I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1994 and Hashimoto’s disease in 2010. I am plagued with chronic fatigue, headaches that require regular botox treatments, and brain damage from the MS lesions that cause my speech to slur at times. When I bought my home it was to be my forever home and secure my future, since I knew I would not be able to work for much longer.
At this time I can no longer work. I live off of disability and money I make collecting cans and bottles. I spend my days caring for my grandchildren as I’m able. Since receiving the notice that our park was closing I have been an absolute wreck. I don’t know what I’m going to do if the owner doesn't change his mind about redeveloping the park, or if the city doesn’t do something to help us save our homes. Right now I own my house outright and pay $700 in space rent. That’s a lot less than I’d be paying renting an apartment, even if it was affordable housing! And I can’t even qualify to rent anywhere on my income.
Right now my plan is to sleep in my car or a tent if I lose my home.
Kelly Butte Place is a true community. We know all our neighbors and we help each other. If I lose my home I will be homeless. I have nowhere to go. I've worked all my life to finally find a place where I felt safe and content. I’ve paid my bills and taxes just to have it all ripped out from underneath me. I'm going to lose everything. We need your help.
Karen
I have lived at Kelly Butte Place since 2005. I worked as a Variable Hour Employee (Temp/No benefits) for Metro since 2004 at the Oregon Zoo. I am on the Oregon Health Plan and receiving SNAP benefits. I have COPD/Stage 3 Emphysema and I am Disabled. I rely on public transit to get around.
​
I love living here at Kelly Butte Place for the "family vibe" we all share with each other. I know I can ask some of my neighbors for rides and help with things around the house that I can't tackle myself. It is close to shopping and public transportation. I don't drive, so this was the most important factor in purchasing my home back in 2005.
We watch out for each other.
I had invested all the equity from the sale of my previous home (I had with my late boyfriend), to purchase this one at Kelly Butte Place. I paid cash so as to not have house payments, keeping my budget affordable. Space rent was $450.00 when I bought my home. At that time, I had only been working my job for a little over a year, I was not full time. Over the years, I have been working extra hours to do upgrades on my home and yard. If I were to lose my home, not only would I lose every dime I have invested in my home, I will have nowhere to go and no money to purchase another home. I will be out on the streets.
Lucy, Joe & Maya
We are the Brisack family; Lucy, Joe and daughter Maya. We struggled for many years with infertility but finally got our miracle girl 8 years ago. We used our saving to have our daughter and we were priced out of the “normal” housing market.
We visited our now home and fell in love with the house and the neighborhood. We have become a family over the last 3 years. We have taken care of each other in the most trying of times. We know our neighbors and we help each other anyway we can.
I am a production scheduler, my husband is getting ready to be a stay at home dad in September, and my daughter attends the wonderful West Powellhurst Elementary School. We love Kelly Butte because we care about each other. Maya is able to run wild with the other residents' grandchildren, ride her bike, have sleepovers, etc. When we have snow, we all get together to shovel our street. We have barbecues, we have garage sales. We are a family and each other’s support system.
If we lose our home, we lose everything. Since the pandemic started, we have used up our savings to pay for childcare. We will have to walk away from our home which still has a mortgage on it. We will have to lose our sense of community, family and safety. If the city does nothing, we will be tossed on the street with no options and to chance of recovery.
Cheryl
I'm a retired teacher who moved to Portland to help raise my grandson 8 years ago. Most of my teaching career of 21 years was in special education.
I bought my home here because it was affordable and in what turned out to be a very comfortable and friendly neighborhood. I took care of my grandson full time while his mom worked until he started school, I still watch him when I can and when needed.
To move would put a strain on my daughter as well as me.
I still owe on my home and would have to keep paying whether living here or not. Paying for a rental along with my house payment would be difficult. I have a tenant who would also be homeless. She does not have enough income to live on her own and no prospects of finding a place.
Sharon & Earl
We are both 76, live at Kelly Butte Place, partially retired. Earl still works part-time at UPS as a package unloader, as they need the income.
30 years ago Earl suffered and survived a brain aneurysm that limited his employability for years, while Sharon worked to keep a roof over their heads. Sharon, an accomplished sewer, sewed more than 750 masks during the pandemic and gave them out to anyone in need.
We purchased our home at Kelly Butte Place in 2003, nearly 20 years ago, and planned that this would be our Forever Home to safely live out the rest of our lives.
Prior to the park closing, a few previous neighbors sold their homes here (at full market value, 125,000+) which helped pay-off their mortgage and used proceeds to purchase a new home. If we can't save our park, our home would now sell as a “mover” for $10,000, but we would lose 90% of the equity we’ve built in our home and we don't know where we'd go.
​
Like our neighbors, we’ve payed property taxes on our home’s value for nearly 20 years. Our homes are now worthless, despite 20 years of upkeep, costly improvements, landscaping, and property taxes. We can't afford to move our home to another community ($45,000+), nor pay-off our mortgage, nor sell our home for the mortgage balance because no buyer will purchase if they can’t live here.
If we walk away from our home and abandon it on the property, we’d be forced to declare bankruptcy making it difficult to rent an apartment.
Ben Lundberg
My name is Ben and I am 62 years of age. I am a construction worker. I have been a resident of the Portland metropolitan area since 1982. During this time I raised my children, built several businesses, have owned several homes, and been a tax paying productive member of the city, county and state.
During the pillaging of our country in the 2007 recession I lost my home, business, savings, retirement, credit and most of my self respect. Since then I have been trying to rebuild. I financially help support my daughters as they navigate this mess their generation has inherited.
The closing of this park is criminal. This is life or death for some of us. One person has already died from the stress. Personally I will be forced into bankruptcy and devastate my credit again which makes all aspects of living more expensive. I am already faced with never being able to retire. Housing is already unaffordable and these folks, including myself, just want a fair shake and to be left in peace. Do the right thing for our community! We will not go down without a fight!